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Arts
The New Music West scam
By C J Leon
Artists paid little or nothing as the festival organizers raked in the dough
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The New Music West Festival, May 14 to 18, was a profitable success for its organizers. Their website boasts 265 artists performing in thirty venues as part of musical showcase events under the banner of New Music West 2008. Charging $10 at the door or $30 for a wristband (artists could buy wristbands for their significant others for a discounted $25), the New Music West Festival raked in the dough . . . and paid the performing artists nothing.
"So, basically, it's like one of our regular shows where all of our fans come, we do all the promotions, but they get the money. How is that good?" asked one frustrated guitar player and singer for the band Headwater at the Railway club after the showcase on Thursday night. To be fair, the calendar for the festival was published once in the Westender, which is, on the other hand, not generally consulted for its entertainment listings.
"There are supposed to be all kinds of industry people at the shows,” said Jess Hill, who had just finished her hour long set. “I haven't met any though. . . . I'm just glad I didn't pay this year. I didn't realize it was such a scam. I won't be a part of it again,” she said. Jess sold one album to an audience member. "I don't think people would support the shows if they knew the artists weren't getting paid."
Her accompanying slide guitar and mandolin player, Aaron Joyce, made nothing on the night. "They didn't even give us the usual buck-off drinks [like they always do at the Railway Club]!" he exclaimed annoyed. Stories of unexpectedly pro bono performances are as numerous as the festival's performers.
For the past three years, Jess has paid the "processing fee" (currently $45) to be listened to by "an industry professional," as their website says, in order to be considered for a part in the festival. Her album "Road" is played regularly on the CBC. Despite the promise on the application that "good songs and a good package will not go unnoticed," apparently, tracks good enough for national radio play did not catch the ear of the industry professional somewhere out there.
I also took part in the New Music West Festival. I was part of the spoken word showcase and was paid $20 for the three songs I performed. Little did I know I would be one of the few paid performers in the entire festival. Here is how that happened. The festival approached spoken word artist and organizer R C Weslowski, who successfully puts on the slam poetry competition every Monday at Café Deux Soleils on Commercial Drive. They said they would split the door with him (and, presumably, the performers) if they charged the festival standard $10. R C organized the usual talent to perform at their usual venue except that this time the door was double the usual and the festival took half. "I don't think I'll do that again," he said when asked what he thought of the festival. None of the spoken word artists were listed on the New Music West website.
Members of the Terminal City project have organized a counter-festival, Music Waste, happening June 5 to 8, and charging $5 or less at every venue, to encourage artists to put on their own shows and prevent such mass-scale exploitation of underexposed talent.
I believe in free media and accessible information. I give much of my spoken word art, writing, and music freely on Myspace and via email. I download music and films. What the New Music West festival has done, however, is the wolf of exploitation masquerading as the sheep of exposure. What is completely and utterly rotten about this festival is third-party profiteering on the un-remunerated creative work of others. This would never happen to a workers' union, but it happens all too often in an industry lousy with unorganized talent. The New Music West festival is a pirate and a parasite. Too many of the artists involved were too naive to see the Jolly Roger smiling and waving, and too young to fear infection.
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