I love bluegrass festivals. The excitement rises in me as we near the grounds of the coming weekend's festival, usually but not always somewhere in rural America. We round a corner and see a blue sign with an arrow saying “Bluegrass Festival.” A flag waves beside a narrow dirt road, and we turn in, bumping along an often dusty access road. A panorama of RV's spreads out before us with a large tent in the background. The mobile bluegrass community is assembling in a new location for a weekend of jamming, socializing, eating, and attending performances on the main stage. We're led to our camping site by a codger on a golf cart who helps us fit into the narrow site with just enough room to open our awning without trespassing on the next door neighbor's space. We grab our bag chairs and scurry down to the main stage to put them down in a favored space even before we set up camp, and then return to establish our home for the next four or five days. We're home, no matter where we are.
Is there anything wrong with this idyllic picture? Well...yes. Battered by a difficult economy, changed by the economics of earning a living on the bluegrass trail, plagued by an aging fan base, missing the young people who work during the week, and damaged by unreliable weather that makes any four day period spent outdoors at best risky, festivals face an uncertain future. The earliest festivals, built along the model provided by Carlton Haney in the first recorded multi-day bluegrass festival held over the three day Labor Day weekend in 1965 near Roanoke, VA, brought a group of now legendary bluegrass bands together with a mixed bag of mountain people, hippies, music lovers, and professional musicians to share a group experience. These weekend events were often highlighted by a Sunday afternoon recounting of the history of bluegrass narrated by Carlton Haney who would call various performers to the stage to re-create songs they had sung with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass boys during the years they were with the band. In later years, these Grand Finales took on different forms, according to Pete Wernick. Performers would largely remain at the festival for its entire span, spending a good deal of their time in the field with the crowd as members of the many jams taking place in campsites where, not by happenstance, they were often fed by their friends in the audience. In all likelihood, there was only one bluegrass festival anywhere nearby. The music often featured a combination of bands that today would be categorized as classic country and folk as well as bluegrass. The specter of the dreaded rock and roll hung over the environment.
Today's economic environment has created quite a different scene. In order to be able to afford to stay on the road, a professional band must book two or three gigs over a four day weekend period. With luck and good management a band can begin its weekend a few hundred miles from its base, where it performs on Thursday night as the headliner. After a brief time taken to sell merchandise, the band will board its bus or van and rush through the night to another festival site at least two hundred miles away to be prepared for a 2:30 PM first set on Friday afternoon. Two hundred miles is often a designated safety zone to help assure that a band doesn't draw fans away from another nearby event. Often the distance is much greater. Saturday may find the band at still another venue. For instance, Graves Mountain in Virginia and Strawberry Park in Connecticut often share performers on a weekend in early June. They are 456 miles apart. Perhaps the band can also schedule a church appearance on Sunday morning along their route home. By the time the group arrives home on Sunday night or the wee hours of Monday morning, they are exhausted and many band members must be at their day jobs on Monday. There isn't time to hang out for the Sunday afternoon Grand Finale in which members of many bands joyfully jam together to celebrate the music they love to make.
For promoters, the calculation is also difficult. In order for a promoter to do better than break even or make a very small profit, Friday and Saturday's strong lineups must be supported by good enough weather to draw a substantial day crowd. Weekend RV'ers may guarantee a steady pre-sale, perhaps even enough to pay for the talent, but festivals have significant overhead that always make showing a profit risky. Maintaining low ticket prices for whole-festival attendees places further downward pressure on the gate. The surest way to guarantee a loss is cold or rainy weather which inevitably depresses attendance. Sponsorship can help, but not all promoters are skilled at developing local or regional sponsors to help take on some of the load. The portion of the outdoor festival season in which temperature and weather tend to work well enough to increase the chances of success is relatively short and uncertain. The joys of the outdoors are often outweighed by excessive heat or evening chill and rain.
