Red is the manager of Jack Rose Saloon in Adams Morgan, a thriving music scene in DC. She informed me that, despite the high demand for music in the area, Jack Rose does not often utilize live music due to the difficulty in obtaining talent and the problems they sometimes cause. This was insightful, as I realized we might be able to lure venues that have problems like these with our twofold solutions: make bands easy to find and make them easy to vet.
Key Takeaway: There may be an untapped area of this market.
John, DC, Mellow Mushroom - Male, White, 40s
John is the manager of Mellow Mushroom, also in Adams Morgan. Unlike Jack Rose Saloon, Mellow Mushroom often hosts live music, with a particular focus on young, up-and-coming bands. John told me that he used to do booking himself, but that it was time consuming and has since outsourced to a local booking agent named Anders. After explaining to me some of the problems with booking (bands don't fit, are unreliable, etc.), he mentioned that Anders was actually upstairs putting together a show and that I could meet him.
Anders, DC, Booking Agent for Songwriters & Poets - Male, White, 50s
Anders has been heavily involved in the DC Music scene for several years. He focuses on getting indie bands to perform in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. He said his biggest challenge in booking bands was a lack of credibility on the musicians' part - there is no underground radio, bars haven't heard of them, etc. Anders said he often feels like he has "one big spider web to deal with" and that there is a constant problem finding a good fit for venues and artists. He also said that he spends far too much time doing booking, as he as a full-time job. He also said he likes using BandCamp because of its simplicity. After hearing about our project, he was interested and suggested that we utilize his stable of artists as a test run.
Key Takeaway: Focus on simplicity.
Matt, DC, Gravel Road Bluegrass - Male, White, 40s
Matt is a musician in the band Gravel Road Bluegrass who was introduced to me by Anders. Matt has been in the local music scene for quite some time. Honestly, he didn't seem particularly enthused by our idea, but I believe that is because he has done things the same way for a long time and feels as though he has paid his dues, and that new artists should too. He refused to accept that making things easier would be better, saying that the struggle was part of being a musician.
Key Takeaway: It might be difficult to reach people who have been in the industry for some time, as they are used to doing things a certain way.
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