More musings with a musical theme....
I received an email about an hour ago asking me what I thought about the direction of music in Door County and what are my motives in writing about it here. An interesting email, I wish the sender had posted it as a blog.
Door County is a great place to visit for people turned on by art and music. For me personally, music has been a big part of my life for as far back as I can remember. As well as enjoying music in the same way that most people do, I've long been passionate about the art and science of music reproduction. I've developed what I think is a critical ear when it comes to music and I've been fortunate enough to have found myself in a community where music and art is really at the core of everything. However, I've never had an urge to be involved in a music venue, that came to be as something of an accident. Though I'm passionate about music, one needs a different kind of motivation to turn it into something commercial. Maybe that is at the center of what is going on in Door County right now, and maybe it's the tussle between the creative and artistic element and the desire by some people to capitalize on it for self gain, that's causing an itch in me that I cannot seem to scratch.
There's a wind if change blowing through the Door County music scene and as with most change it's slow and unpredictable in taking on a shape. It's still very much in a form which can be influenced and I'd like to do my part in giving it a shove here and a prod there, to try to help steer it in a general direction that's in the interests of those who make music and those who listen to it.
If you focus your attention too much on either the makers or the consumers, you start to slant the whole thing in a unhealthy direction and I think there's a little bit of that going on in Door County right now. There are a few venue's that are taking a somewhat aggressive stance in their claim on the Door County music scene. Not just venues but the occasional would-be Harvey Goldsmith have stepped up and tried to make a claim on something that cannot and should not be owned for material gain.
Keep music alive and fresh and growing. You can't do that when you try to over-commercialize it and ignore the very reason why it exists in the first instance. A little cryptic?, yes, I guess so.
It relates in some ways, but not entirely, to the impact of larger non-profit music venues emerging in an area renowned for its eclectic music scene and wide array of locally grown talent. The local talent has been nurtured through smaller, independently owned music venues, some of which are being jeopardized by the emergence of the musical Goliath(s). If the smaller venues start to disappear, as it seems some are, how will the new local talent be nurtured and where will they find an outlet and a stage to develop their creativity?
Support your local venues by doing as much as you can to ensure their continued existence.
Joe Joe's Pizza
Ladder House
Mojo Rosa's
Husby's
Gordon Lodge
FishStock (Camp David)
Hitching Post
....are a few of the one's still alive, I think.
Cheers
posted by Door County Outpost @ 12:15 PM
11 Comments
11 Comments:
Great blog. I was disturbed some weeks ago about something in the pulse with adam mcIntosh developing some kind of big thing here in door. But he seems to have taken off. Maybe it will shake out. Other than going to watch live bands what else can people do to help?
My brother is in a band and the only place he can get a gig is at the post in valmy. If that places goes under then there aint much left for smaller bands.
I was part of the group that Adam Mackintosh was in before he left -- and the goal of that group was not to take away from any other venue that has music here on the Peninsula -- there's too much of that going on already. What we did seek to do was to make it so local and regional bands (like your brother's) would be able to get gigs around the county, get paid fairly for them, and be able to present a more unified front in terms of advertising and marketing -- things that, if done correctly, can bring a mass of people to a show if it creates enough excitement.
We had also heard from a few establishments that while they loved having music at their place of business, they didn't always enjoy having to book it themselves -- it often took time and energy away from the other parts of their business, and many felt disillusioned by dealing with something they knew almost nothing about. Our goal was to be the people who would come in and schedule a season for someone -- along with taking care of the musicians needs and dealing with the marketing/advertising. It's something we had hoped to charge a nominal fee for, and unfortunately it didn't pan out as we had hoped.
Sorry for the babbling -- it's just that I was a equal partner in the Gift Horse endeavor, along with three other people besides Adam. I don't want there to be any misinformation out there on what we were hoping to do.
If there are any questions, please e-mail me:
Melissa Ripp
peapodpr@gmail.com
Thanks!
Door County is now finishing its third year of the room tax and the promotion that comes with it. Part of this process is defining who comes here and why, and the opposite is who does not come here and what do we have to offer them. It is a core market/core attribute strategy that is being driven by over $2.5MM per year in support.
