I’ve found that the early stage game goes by really quickly, and I spend most of my time playing in the medium/ high capacity venues, only ever playing a few times in the smaller venues before I can have sell out crowds in the larger venues.
I’m trying to find a way to slow down this quick rise so you have to spend longer playing in the pub with only 2 spot lights. Not dragging it out for ever, but longer that 3 gigs. Perhaps that could be done by changing the cost of the next set of gigs to slightly higher?
Also the meteoric rise of fame makes the lower levels of rehersal studios only used a couple of times. Once you get out of the garage you can play a sell out crowd at one of the smaller venues and suddenly your band is so full of themselves that they’ll only reherse in a large studio without throwing the toys out the pram.