IDM Mailing Archive

Okay, let's say a certain list member has been granted something approaching responsibility for booking for a certain rave promoter in a certain town. Let's say Dallas. And let's say this list member has been asked to book not the DJs for the main sound systems with pumping house and drum and bass or whatever the kids like. Let's say instead that this list member is suddenly faced with booking a "third room" or whatever you want to call it, with pretty much total support for whatever he wants to do. The catch would be this in our hypothetical situation: Nobody gets paid. Maybe. This hypothetical rave promo company or whatever you want to call it throws $5 events and is dedicated to not throwing big expensive parties, but instead about that intangible "keeping it real". That means that people who aren't necessarily a draw (ie a "third system") probably aren't going to see any pay in return for their time. If any, it'll be a little dosh as a result of the party breaking even, which (let's say) past ones have not. So, my question (after setting up all this background) is - would any of you do it? I mean, if I were an IDM artist and someone asked me to perform at their event, I'd probably go and do it for the hell of it (oh hell - this isn't all that hypothetical anyway, and my DJing sucks ass - I have done it for free, I don't think I should get paid for my trainwrecks). I understand totally that making music is an expensive habit, but I wonder if on the outside there are people out there not getting heard who'd be willing to do something like this, go play an event where people aren't necessarily there to even see you and just to take that where it goes. I mean, on the one hand, you might find random people walking by or what have you discover what you're doing and really enjoy it. Alternately, one could thrive on trying to get the crowd to hate you. Okay. So I guess this sounds very backslapping like I'm congratulating myself on some newfound power (about which I have no delusions, really). But really, I'm just wondering - would anyone out there just drop things and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it? I'm not trying to troll for artists (the next event is on the 29th, so there's really no time) but just to see what everyone else would do. Thoughts?

quoted 2 lines would anyone out there just drop things

>would anyone out there just drop things >and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it?

In the event that I had any skills worth showing off, i would be there. Unf i have no skills and you'd have an easier time getting me to do karaoke (cos that's just 3 minutes, not hours plus). _________________________________ Adam Roesch / roesch@augsburg.edu Augsburg College / Minneapolis / MN / USA Visit my Fila Brazillia/Pork Recordings fan site: http://dogbert.augsburg.edu/~roesch/pork/ "The only disease we need in our blood is love" TRICKY

In message <3.0.5.32.19990509105937.0086ce20@augsburg.edu>, Moonlight <roesch@augsburg.edu> writes

quoted 6 lines would anyone out there just drop things

>>would anyone out there just drop things >>and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it? > >In the event that I had any skills worth showing off, i would be there. >Unf i have no skills and you'd have an easier time getting me to do karaoke >(cos that's just 3 minutes, not hours plus).

I would do it immediately, but i'm in a different country, so, sorry ;) -- Ben Coffer http://www.hybridgame.demon.co.uk/

On 9 May 99, Andrew Hime wrote re: (idm) hypotheticals:

quoted 2 lines But really, I'm just wondering - would anyone out there just drop things

> But really, I'm just wondering - would anyone out there just drop things > and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it?

Yip : I know quite a few "name" DJ's here who do this on a regular basis coz they know the owner / it's a small place / they get free drinks or whatever. Come to think of it, I've done it :-) Main grumble though is heaving equipment up and down stairs because often these small poverty-stricken establishments don't even have their own systems ... that's sweating blood! I *

A friend and I once had a series of 23 FREE shows, weekly (skipping Xmas) in which we had to bring a sound system (neither of us owned one or a car) and occasionally perform. I hand screenprinted 200-400 flyers so, having a part time job, this is basically all I worked on those few months. Between designing the flyers, printing them, getting some sound, booking people who would play free (local programmers), there is a lot of work there and it is a labor of love, tfs. I was picking up the ball from some other local folks who'd had a weekly of the same basic expermental-mindedness and then, to some degree they picked up that ball again after we ran out of steam. It was good networking at the time because those guys (Outward Music / OMCO) and 3 other groups of people were essentially releasing their new labels first releases and it was an excellent time for networking. To pull off having free shows, I think you have to just go out and do it and when you are running out of gas, tell people at your shows and cross your fingers that someone else will be inspired to find a space and pick up the ball and run with it themselves. When they run a series you can kick back and go to their free shows and socialize and recover from from your weekly slugging-around of gear at the dead of night. Having run a set of free shows, I appreciate the work that goes into it (esp when a nice sound system miraculously appears and there is a good audience) and I try to give a really good performance to show my appreciation. Some people might think that because it is free they don't need to be as serious in their performance, but then they show their true motivation$ for making music. Solenoid On Mon, 10 May 1999, Irene McC wrote:

quoted 16 lines On 9 May 99, Andrew Hime wrote re: (idm) hypotheticals:

