[NewMusic] venue/artist fees [was Climate Music Box 11/20]

[Sarah - 21 Grand]

Matt wrote:
Well, the Luggage Store has a NOTAFLOF (no one turned away for lack of
funds) policy instead of comps, and we don't charge significant others
unless they want to support the artist. The reason is that we've had
enough shows where everyone in the audience thought they were on the
'comp' list.

- Well, you do what you need to do. I know that I just have a general pet
peeve about non-profits that claim to serve artists and support them and
then offer atrociously bad financial arrangements. The 3 years gone Black
Box in Oakland was a prime example of that - I think when Moe! did his
series there he got them to agree to a 50/50 split, but this was undoubtedly
due to Moe!'s great financial negotiating skills. They would offer others a
$400 minimum rental rate.

The Climate Theater seems relatively reasonable. I wouldn't call their
financial arrangement atrociously bad, just not-that-good.

The standard business entity is structured by capitalism to be profit-minded
and self-serving, which is why non-profits, which are supposed to not be
that way are granted tax-exempt status and donations to them are
tax-deductible. As an individual artist wanting to make a living, being
self-serving and profit-minded is generally necessary. I don't see anything
ethically wrong with that. What I do have a problem with are non-profits or
entities aspiring to that status that really should just be a regular
business, and they can be profit-minded and/or self-serving all they want
and be honest about it.

Again, I'm not saying that this is the case with the Climate Theater. I only
wish they would not post events announcements to the discussion list, and I
wish their series well.

sl