From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V6 #45 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Thursday, March 11 2004 Volume 06 : Number 045 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] RE: Venue Redux [g1martin ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 17:25:54 -0500 From: g1martin Subject: [RS] RE: Venue Redux >Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 08:43:16 EST >From: RockinRonD@aol.com >Subject: [RS] Venue Redux > >In a message dated 3/10/2004 4:55:47 AM Eastern Standard Time, RonG writes: > >>>his (RS) contract with the venue may actually *prevent* him from playing >elsewhere locally, for fear of potentially cannibalizing the IMAC audience and >affecting the promoter's guarantee.<< > >This makes perfect sense of course. But I wonder if venues such as IMAC >would include a house concert in their contracts as a competing local venue >necessarily. It's an interesting point. Given how new an idea house concerts are, >my guess is they aren't. The majority, if not all house concerts, are >non-profit and all receipts go to the artists. Perhaps someone should test this one >day. > >RonD I doubt the contract specifies the type of show, and therefore would INCLUDE house concerts. Profit/non-profit status is completely irrelevant. It's 30-60 potential ticket sales lost to the bigger, usually for-profit venue. Usually the big venue has promised a guaranteed minimum amount to the performer and has its own overhead. They also have lots of seats to fill. They can't afford to allow the artist to play other venues in the area. I heard a story a few years ago about a musician who was booked to play at a non-profit 150 seat venue. They probably guaranteed him $1000-$1500. Either the previous night or the next night, he did a FREE house concert nearby. The non-profit venue lost quite a bit of money on the show. Apparently this venue doesn't have an exclusivity clause in the contract. Regarding the other posts about Richard playing small venues, surely it depends on several things: a. His drawing power in a particular region b. What venues in the region are willing to book him c. What the venues are willing/able to pay d. How the size of the venue fits his career strategy Maybe the big venue in some area can't or doesn't want to book him when it's convenient for him. Maybe he can't sell enough seats to make it worth playing the big venue. Maybe he figures it's better to turn people away from a sell-out at $25/ticket at a small venue than to play to half a hall at $15 in a big venue, thus creating momentum for a future gig at the big venue. Maybe some particular small venue operator did him a favor early in his career that he's re-paying. It's complex, and the folk scene is far from geographically uniform. ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V6 #45 **********************************