Posted By Alice the Canine Messiah on February 18, 2012
The idea of bringing live music to a retail marketplace in support of sales events has the very real effect of evolving the venue. What is traditionally seen as a Retail Venue has now become, in a very real way, a Music Venue.
In the ‘for what it’s worth’ category, and while I am aware that many musicians do indeed want to be paid in cash…
The “music venues” being discussed here are non-traditional. One of the ways this truth plays out is in consideration of what sort of “draw” a local/regional band or musician with a following would have for a marketplace venue where the main feature is not the music. Of course they might draw folks, but is it realistic to think they would draw a crowd similar to the one they’d draw for a Friday night performance at the local music venue? May be… Ask around…
But my point has to do with creating a win/win situation, which is indeed a very valuable form of ‘pay’.
In my experience over the years when musicians are asked to support a non-traditional venue one of the selling points has to do with ‘what music adds’ to the event; aka ‘the importance of music’s presence’. And of course we all agree on this, music does make a difference and live music perhaps more so.
But what seems to happen so many times is that when the actual event begins to ‘go down’ the importance of the music often gets diluted. Suddenly the advertising is incorrect, and either forgets to mention the music, or the musician, or it mentions the wrong one.
And the music is mentioned so often as an ‘also ran’ – a little side note about “Oh yeah, and so and so will be there too…”
And of course we smile and we do understand the challenges of coordinating and advertising an event and how many details there are to pull together, and so we suck up the mistakes, the lack of promotion, the sudden seeming lack of importance of music to the event.
So….
My first suggestion is that we can be ‘paid’ in many very meaningful ways:
- Timely promotion
- Correct promotion
- Enthusiastic Promotion
- Equal Promotion, as we are event vendors too, not also-rans
- Goods from the vendors (the Nelson Farmer’s Market stands out in my mind, where EVERY vendor has always brought me and my bandmates some token of their gratitude – a glass of their special tea, a bamboo guitar pick, flowers to take home to my loved one, green beans fresh picked, a tomato. It should also be noted that when we played there we were paid an amount of cash that worked out to less than a $5 contribution from each vendor. If music is so important to the event, is a few dollars a vendor really that huge? Really? We’re talking about the same sacrifice many vendors make when they grab a latte on their way to the event. Latte? Music? Latte? Music? Hmmm…. The proof, I suppose, is in the “putting”.)
As I write this I begin to wonder – “What if you promoted a Music Event in your venue?”
Not a retail sale event with music as a garnish, but a Music Event where folks can conveniently browse, shop, and get to know new businesses in their town? You know, instead of coming out on Friday night and paying a cover and sitting in a chair and maybe drinking for two hours in the presence of live music, they can… well, you know… buy your stuff. Get to know you.
Now you are in different territory. You are promoting culture, which includes not only music but goods. Vendors. Shops. Relationships.
The competitive aspect is gone, and the cooperative aspect of culture evolves. Here Now.
One other thought: IF a musician or band IS so important, then WHY are we left to both entertain AND vend our music? IF we are so important to the mix, then how about each vendor come get 5 copies of my cd and promote them at their place of business? I will be happy to cut you in on 15% of my sales, and your only investment is… uh, well really nothing. No risk of unsold merchandise, no up front costs, and pretty much your same ROI except you had no Investment.
Now maybe 15% is the wrong number, I don’t know. But I hope I have planted some seeds…
Best of Now, always,
Greg Allen Morgoglione
02-18-2012
Category: Greg Allen Morgoglione |
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