how to improve folk clubs

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 09:53 AM

Venue lighting? YES YES YES!

It's not by accident that I mention lighting ALL the time. Poor lighting is a crucial subliminal decider (too bright = no atmos, too dim = can't see fingers and lips, and naked bulbs in the stage area should be banned on health grounds). Being an ex-driector it's something I always pick up on, because I know how it impacts on the emotions - but without people realising it's doing so. If you ask people why they don't like a certain club they'll almost never say lighting. But improve the lighting and everything gets better in a jiffy. It's one of the easiest things to fix.

Tom

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: Rasener
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 09:45 AM

designing a crisp packet that doesn't make a noise

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 09:42 AM

Venue lighting?

One of the most attractive things about Edinburgh and Leith Folk Clubs is their controllable lighting. Nobody wants to spend their evening out sitting under the uniform fluorescent glare you typically get in school classrooms and community centres if they've got an alternative.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: TheSnail
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 09:06 AM

matt milton

Sure, and that's how I found about a lot of things. But I'm saying *BETTER* publicized.

OK. So, as the Captain said, positive suggestions please.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: GUEST,davemc
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 08:48 AM

If there are resident singers prior to a booked act on a guest night, please keep their sets mercifully short and DON'T, under any circumstances, give them a second set as well in the second half. I'd go to my local club more often if I didn't have to humour the "treats" from most of the residents each time.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: Rasener
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 08:48 AM

I couldn't agree with you more Matt.

I have my own website http://www.faldingworthlive.co.uk

I have a Myspace account http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=310835943

Details also can be found on several websites other than my own.

For every concert, I send details to quite a number of newspapers.

The events get announced on 2 folk radio programs.

Posters get put up around the local areas, which we design ourselves. We never use the posters that each artists sends us. We have to inform people in many cases who these artist are etc etc.

Updated diaries get handed out at each event for people to take away with them.

Of course there is good old Mudcat.

On top of that, there is a core base of regulars and each new act brings a certain number of fans in. So the acts themselves ciculate to their fans.

There is only one time I didn't do most of that and that was with Vin Garbutt. Why, becuase you are normally sold out before you get the chance to publicise :-)

Having IT skills is a great asset for any organiser, especially if they can create their own websites.

I can never understand, why having booked artists, organisers sit back and just wait for it to happen. Invariably it doesn't unless you work hard on the publicity.

Les

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: GUEST,Guest: folkandroots
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 08:46 AM

To be fair Matt, some of the examples you give are listed in Time Out every week as well as elsewhere, including a lot of the events taking place at C House, sure its certainly the case that some clubs are more professional than others in promoting their events but as often as not this comes down to time and resources (bearing in mind that the average folk club organiser has a full time job, family and other responsibilities).
Also just to go back to your example of Martin C, every folk club gig he does in London attracts a full room, usually composed of people who wouldnt attend at any other time during the year so they must be finding out from somewhere?
None of which is to say you arent right and that clubs couldnt be better publicised but I do think (at least in the case of London) its a little generalised.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 08:30 AM

I'd been living in Newtongrange for two years before I found it even had a folk club - it meets in a back room of the main village pub, which I went past almost every day. And I only found out by talking to people at a folk club in Bristol.

Newtongrange FC still doesn't put advance notice of its guest nights on the web. For that matter they don't even regularly put them on the pub noticeboard.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: matt milton
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 08:13 AM

Sure, and that's how I found about a lot of things. But I'm saying *BETTER* publicized. You can Google anything under the sun.

Another example. I'm on myspace and facebook. On those sites I've been informed of gigs by canny promoters for musical events I would never have heard of otherwise. I've gone to a lot of them. I've never had that from a folk club, the only exceptions being the Goose Is Out and the Magpie's Nest.

A lot of the people who would spend 20 quid on a ticket to see, say, Martin Carthy play at the Barbican simply have no idea that they could be watching him at a local folk club for less money. They simply haven't heard about that whole scene because it's completely off their radar.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: TheSnail
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:57 AM

matt milton

I think the single thing that would improve most folk clubs – or at least improve their attendance – is if they were better publicized. More specifically, better publicized online.

Google - folk music London

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:51 AM

are there any advantages to having a membership,and allowing a discount to members?
is free entry fo two as a raffle prize a good idea?

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: matt milton
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:48 AM

I think the single thing that would improve most folk clubs – or at least improve their attendance – is if they were better publicized. More specifically, better publicized online.

Example: I have been listening to folk properly for about 7 years. But I had no idea Cecil Sharp house (and the EFDSS) even existed until about 2 years ago. And that was solely because the Magpie's Nest promoters were putting on an all-day event there. (Sam Lee seems to be, in contrast to a lot of folk-club organisers, an excellent publicist.)

I go to a lot of gigs, I read the listings in Time Out and I enjoy nosing out relatively obscure venues. A lot more than other gig-goers I know. If it took me this long to discover such places then I suspect hundreds of people will *never* hear about them – people who I know would be interested.

The daft thing about the traditional folk clubs in London – Court Sessions, the Cellar Upstairs, Orpington and others – is that you have to already know of their existence to be able to find their websites. I've always assumed that the majority of folk clubs simply didn't *want* larger audiences, because if they did they would have set themselves up with myspace and facebook pages ages ago and reached out to people. After all, it's an easy enough thing to do.

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: Rasener
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:38 AM

Shut them :-)

or look at Tom Bliss's link. It saves anybody else having to reply :-)

Subject: RE: how to improve folk clubs
From: GUEST,Tom Bliss
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:23 AM

That link once again... - collated from ideas contributed by and nicked from many.

Subject: how to improve folk clubs
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Jan 09 - 07:07 AM

Positive suggestions welcomed .