Time was that if someone wanted to start their own nightclub, they’d have to take a fair number of risks to do so. They’d have to find a suitable building. They’d have to design it, probably do a significant amount of refurbishment, pay and install a sound system – not to mention all the regulatory requirements in that country would have to be fulfilled.
And that all has to be done before you can even spend a single minute open. It’s a lot of work, as any number of people I’ve spoken to in the past on the subject can confirm.
Not anymore, it appears. Now, you can pawn off the financial risk onto someone else. Or so they think. A new nightclub is due to open up in Rotterdam in September.
It’ll be called BIT, and they’re crowdfunding the whole thing. They need to sell 3000 tickets, at €25 each. That’s €75,000 to raise. Whatever happened to getting a loan from the bank and putting up some collateral?
According to the very sleek crowdfunding page, there are four phases involved. Phase one, for example, involves the “entity” being “visualised” for “recognition and esthetic purposes”. Stuff also appears about building it, putting in a fancy sound system and some light installation thing.
At the time of writing this article, they’d sold just under 1400 tickets – a little under halfway to the target. What happens if they fail to reach the target in time – will everything be delayed or will people receive their money back? BIT has been contacted for comment on this point.
That said, there is one thing I must point out is a stroke of genius. Putting the address of the premises into Google Maps brings up what used to be there – a restaurant and cafe. But what’s across the road from the venue? This…
For the benefit of those of us outside the Netherlands, Praxis is a DIY store. That could come in handy!
