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Subject: RTP-area local music and culture

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  • From: grady <grady AT ibiblio.org>
  • To: RTP-area local music and culture <ch-scene AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: Eh, Whatever!
  • Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:56:05 -0400

local506 AT gmail.com wrote:

Yes, that's what I have issue with - a LOT of people are talking about
x show, so we're going to dis it, as opposed to this band you've never
heard of sucks and we're going to let you know to not bother.

Umm, not to put too fine a point on it, but if nobody knows about a show and/or has never heard of the band, then where's the value-add for the reader in warning them to avoid the show? It seems to me that if they're going to occasionally explicitly advise *against* a show, it only makes sense to advise against those shows where there is a real likelihood that a lot of people might show up. (to dig deeper, it really makes the *most* sense when there's a chance that a lot of people who've never seen/heard the band are gonna show up, based on hype . . . but thus far I don't see that level of thought going into the section)

The other thing is, it's not like these acts are playing for free.
Many have guarantees and although I never assume there will be press
coverage (I never lobby for it) - I don't need the Indy telling people
to NOT attend a show when I'm betting my money on it. We already lose
money on more shows than I would like...and I"m pretty risk-averse to
begin with. Heck, the shows I've passed on this year due to financial
concerns could make up a full day of the Pitchfork festival.

I'm sure you don't, but surely you can acknowledge that it's irrational to expect a music critic to take the financial best interests of the clubowner into heart when deciding what to write. Or, if you *are* going to assert that writers *should* take your best interests into account, then I suppose you should start including each band's guarantee on the schedules you mail out to all the local media.




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