It’s an experiment in cross-venue synergy devised by CQ Presents, the booking company behind the programming at the two clubs in question, as well as O’Brien’s Pub and others around the area, explained Carl Lavin. The longtime Great Scott booker, responsible for turning it into one of the city’s hippest rock clubs since he took over in 2004, partnered with Josh Smith (previously of Mass Concerts) to form CQ in February 2011.

A new promotion from the indie-rock clubs Great Scott and T.T. the Bear’s Place called the Bridge Badge aims to streamline that process for avid showgoers and would-be scenesters. The badges, which went on sale last week (at $149, available through www.cqpresents.com ), will provide holders access to any show or event at either club through June 30.

The traditional path to getting on the permanent guest list at a rock club takes a lot of work - what with the long hours of required schmoozing, the late nights, and probably more cans of cheap beer than are advisable.

Carl Lavin, who books Great Scott, says the Bridge Badge “will help people who are adventurous in what they’re willing to check out.’’ Josh Reynolds for the Boston Globe/file

The idea was to expand the reach of the size and type of shows they could put on by combining forces, using Great Scott and O’Brien’s as an anchor, and Smith’s experience from placing shows in larger venues all around New England.


“Carl and I partnering up came naturally, because of our commitment to treating bands right, giving fans a great experience, and keeping costs low,’’ Smith explains. The co-owners of CQ have also recently enlisted the help of Kevin Hoskins, former talent buyer for the Middle East. They’re putting on an average of 12 shows a week at this point, many of which badge holders will be able to attend.

Smith had been wanting to try a similar access pass program at venues in Worcester in recent years, during his time placing shows at the Palladium, but the volume to make it a good value for fans wasn’t in place.


“We tried to make every aspect of the Palladium shows unique and different, offering cool giveaways, limited edition merch, early entry, meet and greets, you name it,’’ says Smith. “So the Bridge Badge came from that way of thinking, trying to make it more than just a rock show, trying to include the customers and make it a great value for everyone. Now that we are booking smaller clubs seven days a week, we have the volume necessary to try a program like this.’’

For music fans who already spend a significant number of their nights out seeing shows at either venue (whose average covers tend to fall between $6 and $13) it’s an idea that makes sense financially.

“For $149, in theory someone could go to a lot of shows,’’ Lavin says. “It will work for [the popular Great Scott dance night] the Pill too, and probably [’80s dance night] Heroes at T.T.’s. That’s a big deal. You could go seven days at week at both places.’’

That’s including popular shows likely to sell out. Although in those cases, Lavin explains, the clubs will be in touch with badge holders to alert them of shows where capacity concerns require knowing ahead of time if they plan on coming.

Veterans of music festivals like CMJ and South by Southwest, accustomed to badges that can often seem futile and ineffective, will be heartened to know that CQ Presents have taken these problems into account.


“That’s the difference between a handful of people and working with them to make sure if they want to come; whereas CMJ, they know they’re giving out more badges than they can put in places, and then [showgoers are] on their own,’’ Lavin says. “We’re not going to sell so many we won’t be able to make someone feel like it was worth it at the end of it all.’’

Steve Gisselbrecht and his husband, Tom Wethern, of Allston are two early badge holders who think the price makes it a no-brainer. A few years back they won a contest for a year’s free admission to Great Scott. They approached Lavin recently about trying to buy such a year-round pass, for which they were offering $500. “This is less than that, for two different clubs,’’ Gisselbrecht says. “Obvious win.’’

“The most positive thing about the pass is that as someone who is curious about music, it allows me to sample performances that I might not otherwise go to, knowing that I can turn around and leave without any bad sunk-cost fallacy feelings,’’ Werthern says.

“I think ideally as much as anything, it will help people who are adventurous in what they’re willing to check out,’’ Lavin agrees. “It will eliminate the cost-benefit analysis of potential shows. And you can get the ‘Cheers’ theme playing in your head when you walk in the door.’’

For the clubs, there’s an obvious plus side as well. It may amount to a discounted ticket, but more bodies through the door is in their best interest. “As far as the clubs go, once you cover the expenses of doing a show, it will have more people in the club, buying drinks, contributing to a better atmosphere. People who buy these things are going to be a lot more likely to be talking about shows on Facebook or Twitter, they’re probably going to bring people to the show with them. There’s no downside to the venue, all it can be is good.’’


“It also frees up people’s money to spend on merchandise and at the bar since the badge holder isn’t paying a nightly cover charge,’’ Smith adds. “I’m always more likely to buy a shirt or LP from a band I like or a beer at the bar when I haven’t spent a lot otherwise.’’

And if the Bridge Badge turns out to be a big success, it’s a model they might expand on, or that other clubs in the area might consider instituting themselves. Only time will tell at this point.

“At the end of the day, this is an experiment,’’ Smith says, “and we are excited to launch the program on a small level to see how it works, and come back and make it even better in the fall. We want people to see more live music, to check out bands that they may have heard about but might not necessarily go see. We are music fans ourselves, and we hope offering a low-cost option to listen to new acts gets people talking.’’


Luke O’Neil can be reached at lukeoneil47@gmail.com.