we are in business where every one does business differently, this tend to cause issues, as people don't always see eye to eye.  I tend to believe its easier to finish every deal, and than make a final call about working with people again if I am having issues with how a show is going.  this tends to be the case with managers, bands, agents, venues, media, whom ever, if you don't get a long with some one, no matter how much money is involved, you don't want to go bank to that headache again. So a few things I always try to do when a show is not going the way I want. 

* Always make sure all accounting issues are cleared up, most show problems come from, the numbers being off, with that said make sure everyone gets paid what they are owed (i.e. I will not start new deal with someone if I believe they owe me money, keep in mind thing take time, if a check is a day late don't freak, its when your waiting two weeks plus, that you should check in on when that check is going to be mailed.  I keep a speadsheet on every outstanding debt owed to me, most come off after a week, some have been on there for months and a few over a year...if I can't collect from someone on a past debt, why would I allow them to not pay me again.  Also note most debts are not worth going after via legal means, as it take a ton of time and more money, you can write of the losses if they are with in your margin of doing business, however never forget who did not pay you back, its both disrespectful and its theft, no matter if some one owes you ten dollars or ten thousand dollars, anything some one refuses to pay back is case for discontinuing business with them. Also keep in mind it is my business to keep working with people, so if some one is having money trouble and they explain why the debt is not getting paid back, I try to work with them, make a payment play, getting back something is better than nothing, and if it gets paid back over time, its all good, you want to keep a strong relationship with everyone, and if you can work with them, when they are back on their feet, they will remember it, with more business. 

* Avoid being rude:  learn to hold your thoughts in, I have had a hard time with this over the years, and I still slip from time to time, but its costly to tell some one whats on your mind, and if your up set, its mostlikely going to reflect badly on you...people fuck up all the time, give them the chance to clean it up...if they don't finish the project and note it when you are trying to make the call on doing more business with them (I really hate one people don't take responsibility for their mistakes, we all fuck up, and its important to stand up and own your mistakes, take credit for the error, fix it and move on...people like when your willing to take the blame for something you all know is your fault).

*consult your partners:  I have always liked the power to make the call, so its hard to remember to stop and get others thoughts on things, however email has made it much easier, as you can forward on a proposal and get the feed back of your partners, this tends to keep everyone in the loop, and makes for a stronger relationship. (I still like making the call on my own, as I am sure you do as well)

* don't be afriad to say you don't know: it sucks when a green person acts as if they know whats going on, if you buy in to it, you are investing on a guess, if you don't you loss respect for the person faking it...don't try to get lucky share your experience level, so everyone knows going in where you stand.

I hope some of these idea's help, I really do enjoy working with almost everyone, with the exception of pushy sales people from radio stations in say Fresno (yeah call someone out this time), find a good way to work with people will insure a long term relationship, things go side ways from time to time, and you can't control what others are going to do, but by being solid your self, people will always want to come back and work with you!

Happy Holiday My loyal readers, I wish your talent the best year...remember I have given you lots of free advise, when your act makes it, you need to pay me back for this help with lots of sold out show (now you know I'm not kidding)

there is a lot going on, and its hard to stand out, when your fighting for press against national touring shows, television, comics, movies, motor sports, ect...its hard to get any attention, especial from the main stream media outlets, i.e. the weekly's and daily print, radio or TV.  So what can a hard working local band do to claw your way to the top to get a little bit of love...let me first ask, have you reached out to the local writters, djs and entertainment editors at all the local outlets, if you have not, shame on you...no onw to blame but your lazy self.  Send these find folks a link to your music, and offer to drop off a CD and any info they might want...if fact send them the link and let them know you have already sent off a cd to them (make sure you do after you say you have).  DO NOT DROP IT OFF IN PERSON, this is odd for the writter, they feel pressed to give you time, and they may not have it...email and mail are good, don't call them until they have responded positively to your reaching out, and never drop by a media outlet unless your invited, (see the movie AIR HEADS to understand why). 

if you have made a connect with the local media, keep it alive, we press release of upcoming shows, what the band is up to, recording, traveling, circle-jerks, whatever that makes sense...send them band stickers, t-shirts, any merch that you have made hook up these folks.

this is important is standing out, help your self here!

So every few months there is a new form of media we must master and we all freak about, first it was internet, than websites, than myspace, blogs, facebook, twitter and so on, and this is all well and good, ever ever just because you have changed up to the new hot media outlet of the day, does not mean your fans have, you have to keep all your sites up to date, link them all, and have all the info current on all of them, its important, old info, makes a site useless and tends to never be visited again, I know most of us have written off myspace for facebook, but it only take a few extra minutes to up date all of the sites at once, and it make you look way more professional.