A couple of recent experiences with indoor concerts have inclined me to favor them as an effective delivery system for bluegrass music for a number of reasons. First, let me examine, briefly, the negatives. Frequently, indoor events don't provide sufficient space or a welcoming environment for jamming and vendors. Since the jam is an essential element of bluegrass get-togethers, promoters should consider finding venues where space for jamming is included. Vendors, including gift, food, and music supplies should be included in the mix. Provision for these elements helps to insure that a festival-like atmosphere can be created in an indoor setting. The biggest problem with holding indoor festivals lies in creating a festive environment.
Holding bluegrass events indoors in concert halls, large auditoriums, or even arenas offers several advantages. First, and perhaps foremost for both artists and fans alike, indoor events eliminate the bluegrass “season” and turn the music into a year-round attraction. With a large number of bands vying for relatively few available festival slots, lengthening the season makes economic sense for everyone. One factor usually improved by indoor performance, at least in our experience, is sound. Temperature, humidity, and wind aren't the factor they are outdoors and sound technicians are used to working indoors. Ticket prices for a large one day event with multiple bands can approximate or slightly exceed day-ticket prices for outdoor events and not be responsive to weather. Spaces with large performance areas, rooms for jamming, and open spaces for vendors can be found. Large motel facilities with moderately sized convention spaces can work well. I would think that medium sized cities seeking to get fuller use from their newly constructed (and often underutilized) convention centers would leap at the chance to host a two or three day indoor bluegrass festival. The success of events like Joe Val, Wintergrass, and Bluegrass First Class attest to the hunger for bluegrass during the winter months and suggest that the shoulder seasons in many parts of the country would provide good times, also. While sound at Kissimmee was something of a problem, the combination of a flexible indoor venue with available on-site camping provided a good model. While RV'ers have provided major support to bluegrass, I suspect that, as travel tastes, the price of fuel, and budgets have changed, there may be a larger non-RV audience waiting eagerly for more indoor events.
We'll continue to attend outdoor festivals during warm weather periods in the northeast and during the winter in Florida. Nevertheless, I look forward to promoters' seeking out opportunities to offer indoor events in many parts of the country where festivals are not now available. Broadening the kinds of venues available for bluegrass performance can only be win-win situations for performers, fans, and promoters alike.
My experience over the last 36 years of attending bluegrass festivals is probably equal to your latest summer of attendance. Over the years, I've noticed the complete lack of the next generation attending, or getting excited about these events. No youth = no future. The number of tent campers, (the youth and the less wealthy older fans), has diminished to near nothing. I think week end BG festivals are doomed when the current RV crowd is gone.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are events where there may indeed be a "complete lack of the next generation attending". However that has not been my experience to date. In the past 35+ years I've witnessed quite the opposite...a growing community of young fans, pickers and performers. Will the numbers of next generation attendees prove capable of supporting the festival venues? Time will tell. I have to believe the audience will be there. All you have to do is present a professional, quality program. On the other hand, the 'lesser' quality venues may discontinue given the current economic future, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Give the young audience a chance to prove themselves!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are events where there may indeed be a "complete lack of the next generation attending". However that has not been my experience to date. In the past 35+ years I've witnessed quite the opposite...a growing community of young fans, pickers and performers. Will the numbers of next generation attendees prove capable of supporting the festival venues? Time will tell. I have to believe the audience will be there. All you have to do is present a professional, quality program. On the other hand, the 'lesser' quality venues may discontinue given the current economic future, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Give the young audience a chance to prove themselves!
ReplyDeleteBob - I think what you say is more true of the events labeled "traditional." Those more inclusive events, that also include the top tradtional bands, can still attract a young weekend audience. Thursday and Friday during the day are more problematic.
ReplyDeleteDon DePoy - Thanks for the information about an earlier one-day festival in LuRay promoted by Bill Clifton. I've made a small editorial change to reflect your input...and welcome to my Editorial Board.
