In The Trenches with Bahar Tas of indie music venue Drom NYC

Bahar Tas has been the Marketing Manager at the DROM NYC for the last 18 months. She shares the tactics she uses to sell more tickets in this ultra-competitive city: “Every show is different, so the challenge is always to identify what will resonate most with its target audience.”

This interview is part of Hypebot’s In The Trenches series sponsored by venue, festival and promoter marketing solution Bandsintown PRO. The series will feature the unsung heroes who make live music happen.

More In The Trenches interviews

• Shannon Wiles of Le Poisson Rouge
• Pete Lally of Spectacle Live
• John Harris of XL Live
• Rachel Hunt of Grog Shop

In The Trenches with Bahar Tas of indie music venue Drom NYC

Share a little about yourself and what you do.

I’m, Bahar Tas, Marketing Manager at Drom NYC. I studied Economics and Media in college and briefly worked in marketing across multiple industries before discovering Drom soon after moving to the city. The venue’s atmosphere felt magical, bringing people together around live music from all kinds of genres and traditions. I wanted to connect with the team behind it right away and even secretly imagined being part of it. I began by volunteering on a few projects, and over time our collaboration grew naturally, leading to the role I hold today. I’ve now been with Drom for a year and a half.

Tell us about the venue.

Drom is one of New York City’s few venues fully dedicated to world music.

Founded in 2007 in the heart of the East Village by entrepreneur Serdar Ilhan, it has a flexible capacity of 100 seated or 250 standing, offering an intimate atmosphere where you’re always close to the stage. That stage has welcomed artists such as Ibrahim Maalouf, Questlove, Snarky Puppy, Camila Cabello, and Sun Ra Arkestra, along with returning virtuosos like Ara Dinkjian and Mike Stern. Beyond the venue, Drom NYC also organizes US-wide tours and recently launched Drom Music, a record label that reflects its long-term commitment to building cultural bridges through music.

What does your typical workday look like?

My mornings begin with a sweep of ticket sales, ad performance, and email stats. The focus is usually on shows within a two-week window—troubleshooting underperforming events, coordinating with artists’ teams, and working with our digital agency on ad adjustments. At times, this extends to engaging with consulates and cultural organizations, designing targeted email campaigns, or partnering with radio hosts and PR outlets. Every show is different, so the challenge is always to identify what will resonate most with its target audience.

What ‘go to’ tools, strategies and outlets do you use to market most shows?

We migrated to Cymbal for email marketing this year, and it has become a cornerstone of our workflow – easy to use, track, and segment for targeted campaigns. We maintain a consistent monthly budget for Meta Ads, scaling spend depending on each show’s needs, and rely on Bandsintown Pro to notify fans of upcoming performances, especially for established artists.

Which newer marketing tools show the most promise?

Cymbal’s new Meta Ad integration is exciting for streamlining campaign management.

Viewcy is a promising all-in-one platform that integrates event ticketing, live streaming, membership management, CRM, and built-in marketing support. What excites me most is how it positions itself not just as a sales tool but as a community-building platform, even channeling part of its revenue back into a global fund. It feels very aligned with Drom’s mission, and I’m looking forward to exploring how we can collaborate.

Another tool is Audience Services—a seat-filling partner specializing in audience development. We set aside a portion of tickets that they distribute to their network of educators, union members, nonprofit staff, and arts industry professionals. In return, the show benefits from maximum attendance and stronger room energy, which is especially important for artists experiencing New York for the first time.

Name a show or campaign where you felt you had the most impact and why.

Some of the most rewarding moments come from seeing an event develop from the very first conversation. That involvement helps me shape everything from naming the event to outreach strategies, which keeps me fully invested throughout the campaign. One personal favorite was last year’s Purim celebration with Frank London and the Klezmer Brass, where I worked closely with New Shul’s community leaders to ensure strong turnout. Meeting them in person on the night of the show and celebrating community through music was a powerful reminder of why I love what I do—and that it’s not just about sending emails all day.

Beyond individual shows, I’m also proud of initiatives I’ve introduced, such as our YouTube artist talk series with musicians, which foster richer conversations and reach wider audiences online. I also launched the Drom NYC membership program, designed to build loyalty and give our regulars special benefits. Both projects go beyond single events, strengthening the long-term relationship between Drom, its artists, and its community.

What do you wish more artists and teams would do differently to make your job easier and help sell more tickets?

Early and complete delivery of promo assets makes all the difference. Providing images in the right formats and sizes (without watermarks or resolution issues) saves valuable time.

Beyond that, I encourage every artist, especially newer ones, to start documenting performances from day one. Even simple, well-shot live clips can become powerful tools for building momentum from one show to the next.

Bruce Houghton is Founder & Editor of Hypebot, Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, a Berklee College Of Music professor and founder of Skyline Artists.

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