Now I have been asked for more story telling, and I have to tell you story telling is fun, and I have a ton of great music tails of the guys who made our business what it is, however these are the kind of story's that are best told over beers (or I'm saving them to be told in my tell all book coming in 2021 to book stores everywhere), but seriously, I am happy to shot the shit with you in person and we can trade storys of biz, and I really am always thrilled to havfe your input on the blog (as long as its postive, if you have negitive shit to stay keep it to your self, I am only looking for the pat on the back, I already know I need to learn how to spell, keep that shit to your self).

I really am thrilled you continue to check out the blog, even if myspace is dead, have a great weekend, I am off to check out Professional Boxing at the Casino.

so I have gotten no let than 10 emails reminding me to blog this week, first thanks for reading, second if you have a question that you want my feed back on just email, I will get respond dan@squarepegconcerts.com

with that out of the way, let talk about building new artists.  its a hard road and it seems to get harder and hard to break into the scene each year, so with that in mind what can you do.  first off, talent is always paramount, a solid act will always out last a gimmick.  However anything to get you through the door...they have to find you to hear you.  NoFX was one of the best live bands, and they had a talent for marketing themselfs...and lets be honest, Nofx and all the fat bands sound the same, however they are the best at marketing, so the cream rises to the top, if you can be talent and marketable...you win.  its just that simple, get the fans attention and then once you have it keep them.  Emeinem is also get at marketing him self and has the talent, he draws you in and than wow white boy can rap. 

Same can be said for U2 and any of the big house hold names you already know...you need to work on gettting the local credit of the fans and move up from there...polish you trade and make the fans notice with a solid entertaining show

So one of the things I have heard for years is the "don't work with this band, they are Black listed"...this shit has always pissed me off, lets file it under let the innocence through the first rock.  Everyone has fucked up for time to time, however no one has the right to tell me or anyone else who I can or should work with, its a judgment call that I am allowed in the free market that the American business model is based on. 

Here's the deal, if some one wrongs you, by all means, you have the right to not work with them, and if you don't like the music or the people in a project, your totally with in your rights to walk away...what you don't have the power to do, is tell me who I am allowed to work with.  I mention this as I opened my email this morning finding another email telling me of an acts bad business trades and telling me I should not work with them, I am glad people share info like this, its good to know they are a pain in the ass, I will watch out for that, however I will continue to program SPC shows with a free hand for the rest of my days, its part of the reason I have not taken a job over the years, as I always wanted the power to work with anyone I wanted, and I am not forsaking that for any petty fight you might have gotten into...not saying your not right to stop working with them, I am just say its my call and some times shit happens, it does always mean we have to vote these people of the face of the earth. 

In the world we live in, it seems to be a big enough place where we can allow everyone to earn a living, and get a chance to love out their own dreams.

Rock and roll has afford me to have a family, a home and a successful business, it is a dream I have worked very hard for, and I believe any one that puts the time, should have their chance at living out their dream as well.

so no matter what you do, if your doing it well, your doing to piss off some people, its just how this world works, people want to hold others down, everyone wants to be better than you, instead of working together to help you, its just unavoidable that the bigger you grown the more people will have an issue with your success.  With this said, its important that your careful of whom you piss off and why they are getting pissed off in the first place.  If its simple jealousy, nothing can be done really, its the price of your success. However, if your doing things to upset others that is more than they want the breaks, than you need to watch for that shit to come back and bit you in the ass, it always happens, we all fuck up, the idea is to learn and be careful about taking shots at others for no reason...karma is real, i believe it will always come back at you, so be kind...it will effect your day tomorrow, trust me! 

P.S.  You should take a moment and remember to be cool to assistants when your taking with them, they are good folks that really need you not be a cock to them!

Just like in life you will find there are a lot of flakey people, there are weak markets, for example I promote a lot of the same act over and over again in different markets, each market is different, for example comedy, country and world music music are bigger in Seattle and pretty much anywhere else I promote shows, however jam music and hip hop will do much better in Portland and even Eugene than in Seattle often.  Learning how a market reacts to style of music helps to learn were to play and how to price your product. Some times learning the venule of a market can work in your favor, for example artist will work with us on a deal price to play Bend or Fresno due to the market size to make a successful show for them, however we tend to play top dollar in bigger markets like Seattle, Denver and Phoenix. At the end of the day, its not about market against market, its about did the show build the artist and turn a profit, often times, we find the smaller show in the smaller market is more successful than the larger play in the bigger market...hint just because we sold more tickets doesn't mean we made more money, the deals are often based on the venue and market size.  OK, I don't talk about profit and losses to much, I tend to talk about how its all about the music, and its pretty much the guideline I live by, point and case, if fans don't like the music, the show simpley doesn't sell, and no sales mean losses big losses often times, so it has to be about the music, profits and solid music are tied together...so the better show I offer the public, the better I do at the end of the day...so its one of the few times you will hear it, but yes, SPCD is a business working hard to turn a profit, with that in mind, I knew that the only way this is possible is to have happy ticket buyers that are not only willing but wanting to return for the next show.  I also know that the fans are not my fans, they are the artists fans, and I am just a distrubotor of music..  I have belief in my head that anyone buys tickets just becuase SPC is promoting the date, its all about the act...by the way if you don't know its all about the act, you don't know your product.   