Kevin - I agree as far as you go, but I don't think you go far enough. Programming must be broad enough to appeal to a wide variety of age groups. That means including progressive as well as traditional music in a balance that both entertains and educates the audience. My introduction to traditional bluegrass came with a desire to understand where the more progressive sound I prefer came from. Meanwhile, more traditional fans need to welcome and embrace new interpretations of the music they prefer and play themselves.
ReplyDeleteI've been attending bluegrass festivals in Virginia and North Carolina since the early 70's. There has been a definite shift toward motorhomes with their noisy generators and away from the "casual campers" in tents and pop-ups. This is most noticeable in the major decrease in evening jam sessions. The motorhome crowd is older and more supportive of "traditional" bands at the expense of the "progressive" and younger bands that, in turn, attract a younger audience.
ReplyDeleteAs a MerleFest attendee who camps at "SewerFest", the difference in the campgrounds is striking. Even pop-ups are in the minority there as "casual tenters" abound. It's obvious these folks only attend one or two events annually and like a broader spectrum of talent.
A good example of an indoor event is Cabin Fever Pickin' Party, which takes place in Hampton, VA the first weekend in March each year at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center (320 guest rooms, vendor rooms, two jam rooms and a performance room. The pickers line the hallways and inhabit any phone booth or alcove they can find. The on-stage talent level peaks around regional third-tier festival groups. Food is easily available and there is an outdoor area if the weather is good. Parking is limited (no room for motorhomes).
As you have noted in the post and comments, there is a tension between maintaining tradition and getting needed variety that is forcing some festivals to adapt or reduce. When I look through the festival ads in Bluegrass Unlimited, the same bands appear page after page, only the order of the pictures is different.
ReplyDeleteGarian sent me the following comment: On one point I am absolutely certain: we will NEVER be able to increase ticket sales to younger audiences if festivals are held indoors. Young people do not want to be tied to a seat in a row full of people, and that's a completely nightmarish situation for a young family with children. I have never heard a younger person describe an indoor festival as anything but "formal," "sterile" or "boring."
ReplyDeleteI responded: Perhaps, but I should think that complaint could easily be responded to. Very young children could be in a musical day care kind of room, while older ones might be offered Kids Academy or some other kinds of experiences.
To which she responded: If we want to grow the fan base of bluegrass, I don't think we do that by segregating the kids off to some other area and alienating anyone between the ages of 17 and 40. When I go to indoor festivals, which isn't often, I usually end up watching only one or two sets of music the entire time because I can't stand the environment. And I'm not even that young.
I'm just glad that there are festivals. Traditional and non-mainstream music of any kind gets short shrift from radio and TV and always has.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the challenges faced by event promoters, but I really enjoy the festival experience and hope they continue. Being a "young person" who works during the week, one thing I don't like is that many festivals only allow tent camping with a 3 or 4 day ticket. This is a deterrent for me going to some festivals.
ReplyDeleteYup, we've gotten older, and we love our comfortable campers, more traditional sounds, and some of the songs we heard forty years ago. We can't stay up as late, it is not as comfortable for us to sleep in as it used to be, and we don't know the young folks who are up jamming later at night.
ReplyDeleteIn the old days, our enthusiasm may have been lubricated by a beverage or three, and some of the bands may have sounded a little better than they were.
In addition, with retirement and it's more limited income on the horizon, we are picking and choosing events according to the appeal of the line-up, with heavy emphasis on electrical hookup availability, the ability to run our generator, or a close-by hotel.
I am not sure that indoor events have as much advantage as you think. They remove only one challenge, the weather. The jamming is usually restricted to certain area, which can be hard to find, or small and cramped. In the bright lights of an indoor jamming room, every person who enters gets the "once over" from everyone in the room, which can be uncomfortable. In a dark campground many can gather around, listen and participate quietly on the fringes without being obvious.
At an outdoor festival, families may sit to the back, spread out a blanket, and keep their kids entertained with toys and games without disturbing the audience. Kids can move around and dance, something they love to do when they hear music. Attendees may eat at their campers and still hear the music. It is possible to walk around, check out the vendors, get an ice cream cone, and take a look and the artists' merch tables without "missing" any music. We can step to the side and visit with friends we happen to see. At an indoor event, we must retreat to another room for all these activities.