> On 9 May 99, Andrew Hime wrote re: (idm) hypotheticals: > > > But really, I'm just wondering - would anyone out there just drop things > > and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it? > > Yip : I know quite a few "name" DJ's here who do this on a regular > basis coz they know the owner / it's a small place / they get free > drinks or whatever. Come to think of it, I've done it :-) > > Main grumble though is heaving equipment up and down stairs > because often these small poverty-stricken establishments don't > even have their own systems ... that's sweating blood! > > I > * >

I already do free performances on the radio and have done a couple of gigs for food at some parties around Knoxville- not techno per se, more like a friend and I make free jazz with semi-pro electronic gear and try to break speaker cabinets. But I would do it. I've also DJ'd for free for about three years now. It's called a college radio show. Tom

as both a performer and a promoter, i find validity to both sides of the argument. i am sure that the novelty of performing in public turns to a bit of a chore when you're constantly lugging gear around, sleeping on people's couches, or whatever. (although i haven't reached that point yet) and a little spending cash never hurts, emphasis on the little. i realize this, and i make an attempt to try to compensate anyone that plays a /bin show out here. it's not easy for either side, unfortunately, because there is not much money involved in such a specific and more "difficult" form of music. i wish i had legitimate budgets for these things, but at such an early stage in the development of an experimental electronic "scene" (in chicago at least), it's difficult enough to find appropriate spaces, let alone funds! at this stage, the musicians that i have dealt with have been a dedicated and understanding lot, willing to forego some of the performance fees they may have been accustomed to for the chance to particiapte in something new, unproven, and at least in my eyes, exciting. that may be enough of a "payment" for some - and i certainly admire their courage and efforts because of it! m/j *** ** ** * * * ** * * * * * http://www.enteract.com/~egoiste On Mon, 10 May 1999, david turgeon wrote:

quoted 23 lines playing for free is fun, so long as you don't do it all the time, or for

> > playing for free is fun, so long as you don't do it all the time, or for > the rest of your life. one major advantage i can think of is that it > leaves you with a lot more freedom to improvise & try things which you > wouldn't do if you were paid & had to go with a certain genre to please > a certain crowd, etc. > > the fact of the matter is, a lot of idm could fall in the "difficult > music" category & as such finding a public for it is all the much > harder, but it can be done. if this means booking a few free gigs (so > long as the gig is cheap & that the producer is fair enough to share > payment if entries are better than expected), then so be it. but i > don't think it would be responsible to book, say, a free tour, or to ask > a dj to spin every week for months for no payment. > > oh well. my 2 cents is that i personally didn't care much for the money > on the few gigs i've played; just being onstage was thrilling enough an > experience. but maybe if i did that every other day i'd start getting a > bit more cynical about it. :) > > -- > david turgeon at http://www.notype.com >

quoted 3 lines Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 10:50:59 -0500 (CDT)

>Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 10:50:59 -0500 (CDT) >From: Andrew Hime <hime@kali.wf.net> >Subject: (idm) hypotheticals

quoted 2 lines would anyone out there just drop things

>would anyone out there just drop things >and go do a freeish show for the joy or exposure of it?

of course, why *wouldn't* you go play out every chance you get? i'm not a DJ, i play gimpy electronic tunes live, laptop and sampler and all that, but i think that means i have *more* shit to haul out and plug in and setup than a DJ, so either i'm dedicated, desperate, or a masochist... you make the call.

quoted 1 line Alternately, one could thrive on trying to get the crowd to hate you.

>Alternately, one could thrive on trying to get the crowd to hate you.

i did this once, actually. there were just too many damn goth kids, somebody had to do something. and actually, i _was_ getting paid for this show. hahaha. those kids ate it. ,rj../ ___,"www.gl.umbc.edu/~nworth1 ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]