So this past 8 days where the most active in the history of Square Peg, it was not only a lot of shows, but a lot of work, travel and planning. It was a lot of fun, and very hard.  I learned one thing, no matter who the artist is we where promoting they only care about their performance and nothing else, so in return, whoever was with that artist need to be focused only on that performance as well, to be fair to the artist and help their show run seamlessly.  This took a lot of help, from my staff, I have a great team and they held up great this week under pressure.  In fact, the only issues we really had this week where based on others errors, these things happen, and none of them where major and all worked out nicely.  I just wanted to take a moment to pat my team on the back and thank them all: Rick, Kev, Steph, Molly, Charlotte, Roy, Mary, Ross, Clay, and our friends at John Henry's, Spokane Parks and Reck,  and Sherpa Concerts...your all champs.

Wondering whats next, and I see George Winston on wednesday in WY, and Jesse Cook for 4 shows in seattle starting thusday...our break does last long, thank God, bring on the bands!

So our world is built on people say NO, more often than not, however doing someone a solid and pay off big, taking the risk no one else wants is a major favor, and for the right person can come back ten fold.  It has always been my business model to make friends by going the extra step, if that means taking on something the other guy will not, no problem, or investing in an act the first time though, or creating something special to draw attention to an act that would not get much attention otherwise...that's the job, it really is finding a way to get your foot in the door and get the ball rolling.

First thing you have to know is that everyone loves a winner, and yet most people will not invest to get on the winning team.  An Investment can be made in many different ways, be it time, money or personal favors .  Relationships happen when you make someone life a little easier, if that means stepping up and biting off a little extra, do some.  God knows, not all of my investments have panned out, in some case the bands break up, the follow up play never happens, or the act does not stay loyal...shit happen, its all a cost of doing business, and to be honest for every act I loss, I get one back the same way...you can't sweat the small shit.  

You really only need 1 out of every 5 investments to come back to you with a solid gain, to make it worth while, if you see 2 your loving life.  The trick is over time the come back more an more.  Some relationships I started over fifteen years ago are still rewarding to work with, be it a manager, promoter, record label executive, an agent or a band member.  For example, the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have been working woith me for 16 years now, I have no only found a solid friendship with Steven but I continue to do great shows with them, where we all win.  That is a relationship that just keeps growning for all involved.

This week from Sunday to Sunday Square Peg will produce 13 concerts, in 10 cities in venues ranging from 380 to 11000 seats.  Each show is based on a relationship that is in a different stage, the 380 club show is a developing investment, as I am always building acts, trying to take them to the next level, and the bigger acts have down their time on the road and in the studio building thier fan base allowing us to enjoy success togeter in the lager venues.

In any case it all starts with a YES, and followed up with continued effort and support...saying NO opens no doors, but a YES can move mountains...just becareful that you know what your saying yes to, a dumb Idea is a bad idea no matter who is asking...so keep your wits about what you green light, as an invest is only worth while if your in business long enough to to reap the rewards. Incase your wondering who the 13 shows are with this week I have aded the list below:

............................

9/20/2009....

DragonForce....

Roseland....

....Portland........

OR....

9/20/2009....

Buckethead....

....Madison.. ..Theatre........

....Cincinnati........

OH....

9/21/2009....

Buckethead....

Beachland Ballroom....

....Cleveland........

OH....

9/23/2009....

Kathy Griffin....

....Cohan.. ..Center........

San Lous Obispo....

CA....

9/24-25/2009....

David Cross....

Newmark Theatre....

....Portland........

OR....

9/25/2009....

Erin McCarley....

John Henry's....

....Eugene........

OR....

9/25/2009....

Kate Clinton....

Crest Theatre....

....Sacramento........

CA....

9/25/2009....

Jason Mraz....

....River.. ..Front.. ..Park........

....Spokane........

WA....

9/26/2009....

WPA (Works Progress Administration)....

Crocodile....

....Seattle........

WA....

9/27/2009....

Jason Mraz....

Rose Garden....

....Portland........

OR....

9/27/2009....

Old Crow Medicine Show....

Lobero....

....Santa Barbara........

CA....

9/27/2009....

Kailash Kher....

Crocodile....

....Seattle........

WA....