Camping at outdoor events is generally a bargain, about 1/2 the price of a campground night without the festival, making the whole experience a bargain; camping and music for the price of camping. At indoor events, hotels room can be pricey, true of any conference center. This drives some attendees to nearby bargain hotels, and reduces the number of available jammers.
So what does this all mean? The promoters must consider their own circumstances and audiences to determine what works best. Twice a year we attend Joe Mullins's Southern Indoor music festival, and find it a fine indoor example, the same can be said for Adams & Anderson's indoor festivals.
In Michigan, the Milan Bluegrass Festival packs 'em in year after year. Jammers and non-jammers enjoy themselves at an highly anticipated event. In this case, the campground is within an hour of a large population of fans with southern roots, but the campground fills up, too.
I suspect the overall economic malaise, combined with event organizers failing to respect some minimal geographic boundary, similar the the "200 miles" you mentioned, may be a large part of the problem. If there are two shows or festivals on the same date, within 200 miles of each other, the "better" lineup, in the eye of the beholder, will win every time. Some fans will even choose one of two similar events in two or three week time-frame, since the expense of attending two is simply out of reach.
I'll have more to say about Ted's thoughts and other comments after I absorb the entire tome.
ReplyDeleteHowever, right now I want to caution about fearing the demise of a music because younger people are not attending. Symphony people were concerned about this some years ago until they realized that younger audiences stay away to devote themselves to other things (making a living & child bearing & raising) and then come to symphony music in their late 40s, 50s & 60s. The important thing is that these young people experience symphony music in their childhood & youth. Parents must show their interest in the music to their children. Those people tend to come back to comprise the audience of 50+ year olds that everyone sees in concert halls.
Further, expanding the musical diet, whether it be Bluegrass of symphonic music, is important. One cannot focus only on "dead" works. See what Del McC. and Chris T. do with music being written now. The lyrics must be relevant to today's and tomorrow's audiences. American symphony orchestras could also expand their audiences if the range of music they perform were as expansive in range as European symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras and recitalists. Here the warhorses are played, over and over. In Europe one hears music by the great composers of yesterday and today, that is never heard here---and---the halls are packed.
Thus, I think those interested in the future of Bluegrass Music must look into what makes performance of the music successful and learn from that. The Hot Rize band had a lot to teach bands coming up in the 80s. We need to look around and learn from what works!!
Bob Wolff
Founder, Worldwide Bluegrass Music Month
I agree with Kevin. I'm seeing more young people than ever. Of course, it's not likely you'll see me what is called a "traditional" festival in 2010 since those events seem to feature the bluegrass of the 1980s rather than traditional bluegrass of the 1940s and 1950s.
ReplyDeleteIndoor festivals are vital for the winter, no doubt. They have been a big boost for the industry compared to 25 years ago.
BUT they are no substitute during warm weather for the outdoor festival. I'll give two reasons beyond what Ted gave. 1) economics: indoor festivals restrict the size of the event so that it is very hard to make money. Of course, I try to produce big events, not intimate ones. 2) artists: outdoors gives the talented event producer a much superior canvas on which to create a series of experiences for the audience from the campgrounds to the stage.
Hey Ted, this coming weekend is an annual Bluegrass North Event where the host hotel is the 5 Star Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville Ontario.
ReplyDeleteThe Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards will again take place, there are likely over a 1000 people show up annually and pretty much book the whole resort, lots of jamming, lots of music on the main stage and it has continued to grow even in this economic climate so yes I agree you are onto something regarding indoor festivals.
Funny part is I see most of the same folks that attend Ontario Canada festivals all summer, here if you have a good lineup and a well organized event they will come !
Not just in Canada, but everywhere. A good lineup in a good venue with lots happening usually leads to a good festival which folks will pay to attend.
