Leslie Barton is a stripper? Well, this would certainly explain why she gets so excited whenever I bust out the dolla dolla bill. Modified Arts is totally code for SEX HOUSE.

im not complaining about promoters, just saying some should try and be a little more courteous. if i take 20 minutes to write out an email politely asking to be on a show, they could at least hit reply and type "sorry, but not this one" back to me. its not like i was emailing trying to get on coachella or something... i have been in bands now for 8 years and never once have i asked to be paid for a local show, usually if we do get paid at a local show we just end up giving it to the band or bands on tour. this thread wasnt meant to attack anyone just a plea for better communication, but you can take it how you like

Honestly, there are more immediate issues I have to deal with than being able to answer every single email I receive. It's not just the occaisional band asking for a show. It's booking agents, managers, record labels, venues, promoters, touring bands, local bands, street teams & more of the same referred to me from any combination of the above. I have a running list of emails just waiting to be responded to. And, I would love nothing more than to do so.

.....and laying it all on the line and "sacrificing" doesn't sound like a good business plan. If you look at it like "sacrificing" you are setting yourself up for disappointment and making yourself bitter. No wonder you don't respond to happy-go-lucky bands, you're too shell shocked from your own outlook on your business expenses (that YOU took the risk on) to give the bands the time of day.

Bitterness comes from listening to the very same people you help complain about you. I've had bands/venues/attendees complain for a myriad of reasons at shows. And, I usually stop working with those people and/or arranging those types of shows. As a concert promoter, you're exposing yourself to risk with every confirmed date. It's just common for a lot of the people involved to use the concert promoter as their scapegoat. This is the main point which I am concerned with. And, I don't view myself as a martyr.

if youre worried about wasting your time answering emails then maybe you should stop wasting your time replying to a thread on a message board that was never directed at you or anyone else in the first place. let this damn thing die, please.... i am in complete agreement with you, theres nothing more to say about it. stop beating the dead horse. if you dont wanna reply to your emails then dont, no one cares

I like to visit The Shizz on my down time - and, I even like to comment on the occasional thread. You're absolutely right, though. I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

sacrifice? that sounds pretty dramatic.

what do you mean?

Time + Money = Concert Promotion

It's certainly not dramatic when a good portion of every single day is involved with putting on these shows. And, the financial burden of paying for them when the attendance isn't met.

okay, that clarifies.

I wasn't trying to disrespect what you do. I KNOW that it's tough work.

I didn't like you using the word "sacrifice", that word just struck me as extreme, and funny. "financial burden" is understandable when talking about time + money = promotion. :D

I think the point that lit up has is that when people flat out don't answer an email, it's irritating. At my job, I answer anywhere from 100-200 emails a day. All people with questions that only I know the answer too, apparently. If I have time to do this at work, why can't people who do music promotion/booking just return emails so that they know that they are being aknowledged, at the very least.

I would take one word answers from a promoter. If I tried to book and the person gave me a reply like "no", or "I don't have anything for your band right now" that's all it would take. Those lines take about 3 seconds or so for anyone above neanderthal typing skillz. I don't see how people can be so self important to not answer emails. It's EASY.

That being said, No one is trying to disrespect what you do, sceneisdead. In fact all of us enjoy the shows you put on. Who even says that we're talking about you? I'm not. you're one of the gang in my book!

does this thing have spell check? :lol:


EDIT: DAMN YOU MERC! SIGN OUT WHEN YOU USE MY COMPUTER
-Mothrock, posting as merc who forgot to sign out my computer.

MERC SAYS: HA I KNEW THAT WOULD HAPPEN ROFLELROEL

A lot of people seem to forget the promotional side of it. I mean, a good portion of my time as a concert promoter is just spent driving around town to the different venues, records stores & flyering nightly at multiple shows across town. Then I have all of the online promotion to contend with on a daily basis: going to the various websites, sending out event notifications, updating my current shows, researching upcoming dates, answering questions from people who want to attend the confirmed shows, etc. Which doesn't even include all of the Q&A with bands/booking agents/managers/labels/press agents still going on around the multiple shows I have to deal with each month. There's also the busy work of running errands for the shows: hospitality, print work, generating offer sheets, mailings, etc...

Concert promotion is about taking care of a lot of important little things. And, I have to repeat that promotional cycle for every new show I decide to take on. Are there still hours left in the day? Well, the remainder is spent with my wife, finishing my degree & trying to focus on my writing. Really, that's where I view concert promotion as a bit of a sacrifice. Every passing hour is one not spent on those aspects of my life. Should I feel bad about not being able to answer every email and/or message I receive? I still try to answer them, though.

I don't think any finger pointing has been going on. Mostly, I hope this gives touring bands a perspective on the time constraints for an independent and/or in-house promoter. You happen to put a couple messages on the back burner... suddenly, a week has already passed. That same email then gets burried even more by the grip of new messages that come through every following day. We aren't trying to ignore bands. Sometimes, we just don't have time for every band.

ok im a liar because i just cant stop reposting....
i dont think i have ever done a show with you in the past so i dont know how well of a job you do as a promoter. if you think you do your job well then by all means keep up the good work. if you dont think it is important to write every single email back that you get then dont. thats your business. im just saying in a perfect world it would be nice to know if someone is even getting these emails i write trying to get bands on shows. i understand people are busy, but that still doesnt change the fact that i feel like an ass writing the same person who never replies to me over and over everytime a show comes and not knowing if theyre getting the emails or not... it wasnt anything meant to be taken personally. how many promoters are there in phoenix? how many amazing promoters are there in phoenix? a shit load

There are only so many hours in a day. And, answering emails and/or messages comprises of only a small portion of the work I have to do. Really, I don't always have the luxury to respond as a promoter. The process is very similar to that of dealing with a hydra. However many I take care... there are even more left to take its place.

And, I haven't taken the posts personally. I was just responding to certain generalities I noticed in the thread.

I love reading posts from touring and/or local bands complaining about concert promoters. It only further validates everything that I have personally sacrificed by putting on these shows.

Last night became the final date of their U.S. tour... congratulations to anyone who caught their reduced set. Mark E. Smith is a dreadful human being.

Castles was close enough to explaining what happened at The Fall's show last night. There is a lot of other stuff that happened behind the scenes which I will not bother to mention on this board. All you need to know is Mark E. Smith is not a good person. And, he was hit in the temple with a banana.

I love burgers. I will stop in.

Plus, everyone should go see THE FALL. GO GO GO.

I totally agree.

P.S. This sucks major.

I love burgers. I will stop in.

Plus, everyone should go see THE FALL. GO GO GO.

Show your continued support this weekend by catching The Fall at The Brickhouse Theater. Grab a burger... drink a beer.

TONIGHT!!! THE FALL ARE PLAYING AT THE BRICKHOUSE THEATER!!!

The Attitude.

Headlights (Polyvinyl Records) w/ Hiller (ex Mr Kline + the Wizards of Time) & Good Morning Providence @ OnePlace

Beyond Analog.

Good Morning Providence.

Hiller.

Dog Fashion Disco.

Femme Fatality.

Dog Fashion Disco (Rotten Records) w/ Tub Ring (as seen on MTV2's "Dew Circuit Breakout!" competition), Look What I Did (Combat/Koch Records), The Attitude (ex Victims in Ecstasy) & Vistalance @ The Phix

Koufax.

Tub Ring.

Peachcake.

The Morning Kennedy Was Shot.