To understand who comes here and why, there have been several research projects completed, they are available on the Door County Visitor Bureau Membership website. Interestingly enough, the "music scene" does not receive mention. People will say "arts and crafts", but music is not a key driver for visitors. There is a difference between "I will go to a concert tonight because I am here" and "I will go to Door County for the variety of music available." Think about it...if you live in the Door County core market area and you want to go plan a trip for music, you will go to Chicago or Minneapolis. That is different than going to a show while you are here. From your post "Door County is a great place to visit for people turned on by art and music" is true, but it is NOT a primary driver of the visit.
OK, so Door County is figuring out how to develop the various "categories" we offer. Look at all the activity in silent sports. Various community organizations are actively trying to develop silent sports through a variety of activities including events, promotion, and municipal planning, which will drive the overall category known as silent sports enthusiasts. That is, if I used to get 1000 silent sports enthusiasts in the County, and I raise that to 2000, then a rising tide lifts all boats and those with an economic interest are happy, as are the silent sports enthusiasts both in and out of the County. This is a category growth strategy. The silent sports faction in the County is on a course that will be very successful.
The music scene in Door County is not coordinated like the other primary drivers, and thus receives little support, and benefits from minimal planning. It will suffer from neglect far before it will get trampled by large venues. I would submit that events like Steel Bridge and the Egan Center (both are 500lb gorillas on the music scene) do a lot to raise the awareness of Door County as a music destination in our core markets, thereby benefiting the smaller venues showcasing our abundance of local talent. In other words, if music consumers from our core market are going to a Richie Havens concert in Egg Harbor, how does the "music scene" get them to the smaller venues? Look at it this way-Richie Havens drew 1600 people, let's assume 25% were "real tourists". That's 400 music lovers in Egg Harbor that would not be there at all if the concert did not occur, and they have probably been in the County for more than 1 night.
The DEVELOPMENT of the "music scene" will come from the large venues or events that have the financial backing to promote. The ENRICHMENT of the music scene (that which will make customers differentiate Door County from Chicago and Minneapolis) will come from the local talent and the local smaller venues that provide something unique to this area only, and if the consumer likes it he or she will need to return to get it.
While there may be a "wind of change" blowing through the Door County music scene, there is a "typhoon of activity" in other categories and they are benefiting from funding and promotion that the music scene has largely ignored. Might I submit that a logical, organized approach to drive this category is what will provide the foot traffic to benefit the local musicians and venues?
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This post has been removed by the author.
Thank you Melissa and above anonymous poster.
I believe there are grant and State monies that have been left on the table for promotion of the arts particularly for tourism driven communities such as ours.
The logical approach might be to form a non-profit corp and go after funding through State and private sectors to develop music in some way, shape or form. There are already people trying to do this, and I have no desire to branch off tangentially in a direction that draws more of my time away from my core business. I was encouraged by Adam Mackintosh and the ideas he had hoped to implement through his newly formed corporation (along with Melissa etc). I think that was a step towards what was needed here in DC, some coordination at a smaller scale and a much needed resource which might have helped smaller venues remove some of the layers of logistics associated with staging a live music program.
As stated in my original post, the larger venues are here to stay and the rest of us will have to find a way to deal with it.
I saw an outdoor jazz concert at the Gordon Lodge in August. Most people were not there for the music. Same at other venues, people are there to drink, smoke, eat, look at the water etc. It's great to have a few venues where the focus is the music.
Hope you'll be back next season!
(saw Jana Holland at your place in August)
Beth
Hi Beth,
I know what you mean about music not always being the real attraction and focus. I guess it's very venue dependent...some places want to deliver a concert environment, others a more laid back and casual atmosphere where other things are going on.
I think so long as whatever else is happening doesn't detract too much from the music (assuming there are at least some people there for the music), then it's all fine and dandy.
I do like the Gordon Lodge by the way, but not for music per se. There outdoor area on the beach is a neat place to relax and enjoy a cocktail!
Same thing with Stone Harbor resort in Sturgeon Bay.
Take care
CH
I enjoyed these comments about the local music scene. This whole blog has some interesting perspectives - please keep it going with some more blogging!
Anne
I like it at camp david better than the peg egan.
Reggie
Any news on next years music program?
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