Small rock music venue with a bar

Music fans buying tickets and drinks, promoters renting the room, and sometimes bands or private groups hiring it for events.

Ticket or door sales, bar takings (usually the biggest share), room hire for promoters and private events, and some merchandise commission.

• Booking and scheduling acts
• Managing a bar and staff
• Local music scene contacts
• Basic sound and stage know-how

• A liquor licence is usually essential and can take months, check your provincial regulator's rules and costs
• Check zoning, noise bylaws, fire code and maximum occupancy with your municipality
• Check music licensing requirements, such as SOCAN and Re:Sound tariffs
• Commercial general liability and liquor liability insurance, often costly for venues
• Staff rules vary by province: WCB/WSIB coverage, serving and security training or licences
• Startup costs depend heavily on whether you take over an existing licensed room or fit out a new space; build in a cash buffer for fit-out, licensing delays and the first quiet months
• Margins are thin and rely on bar sales, so cash flow in quiet months and winter needs planning

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $200,000 to $600,000, depending heavily on whether you take over an existing licensed room or fit out a new space. Build in a cash buffer for fit-out, licensing delays and the first quiet months.

Check your provincial regulator's liquor licence rules, costs and timelines, zoning, noise bylaws, fire code and maximum occupancy with your municipality, music licensing such as SOCAN and Re:Sound, liquor liability insurance, and staff rules like WCB/WSIB and serving or security training.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on your bookings and bar sales. The estimate assumes at least about 40 hours a week. Margins can be thin and rely on the bar, so plan for quiet months and winter.