On any given weekend night in Brown County, live music fills the air in most wineries, bars and restaurants.

Some managers and owners say live music helps them bring in locals and break even when tourists are not visiting in the slow months of January and February.

The rest of the year, live music helps to draw visitors and locals alike.

At the Brown County Inn, live music can be heard on Friday and Saturday nights in the Corn Crib Lounge.

It’s about consistency, too, when offering live music during the winter, said Courtney Gosser, one of the four Brown County Inn owners.

“This time of year it makes us break even, but it’s about the atmosphere and keeping things consistent and what people expect from your business,” she said.

“We have a small community here in Brown County so I think music is kind of a universal pastime, so I think that in a small town to have music is good. It kind of brings people together.”

From a business standpoint, it’s also important to offer live music from local and regional bands, especially in the slower winter season, Gosser said.

“Local people can bring in local customers. Those are people we absolutely want to cater to because it’s all about the locals in the offseason. We’re a small town. If you don’t have the locals on your side you’re not going to do really well all year round,” she said.

Gosser said the Brown County Inn receives many inquiries from bands and musicians wishing to play there, but the owners have to consider different factors when booking performances, which results in them turning some way.

“We’re looking for someone who we can hear beforehand. If we have a musician who doesn’t have any references or no music on the Internet it’s really hard for us to book bands like that because it’s kind of a gamble for us. We end up turning people away,” she said.

Offering performances by cover bands is something Gosser believes appeals to tourists.

“A lot of people on vacation, they want to hear what they know and they want to dance to something they’ve heard before,” she said.

Currently, the Brown County Inn gives “The Pickers,” or the musicians who gather together to play outside at the Village Green Pavilion during the summer, space to perform on Tuesday nights. The hope is to eventually add more performance opportunities for local singers and songwriters, Gosser said.

Bringing in money

This past summer, the Nashville Arts and Entertainment Commission had intern Anne Ellis conduct research regarding the economic impact of the arts and culture in Brown County.

The survey was part of Ellis’ Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs master’s degree program and came at no cost to the town.

According Ellis’ data, 12 percent of people she surveyed on the street and 10 percent elsewhere in the community were visiting for entertainment events.

Ellis’ report states that an average guest to Brown County spends $26 on arts and entertainment events, $106 on lodging and $55 on food/restaurants.

“Focusing more on live performances and music in the general, I think they’re appealing to younger crowd, and they’re doing a pretty good job of bringing in more business for the town by using music to draw people in,” said local musician Kenan Rainwater, of the band RAINWATER.

“What’s really cool about playing around here is that we have not only a great supportive local audience … and tourists. You can play in the same place to different people every night, especially in the spring, summer and fall, because we have such a great tourist industry,” he said.

Most bars, restaurants and wineries in Brown County don’t charge at the door for a music performance.

But live music can lead to more sales, said Tony VanNess, manager of the 19th Hole Sports Bar at Salt Creek Golf Retreat. There is at least a 25 per-cent increase in revenue at the sports bar on nights with live music.

“Once there’s a band, they stay later, so then if they stay later, they will continue to eat and drink,” he said.

The 19th Hole offers live music on weekends from the spring until the fall. When the weather warms and golfers begin booking their weekend getaways at the retreat, VanNess said he tries to book bands he knows will entertain certain groups.

“I’ve got to think about the clientele during the golf season because we have a lot of repeat customers, the golfers, and I have to think about which group kind of likes the country, the rock or the jazz (music). That’s how I book a band suitable for them,” he said.

“It’s fun to watch guys and ladies come from all over and have locals come in and mingle with them. It’s fun to watch. … (That) helps for sure.”

At Chateau Thomas Winery, live music is used to draw in customers who could go elsewhere for food or drinks since the winery does not have a restaurant.

A typical live music evening generates $1,800, said Bob Smerdel, the tasting room manager.

“I probably am more aggressive about marketing our music than most others. For us I have to be because, again, we don’t have those other draws. The other locations, the music is a little bit more background or accessory to what their main business is. For me it’s a little different,” Smerdel said, describing the live music performances as concerts.

For example, the first weekend the winery did not have live music last year they brought in $600.

“It’s significant. I can’t say it was like that every weekend, some could be higher or lower, but it was a huge drop-off for us because we don’t have anything else to draw people in here,” he said.

Smerdel said tourists want the “destination experience” and that includes something to do in the evening.

“Live music is important. There’s not a lot of night life here on the weekends,” he said.

“If you want to keep the vacation dollars in town I think that having live music is a very good draw and it really helps the sites that are willing to spend the money to do it.”

Drawing them in

It also helps if musicians or bands already have a fan base that shows up to performances.

About three weeks ago, the Cari Ray Trio performed at the Chateau Thomas Winery and it was standing-room-only, Smerdel said.

Both Ray and Smerdel describe the relationship between a venue and a musician as a business partnership.

“You’re helping them make money and they’re helping you make money. And you’re doing that by trying to create a great experience for the people there,” Ray said.

She has been performing at Chateau Thomas for three years.

For musicians, performing locally gives them a chance to connect to audiences filled with their friends, families and visitors from out of town.

“You feel like you’re hosting your fans and your friends wherever you play, so you want to make sure that the place that you’re bringing them to and that you’re playing matches up with the experience that you’re trying to help create with them,” Ray said.

Amanda Webb has performed with her band at Chateau Thomas Winery, Brown County Inn, Big Woods Brewing Company and at the Muddy Boots before the business moved to The Pine Room Tavern space.

She’s been performing in Nashville for 10 years with different bands, duos and on her own.

She said her new band, The Amanda Webb Band, tries not to perform too often in Nashville.

“If they can see me next week, then they might not show up this weekend,” she said.

“For me it’s more about my audience. How many people am I affecting? How many people am I reaching? Because I don’t want to waste my time and I don’t want to waste the venue’s time. If I go into the venue now and my draw is low, I have to consider, what’s the deal? Is it the time and place? Did I not advertise properly? Have I just lost momentum because I started to perform too much here?”

Bringing fans with you helps to book more performances.

“It absolutely helps to have a loyal following. It’s a practical viewpoint on the bar’s part within the hope you’re going bring in more business, because generally these are not ticketed events,” Rainwater said.

“If you can bring people in with you, you can generally command a higher price for your labors.”

Smerdel agrees.

“Unless you bring a huge crowd with you, unless you are really packing my house and driving a lot of revenue for me, I stick to my pay schedule,” he siad.

“Over time I can give you a raise if you show that you can drive additional revenue.”