There’s one truth you’ll discover soon enough if you just opened a bar, if you’re having a wedding, if you’re holding a block party, and that is: Where there is live music, there will be people. There’s no better way to boost attendance than to hire band to play a show for the crowd.

How many times have you gone to see a band that you knew you weren’t a big fan of, because what the heck, it’s a rock show, so why not? It’s not just the music, it’s the culture surrounding the music. Even if the band isn’t really playing your type of music, you know that you can go to a concert or a local show to meet new friends, to hang out, to have a few drinks and not feel like you wasted your Saturday night. Simply put, music puts butts in seats.

Music is such an incredibly important piece of being a human being. Ever since we were cavemen, music has driven the culture, it has driven every facet of everyday life. Music is played in tribal societies to celebrate a hunt, as part of a ceremony, or to rally the troops for combat or sport. In the developed world, we listen to music in our cars, we put the radio on at work, we relax to it when we take a bath or put on a soft song to help us sleep when we’ve had a bad day.