ReplyDeleteDear Ted:
ReplyDeleteHi from the North Branch Bluegrass Festival (Labor Day Weekend every year for as long as we can in Bridgewater, VT, by the way).
I'm not as young as I once was nor are my years as advanced as yours. While at this time in your life you may understandably find yourself an advocate for more creature comforts, some of us are not yet willing to divorce Mother Nature's beauty, her sometimes tempestuous nature, and her singularly special acoustics for our own comfort. Plus, there are no deer or campfires indoors.
It is my belief that there is a uniqueness in an outdoor Bluegrass Festival experience that cannot be replicated in any other forum. While I respect your right to your opinion, surely you must know that in one quick click of your mouse you have just done us hardworking outdoor promoters a grave disservice. Your convincing online advocacy of indoor events sponsored by grant money as the new wave of the bluegrass future, while being on one hand laudable in the promotion of quality music performances sorely misses the point of a real festival.... in my humble opinion.
I'm not out to change the planet...it will continue to rotate long after I'm dead and gone. As a promoter, I'm just out to change my life. I want to spend time with people who understand how time spent making and sharing music in humble fresh air surroundings makes us all equal human beings again. It's the journey that moves me to continue our festival...sometimes it's heartwrenching, oftentimes it's overwhelming....and sometimes, producing a little festival with all your eggs in one very fragile basket has blissful moments of pure joy. Success in dollars has not yet come to us but we have been successful every year....because everyone took a chance and we made them all happy.
Please know that I am an advocate of the passion with which you write. But...You asked us all for our honest opinion on your essay. While I feel that you are looking correctly at the moneymaking side of today's festivals, I would encourage your readership to invest with their time as well as their dollars in whatever type of festival that moves them. Mine is outdoors just down the road from home.
If cityfolks only went to Coliseums, Opera Houses, and Convention Centers, we would still be out here in the mountains happily making music and having fun without them....and that would be their loss, perhaps thanks to your essay. Life is short and time is precious. Thank goodness it's a big planet and there is room for us all. I wish you well in your travels. Thanks for your time, Ted.
Finest Regards,
Heather Kennedy
North Branch Bluegrass Festival
Bridgewater, Vermont
www.nbbluegrass.com
Dear Ted:
ReplyDeleteHi from the North Branch Bluegrass Festival (Labor Day Weekend every year for as long as we can in Bridgewater, VT, by the way).
I'm not as young as I once was nor are my years as advanced as yours. While at this time in your life you may understandably find yourself an advocate for more creature comforts, some of us are not yet willing to divorce Mother Nature's beauty, her sometimes tempestuous nature, and her singularly special acoustics for our own comfort. Plus, there are no deer or campfires indoors.
It is my belief that there is a uniqueness in an outdoor Bluegrass Festival experience that cannot be replicated in any other forum. While I respect your right to your opinion, surely you must know that in one quick click of your mouse you have just done us hardworking outdoor promoters a grave disservice. Your convincing online advocacy of indoor events sponsored by grant money as the new wave of the bluegrass future, while being on one hand laudable in the promotion of quality music performances sorely misses the point of a real festival.... in my humble opinion.
I'm not out to change the planet...it will continue to rotate long after I'm dead and gone. As a promoter, I'm just out to change my life. I want to spend time with people who understand how time spent making and sharing music in humble fresh air surroundings makes us all equal human beings again. It's the journey that moves me to continue our festival...sometimes it's heartwrenching, oftentimes it's overwhelming....and sometimes, producing a little festival with all your eggs in one very fragile basket has blissful moments of pure joy. Success in dollars has not yet come to us but we have been successful every year....because everyone took a chance and we made them all happy.
Please know that I am an advocate of the passion with which you write. But...You asked us all for our honest opinion on your essay. While I feel that you are looking correctly at the moneymaking side of today's festivals, I would encourage your readership to invest with their time as well as their dollars in whatever type of festival that moves them. Mine is outdoors just down the road from home.
