Traders at Folk Festivals

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: AggieD
Date: 27 May 08 - 09:49 AM

From a personal point of view I really miss the fact that real artisans can no longer afford to come to festivals because the items they produce are so expensive and they are forced to attend the large commercial 'Craft Fairs', where they can attract large numbers of punters with much deeper pockets than the average folkie.

I certainly don't have any problem with crafters making a living and charging a reasonable amount for their product, and I do try to buy hand crafted items, but I really think that with the costs spiralling so much these days we are losing a huge amount from festivals by not having even amateur crafters displaying their crafts. I'm always far more interested to watch the spinner, woodturner etc. than in buying the tat that is passed off in craft tents at many festivals.

I really feel for crafters as I know it's so expensive to not only buy the raw products, but to get to anywhere & then pay for accomodation etc.

I would much rather the trader was given some sort of recognition for making the effort of coming to festivals, like a couple of limited entrance tickets to say the evening events, than artists hangers on getting free everything, after all the traders can give a lot to the atmosphere of a festival, while the hangers on give bugger all and just take.

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: the lemonade lady
Date: 27 May 08 - 12:46 PM

Well said. Even when I've spent £330 on a pitch fee I have to then buy a camping ticket!!! Bugger that, I'm going to a decent campsite and paying a bit more for peace and quiet at the end of my working day.

Sal

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: GUEST,Neovo
Date: 28 May 08 - 03:46 AM

I think there is a clear distinction between "crafters" - people who make items by hand using skill and "craft", such as wood turners, leather workers, knitters, weavers etc and "traders" who buy goods from retailers to sell at a profit. The former can be accommodated in a craft fair, the latter are normally in business and are traders.

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 May 08 - 05:27 AM

As I have just attended Chippenham on a free ticket as a 'family of artiste', I would agree with Aggie in principle but object to her refering to me as one of 'the hangers on' who 'give bugger all and just take.'

We also give support in many ways - spending a large amount of money on craft items, helping clear glasses and mugs from venues, litter clearing and other little things.

For myself - I think I attended one concert that wasn't open to the general public - and that had plenty of room for others to attend if they'd wanted to, using my ticket only to gain access to the campsite, which is what I would have had if I were stewarding. For the other MOFFs (MOrris Friends and Families), I can't speak, because we don't do the same things.

I'd be more than happy to see traders given season tickets and free camping - although many traders at the festivals I've attended slept in their stalls or their van next to the stall for security so maybe camping isn't so important to them. However, having been involved in festival organisation, there are many performers and artists who will not attend if they cannot get a free ticket for their 'partner' (for which read spouse, significant other or latest squeeze) and it's written into their contracts that a certain number of tickets are to available to them. In my experience it's those who are the most likely to give "bugger all" . To allow one artiste free tickets means you must open it to all artistes in the interest of fairness - it's up to the MOFFs to decide if they want to come and the organisers to limit the tickets to a certain number.

LTS

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: oggie
Date: 28 May 08 - 07:32 AM

In all fairness it's not just Festivals that are putting up prices, I find myself getting squeezed pretty well across the board.

I also agree with Ana's post. For me a festival is work. I do not expect to get to any of the concerts, if I catch one (or part of one)at the end of the day it's a bonus. For me it's a numbers game. Are there enough people for me to make a living from? Will I do better there (I hope) than if I go to my usual market (for which I still have to pay even if I don't stand that week, another squeeze).

The "we already have a trader selling that" angle is one I'm in favour of. A well balanced and mixed craft tent should work for everyone, traders, festival goers and organisers. Once you get (for the sake of argument) 10 jewellry stalls and a similar number of identical clothing stalls then two things happen, the mix has gone and the traders are fighting over a smaller share of the cake. Very few festivals (or general craft fairs) have enough footfall to sustain a lot of duplication, doesn't matter if it's a hobby and you're really there for the music, does matter if it's your living.

The issue of kids is one I see from another perspective. I have a wooden toy stall. The number of times parents will leave their kids with the words "stay here while we look round" is unbelievable and annoying. A stall full of kids playing stops serious punters approaching apart from the damage that gets done.

All the best

Steve

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: GUEST,Malcolm
Date: 28 May 08 - 07:55 AM

"that seems like a perfectly reasonable compromise. It's what we've had to do with Morris sides - either offer a free limited festival ticket, which doesn't allow access to the mainstage events, or a reduced-price full festival ticket"
It has been discussed elsewhere, dancers - and traders - who are busy all day often only have evenings free. So a ticket that excludes the main evening events is absolutely useless.
Dancers and (relevant) traders are all part of the atmosphere. Without them, a festival is diminished.
I know at least one dance side which boycotts festivals that charge performers.
I also know Morris sides that really DO have bands of eight or ten musicians. Sometimes the musicians support more than one side. Perhaps the musicians should have to draw lots for the privilege of entertaining the festival's punters? Can't see it working, somehow.

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: AggieD
Date: 28 May 08 - 09:57 AM

Liz I don't deny that you do help out doing stuff like clearing up, but I know of plenty of people who just take the free ticket & never think any more about it than it is their entitlement because their significant other is the one working.

It is a two sided coin with people getting free/reduced tickets as has been said if people are having to work at festivals most weekends then they may not get to see their partners/families without the free tickets.

And quite honestly I know that if partners of our team didn't get reduced tickets then we often wouldn't get many of our team to go to festivals, leaving families at home is not an option for many of them.

But I still think that festivals lose out on the genuine crafters. The craft tent at Chippers was quite honestly awful this year with the exception of a couple of stalls everything was imported tat. I was caught out by buying some things that I thought were handmade only to find the inevitable Made in China label when I looked later.

Subject: RE: Traders at Folk Festivals
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 28 May 08 - 11:46 AM

Aggie, for partners/family of performers who get a free ticket it is part of their entitlement - the ticket is part of the performer's remuneration for appearing at the festival. It's entirely up to them how they use it.

As I said in an earlier post, the performer will often be offered a remuneration package which may involve a range of benefits eg cash, tickets, accommodation, etc. The festival will have put a value on that performer and will balance the elements accordingly when agreeing their contract. If the performer doesn't want an extra ticket, they can negotiate a bit more cash instead.

I've played at festivals for a ridiculously small cash fee, but when things like accommodation, extra tickets, parking permits etc were taken into account it was a good deal which the band was happy with. We and our families were able to enjoy the festival as well as just playing there.

It's disappointing that festivals appear to be pricing traders, especially craftspeople, out of contention, but they should listen to their punters and if it starts to detract from the festival then they'll take note