Concert Attendance

Subject: Concert Attendance
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 29 Oct 98 - 07:02 PM

In talking with local venues, the general impression is that attendance has gone down in the last two years in the Baltimore/D.C. area. We think we still put on a good show for a reasonable dollar, but some venues are talking about giving it up.

Many venues are run strictly on volunteer power and poor attendance saps the morale of volunteers. It also means the performers do not receive the recompense we feel they deserve.

My impression is that there are many new venues in the last two or three years, I contend there are only so many folk dollars to go around. I could easily attend a concert every night within a fifty mile radius of Baltimore and two a night on several nights.

What is the experience elsewhere? I suspect many Mudcatters are well connected to their local concert venues and even get out of the house to see live music (well some of you, at least). What are your local experiences with attendance and growing numbers of venues?

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Concert Attendance
From: McMusic
Date: 29 Oct 98 - 10:36 PM

Roger, In the town I live in, there is virtually nothing. We have an arts center that periodically tries to set something up, but it is usually such a disorganized shambles that few people have the strength to sit through an entire program. In some of the towns nearby there are places which have "open mic" nights, but these are little more than loud bars where college students go to drink beer and watch Monday Night Football. As for any continuous or semi-continuous venue for folk and/or trad music--there isn't any.. A few of us have discussed getting together and coming up with something on an informal basis, but we aren't convinced enough that it would be worth the effort to go beyond talking. Maybe some day... It's real discouraging.

Subject: RE: Concert Attendance
From: Bill D
Date: 29 Oct 98 - 11:14 PM

well, I contend that we are living in the last great days of the Roman Empire...I have been active in Folk music circles for 37 years, and for the last 21 in the Washington area....I came in when things were still going great, and have watched the venues, concert attendance, leadership, participation in sings...etc. gradually dwindle......as the average age of the group and cost per person has risen. Sure, there are plenty of neat things still happening..(as Roger can attest to- having come to the Getaway 2 weeks ago-- both adding to and enjoying the weekend)...but...the Getaway, as nice as it was, was barely at critical mass, and with the rising cost of putting it on, I fret about the future. There will ALWAYS be people interested in folk music, but already, there are places where only the SCA..(Society for Creative Anacronisims)is keeping this music alive...and they often just 'parrot' the songs --with little sense of the history and perspective that the Mudcat, as a group shows...

As one thread makes clear, the average age of the serious folkies is rising...and we ALL know that we are not recruiting at replacement rate...and many of the young ones are doing music that is obviously not core 'folk'...not that it is 'bad'...just different. And a lot of what happens is that music is now being done 'for publication'...songs are being written like TV sitcoms...a few good, a lot mediocre...but they are being written to 'be performed' AT us, instead of to be sung with us. So..it is a really tricky thing to establish a venue and make it work..too many ideas of what ought to be played/sung and too few who really 'know' what they are about..

well...I really got carried away with that one...and only said part of what I felt...well, lets see what others have to say...maybe someone can see rays of hope I have missed..

Subject: RE: Concert Attendance
From: Bert
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 09:40 AM

The Philadelphia Folk Song Society has a concert every month that is usually packed.

I don't go as often as I used to because very few of the acts are "folk". Mostly they are singer/songwriters.

How many other Mudcatteers get fed up with going to a "folk" concert and hearing yet another "Mock Dylan" ?

Bert.

Subject: RE: Concert Attendance
From: Animaterra
Date: 30 Oct 98 - 10:32 AM

It really depends. We have a similar problem to the DC area that the number of venues has increased and the cost has gone up- sometimes, in this small New England region, there will be great concerts in two or more locations on the same night- they would normally both be attended by the same crowd, so communication or consolidation would be a help. Re the volunteer problem, is it just me and my area, or is this the most frazzled, maxed-out year ever??? Everyone I know is suffering from acute stress, my chorus has a 20% drop due to people taking sabbaticals, no one seems to have time for anything and we're all exhausted. This might merit another thread to see how you are dealing with stress these days.