If cityfolks only went to Coliseums, Opera Houses, and Convention Centers, we would still be out here in the mountains happily making music and having fun without them....and that would be their loss, perhaps thanks to your essay. Life is short and time is precious. Thank goodness it's a big planet and there is room for us all. I wish you well in your travels. Thanks for your time, Ted.
Finest Regards,
Heather Kennedy
North Branch Bluegrass Festival
Bridgewater, Vermont
www.nbbluegrass.com
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, Heather. Your festival, which we enjoyed the one time we visited there, offers much of what is good about outside events. I fear, though, that if bluegrass bands and promoters must rely on small, rural festivals to help them make even a part of a living, we're in pretty deep trouble. Your decision to feature local and regional bands in the lovely setting you have and to encourage community, jamming, and sharing together is laudable, and I hope you can continue to offer it. Best of luck.
ReplyDeleteTed,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog on festivals. I am always interested in different points of view to reflect on in running our event Pickin' In The Pasture.
Several times you have commented on the need to diversify the styles of music at an event to attract a wider fan base. This seems to work for large events like Merlefest, Grey Fox, etc. but it takes a lot of resources for a festival to have something for everybody. With more limited resources, Pickin' In The Pasture has been very successful by focusing on more traditional bluegrass music. By specializing in real bluegrass music, we draw people that wouldn't attend an event featuring a more eclectic stage show. Our lineup also allows us to draw traditional bluegrass fans from further away. It has been our experience that traditional bluegrass music draws a very congenial crowd that results in few troubles with those attending.
While some older customers are dying or no longer able to travel to attend, we are experiencing a lot of growth in young families. Young people under 16 get in free making it a very economical family outing. To encourage youth to get involved in bluegrass we offer a free bluegrass academy where kids meet their peers and work up a set of music that is performed on the main stage. The show put on by these young people is one of the highlights of the event and motivates kids in the audience to learn to pick and sing. "The Pasture Kids" under the direction of Ron Feinberg play at an amazingly high level given their age and short time working together. We consider "The Pasture Kids" program to be a very wise investment in the future of both Pickin' In The Pasture and bluegrass music in general.
Traditional bluegrass music at an outdoor venue is alive and well in The Finger Lakes of NY.
Andy - I couldn't agree more, that offering program elements like "Pature Kids" creates an attractive draw for parents wishing to introduce their kids to bluegrass and also have supervised time away from each other in a positive environment. An additional approach could be some kind of day care, or in your case, something to do with interacting with your sheep. Promoters who develop new and thoughtful features will draw. Furthermore, Pickin' in the Pasture has a well-deserved reputation for lots of jamming, and people will travel for that. Thanks for putting in your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteTed- I always appreciate your thoughtful editorials. I find that intuitive folks like yourself are often the canary in the coal mine and successful mine owners are the ones who pay attention as opposed to shooting the canary to hush it up :-))
ReplyDeleteI have some ideas for ways of re-packaging outdoor bluegrass festivals so that they tackle some of the economic concerns in this particular time period and the older v. younger ticket buyer concerns.
These ideas have been rolling around in my head for a couple years now and I welcome the opportunity to finally have a place to share them. It's frustrating to perform at a festival that is struggling and feel you have some answers, but not the avenue for sharing.
So here are some of my ideas (ramblings)
1. Keep the RVers coming just as always and package your camping the same as always with multi-day ticket package.
2. Allow tent campers to reserve spots by the night and have the option to purchase single tickets.
3. Have a college-ticket discount and to take advantage of it, the college student (no matter the age) must agree to volunteer 2 hours of their time to the festival on that day or evening..
4. Start a NEW tradition in band line-up scheduling at as many festivals as possible. Here's my suggested line up and timeframes:
- Make the 3p-9pm portion of the friday & saturday evenings' schedule the usual type bluegrass shows that feature the more traditional NATIONAL and regional acts. The HEADLINER in this portion of the show would go on at 8pm and play til 9p or thereafter.
