Personal Referrals, Social Networking Are Key in Arts Marketing

Where is arts marketing going, and how can the presenting field lead the way? That question and more were addressed during one of the numerous informative super sessions and burning issues forums held during the 51st Annual Members Conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters that took place in New York City, Jan. 11-15. The session was directed primarily towards toward those who market larger performing arts and cultural centers, many associated with colleges and universities. However, much of the presentation is pertinent for those promoting smaller venues and coffeehouses, house concerts, folk music societies and festivals – including the notion that personal referrals and social networking are key to building audiences. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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John Stewart, 1939-2008

John StewartSinger-Songwriter John Stewart, best known for his seven-year stint with the Kingston Trio and for penning the hit song “Daydream Believer," has died at the age of 68.  With his family by his side, Stewart passed away on Jan 19 at the same San Diego, California hospital at which he was born. 

[To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Artists, Agents & Presenters Gather at APAP Conference

“Presenting America: New Ground” was the theme of The Association of Performing Arts Presenters’ 51st Annual Member Conference, Jan. 11-15. The conference drew several thousand professionals engaged in the performing arts community to New York City and featured daily plenary sessions and a wide array of professional development workshops and forums. Notable among these were an early morning session hosted by the Future of Music Coalition on why radio consolidation matters and other issues (in which this writer opined on the efforts to save Internet radio) and another on The Role of Global Music in Geo-Political Diplomacy that included the screening of excerpts from a PBS special featuring Israeli folk-rocker David Broza at Masada. Some 1,000 showcases also took place, both at the New York Hilton, the conference’s host hotel, and at venues throughout Manhattan and several in other boroughs of NYC. An exhibition hall was teeming with booking agents and presenters eager to speak with them. And, of course, there was a whole lot of networking going on. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Celtic Festivals On Tap in Pennsylvania This Winter

Pennsylvania can be pretty cold during the wintertime. But there will be plenty of Celtic music to warm your souls. The 16th Annual Greater Philadelphia Mid-Winter Scottish and Irish Music Festival takes place at the Valley Forge Convention Center in King of Prussia, Friday, Feb. 15 through Sunday, Feb. 17; while the 2nd Annual Winter Classic: a Gathering of the Celts is set for Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2 at Lehigh University's Rauch Field House in Bethlehem. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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MaineFolkMusic.com Launched

Maintaining that “there are many, many folk music fans in Maine who would like an easier, more focused resource for keeping track of local artists,” Bob McKillop launched MaineFolkMusic.com on Jan. 16. McKillop – a musician, songwriter, music journalist, open mic host and entrepreneur from Portland – describes the site as “Maine’s folk music homepage” and says it is devoted to the state’s acoustic musicians, as well as touring folk artists who perform in Maine. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Finalists Named in Plowshares Singer-Songwriter Competition

Eight entrants in the 7th annual Plowshares Singer-Songwriter Competition have been selected to perform during the Finals Showcase at the Plowshares Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania on March 15, where a panel of judges will determine the Grand Prize winner. The showcase finalists, who were selected by a panel comprised of Philadelphia-area songwriters on the basis of songwriting and performance, include Denise Jordan Finley, Patrick Fitzsimmons, Dan Gonzalez, Jenny Goodspeed, Kierstin Gray, Robby Hecht, Tim LaBorie and Angela Shiek. Each finalist will receive $100 and will compete for a grand prize of $500, an invite to perform at the Philadelphia Folk Festival this summer, and a feature slot at next year’s Finals Showcase. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Bob Dylan Song Contest Set on Long Island

The Our Times Coffeehouse will host a Bob Dylan Song Contest Night on Friday, February 15, at the Ethical Humanist Society Building, 38 Old Country Road in Garden City, NY. Cash prizes of $150, $100 and $50 will be awarded to the three top performers as judged by a panel and the audience on the basis of originality of interpretation and quality of musicianship. “We’re not looking for Dylan impersonators, just great musicians putting their personal spin on two Dylan songs,” says Marty Stone, arts coordinator of the monthly coffeehouse series that is a joint project of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island and the Long Island Progressive Coalition. The entry fee is $15. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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Long Island AcoustiCalendar for January 2008

The new year gets off to a good start on Long Island, musically speaking , with a number of talented local and touring artists slated to perform at venues in Nassau, Suffolk, Brooklyn and Queens. Visiting artists include Wisconsin-based singer-songwriter johnsmith (Jan. 4 in Garden City), Maine's Jud Caswell and Massachusetts' Chris O'Brien on an "emerging artists" double-bill (Jan. 5 in Centerport), husband & wife duo The Kennedys and singer-songwriter Ellis Paul (Jan 6 and 20, respectively, in Stony Brook) , eclectic indie singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco (Jan. 17 in Huntington), New England's well-traveled troubadour Bill Staines (Jan.18 in Garden City). The iconic Richie Havens and Jorma Kaukonen (Jan. 18 and 24, respectively, in Bay Shore), and rootsy female Americana trio Red Molly sharing a bill with gifted Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Pat Wictor (Jan. 26 in Port Washington). Also on tap are the first official LI appearance (outside of a restaurant or private party) by the harmonic trio Gathering Time (Jan. 12 , on a co-bill with NYC singer-songwriter Gretchen Witt, in Bay Shore) and a CD release concert for local singer-songwriter Denise Romas (Jan. 26 in Lindenhurst). [To see the entire calendar, featuring more than 50 gigs during January plus several during the first weekend in February, click on the headline].

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Registration Deadline Extended for Folk Alliance Conference

Singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno will deliver keynote addresses focusing on the power of music during the 20th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference, February 20-24, 2008 at the Marriott in Memphis, Tennessee. The registration deadline has been extended to January 10. After that date, those wishing to attend the conference without pre-registering will pay an additional $100 and their contact listings will not be included in the conference directory. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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World Folk Music Association to Pay Tribute to Tommy Makem

The World Folk Music Association’s 23rd annual benefit concert is slated for Jan. 19, 2008 at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus. Benefit tickets are priced at $40-$90. Performers will include Liam Clancy, Danny Doyle, Hot Soup!, The Makem & Spain Brothers, Modern Man, Schooner Fare, The Shaw Brothers, Side by Side, Jack Williams, Bethany Yarrow & Rufus Cappadocia, among others. Special tribute will be paid to Tommy Makem, the singer-songwriter widely regarded as the godfather of Irish folk music, who passed away earlier this year. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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2008 Kerrville New Folk Competition Open for Entries

Entries are now being sought for the 2008 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 24 and 25, 2008 during the 37th Annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Songwriters may either send two original songs (which must have been written after Jan. 1, 2006) on a home-burned CD, not to exceed eight minutes in total, to the Kerrville Folk Festival office or submit them electronically using Sonicbids. The first 800 entries received prior to March 15 will be accepted and 32 finalists will be named on or about April 15. Half of the 32 finalists will perform on May 24, while the other half will perform the next day. Six New Folk winners will be selected to perform 20 minutes of their original songs on Sunday, June 1. They will receive cash honorariums and other prizes. All of the performances will take place at the Threadgill Theater on the Quiet Valley Ranch campgrounds, nine miles south of Kerrville, Texas. [To read the entire article, click on the headline].

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