- THEN (stay with me) take a 30 minute break for:
a. switching out the sound person running the boards to a fresh set of ears (same sound company, different person)
b. change out the festival volunteers working the room to a younger group (see college discount tix above)
c. change the feel of the lighting somewhat on stage and darken down some the audience area if it has been brightly lit in the previous hours
- At 9:30pm through 12:30pm, start your lineup of NATIONAL & Regional Cutting Edgey Newgrass Avante-Garde bands. BUT an important time-slot difference, the first band that goes on in the late show needs to be the HEADLINER for that portion of the program and work backwards from there with the very last band being a regional act that has local following or is getting their feet wet on the festival circuit scene.
Why? this allows the cutting edge HEADLINER to have a great timeslot that exposes them to trad-audiences and their own following, as well as gives them a decent travel day the next day if necessary. And the younger crowd will thin out as the night goes late (they wander off and will go to bed) but your last act of the night still gets the experience, street cred and resume points.
5. Enforce the campground quiet rule where needed for those returning from the LATE SHOW.
Any other suggestions? I've been known to be wrong (I think once, but it was a real, real long time ago <-- wait I might be wrong) so feel free to lob pies my way.
Love,
LxoJ
Lisa - Thanks for these thoughts. I've put them here and in a file for next month's CBA column which looks like it's going to be aimed at promoters. Your idea is filled with possibilities and, perhaps, some costs. Many festivals we attend now reserve the closing slot for a more cutting edge band or non-trad band (recent examples: LRB, Mountain Heart, Marty Stuart, Cad Sky) for which many older people often head for home or the jamming tents. I'd like to see the idea further developed, though. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteHmmm just so we are clear I love outdoor festivals and hit as many as I can every summer, if lucky we get booked to play them if not I try and get to the ones where there is a band or three I want to see.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Pickin in the Pasture in New York which I loved and my family loved. Beautiful place overlooking the finger lakes, well run and a great lineup always. It's 8 hrs drive but worth it.
Similarily I've drove 20 hrs to other festivals to see a great lineup.
Outdoor festivals are awesome, indoor festivals are awesome, bluegrass music and people are generally awesome and I like contemporary and traditional bluegrass.
A good mix of music, a well run festival like Andy has at his Pickin in the Pasture, treat folks right and it should be successful.
Some of our Ontario Canada festivals are growing in leaps and bounds, the regional acts are all getting better and the fan base is growing. Some festivals have went by the wayside while others are struggling and yet other flurish so perhaps it is location, location, location closley followed by service, service service, followed by a good lineup ? Just asking.... there are some that do it right like Andy and I'm interested in hearing from Promoters doing well as they are doing something right.
Ted asked me to echo comments here that I previously posted to DCAB-L. Sorry for the formatting - cut-and-paste is a little funky here.
ReplyDeleteDirk Johnson had posted there:
> With respect to that, a promoter who needs to make money is going to book
> bands that can prove their ability to sell tickets to an avid fan base. As
> other people have mentioned here time and again, the self-promotional capability of the
> headliners and sub-headliners makes all the difference in
> the world.
My response to him was this:
That's not as true as you might think. You can only sell one ticket
to a customer - and the overlap between fans who will pay money to see
any number of bands is significant. Another way of saying that is
that the marginal increase in the number of tickets you sell as you
add more bands - even those with proven drawing ability - declines
because fans of, say, Blue Highway are also fans of IIIrd Tyme Out,
but fans of both bands will still only buy one ticket.
What really seems to me to effectively sell tickets is a combination
of the drawing power of the headline bands, but also the strength of
the overall lineup and the variety in the bands to draw fans to see
one band who might not have bought a ticket to see any of the rest.
At Delaware Valley, we always try to add a band or two from outside of
bluegrass because someone like April Verch or the Red Stick Ramblers
might not necessarily be inclined to come to see Doyle Lawson and we
can expand the potential audience for the festival - and expose
bluegrass fans to other types of music they might also enjoy.
What I hear typically from a number of promoters is that there is a
threshhold in the asking price for bands - below a certain amount and
the promoter isn't quite so concerned with the band's ability to sell
tickets as much as how well the band fills out the lineup. But above
some amount (and it's not necessarily a fixed number because it
depends on the size of the festival and the size of the entertainment
budget), the question of how many _more_ people the artist will draw
becomes significant.
Andy Alexander sent this further thoughtful comment about festivals along and gave me permission to post it:
ReplyDeleteThe law of diminishing returns does come into play as you add headliners to the lineup. However, you still need to offer enough known bands to entice fans to travel from a distance to the event. Fans will travel further for a 4 day festival than a 2 day event. (multiple day events also spreads out the weather risk)
The stage show must be professional caliber. Promoters need to resist the temptation to book mediocre acts as filler because they are willing to perform for little or nothing. Make business decisions when booking bands, don't compromise the quality of your lineup just because of friendships. There are lots of great unknown up and coming bands that are an asset to most lineups at a bargain price. While these unknown bands don't draw fans through the gate at first, a promoter can develope a reputation for presenting outstanding up and coming bands. At Pickin' In The Pasture, our customers look forward with curiosity to seeing bands we have selected that they aren't yet familiar with.
The current economy is tough on all businesses but there is good news too. Most bluegrass festivals are a fabulous bargain! We have seen our day crowd increase from local people who are opting to come for the day to Pickin' In The Pasture rather than a more expensive family outing. The event is often their first exposure to live bluegrass music. The next year, a lot of these folks return for the whole event and we also see some of them at other bluegrass events across the northeast. Although bluegrass music appeals to a small segment of the population, festivals continue to offer great value for the money to the loyal fans that return year after year.
The question is why does anybody go to a BG festival in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI dare to say if all of the festivals fail, that somewhere it would start all over again, under a tree or on some front porch with some kid pecking on his grandfathers old mandolin trying to bring back that song he heard so many years ago.
It is not about campers, or the price of gas or place enough for vendors or how good some of the artists are. It is the message about people and memories and basic friendship that is taught in the magical language of music.
Andy is correct about filling a lineup with quality bands. Our motto is "All killer, no filler." This is true for most of the major festivals.
ReplyDeleteAnd he's also correct that festivals are a bargain, but beware that it cuts both ways. Low prices for the audience usually translates into low prices for bands. For artists, particularly those who hope to derive most or all of their income from performing, it's crucial to view festivals as only one part of earning a living - playing only (or even mostly) bluegrass festivals is not going to provide a decent living for most.
It's also true that the all killer approach makes in increasingly difficult for new and relatively unknown bands to break into established lineups. The late Jennings Chestnut, one of my mentors, held that a good lineup was balanced between national, regional, and local bands. While I don't agree that his formula (roughly 2x4x4) was necessarily the correct one, I think the festival that neglects finding promising up-and-coming bands, as Andy has mentioned, or focuses on discovering new bands through contests, like Podunk has is finding a good way to develop new talent while providing tried and true as well.
ReplyDeleteA quick comment on indoor festivals. Joe Mullins has put together a good formula for "indoor". I lived in the Cincinnati - Dayton area since the mid 1960s so have been in the middle or close to much of the formative years of bluegrass, having cut my festival teeth on the early Beanblossom events. I know the joints where Sonny, Bob and Red did some of the best bluegrass there ever was in Dayton Ohio. I moved to Florida this past spring and hope to discover the Florida festivals, but found my way back I-75 to Joe's festival last month. If I had an RV and a banjo I'd feel worthy to be a regular here, but I'll lurk, if you don't mind, having just become acquainted.
ReplyDeleteRay - Glad to have you comment. You might also take a look at our FaceBook Fan Page "Ted and Irene's Most Excellent Bluegrass Adventure." There's new content there almost every day. - Ted
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