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New Jersey's Premier Acoustic Music and Dance Organization


THE  FOLK  PROJECT™

New Jersey's Premier Acoustic Music & Dance Organization

 1. Home→
 2. Troubadour Booking

Troubadour Oct.1: Our opening act has cancelled on short notice. The show will
start at 8 PM with Mad Agnes.




TROUBADOUR BOOKING INFORMATION

Other Troubadour pages: Troubadour Calendar    About Troubadour   
Troubadour Contacts


FROM:

Mike Agranoff
Troubadour Chairman
11 Overlook Road
Boonton Twp, NJ 07005-9115

Phone: 973-335-9489
Call 10AM to 10PM (Eastern time) weekdays or weekends.

Email:

CDs sell well at The Troubadour


TO: PERFORMERS AND AGENTS


RE: GETTING BOOKED AT THE TROUBADOUR

The Troubadour is a concert series run by the Folk Project, a non-profit folk
music and arts organization. We have been in continuous operation since 1975. We
use the facilities of the Morristown Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 21
Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, NJ. (About 1 hour west of NYC and an hour and
a half north of Philly.) We hold shows every Friday, year round, and the second
Friday of most months is an open stage/audition night. The music we present is
"folk" music in its broadest sense. That is, in addition to traditional American
and ethnic "folk" music (in the purist’s definition), we welcome music of
contemporary, primarily acoustic songwriters, and other types of music more
folkie in attitude than in content. Our performers are professional and
semi-professional, both local and those on the regional, national and
international coffeehouse, concert, and festival circuits. Preference in booking
is given to members of the Folk Project, with more consideration given to those
members who are active in our activities or organization. An act's draw in the
local area does carry some weight in booking decisions.

Our usual format is an Opening Act and a Feature Act. The Opening Act does a
30-minute set to start the show, and the Feature does two 45 minute sets with an
intermission between them. Our capacity is around 200, and our actual paid
attendance over the past year has been averaging around 90, plus an additional
15 or 20 for volunteers and comps. Our pay scheme for Feature Acts is based upon
a guarantee plus percentage of the gate plus an archaic, but traditional and
effective, donation basket, and of late has been averaging around $1000 (plus or
minus a whole lot, depending upon the performer's draw, the time of year, the
stars, and other factors of Kentucky windage.) The Opener's fee is a
straight $75 for a solo, $120 for a duo, or $180 for a trio or more. The
audience does tend to buy a lot of recordings, though, so if you have any, it
can add a tidy extra sum. The average product sale is about $500 for feature
acts and $335 for openers.  The artist keeps 100% of product sales. The second
Friday of most months the format changes to an Open Stage, which can be used for
audition purposes. (The Open Stage is occasionally moved or pre-empted for
events other than the Open Stage, so check the Troubadour Web Page to confirm
the schedule before showing up. The website also gives our Open Stage
procedures.)

What we do offer you is the finest of all possible audiences. Our crowds average
around 90, and are knowledgeable, and packed with lots of fine singers. Given
any encouragement, we'll come back at you with choruses, harmonies, and good
natured supportive heckling. We feed the head, which for a performer can be as
important as the pocketbook. Many fine national performers make it a point to
include us on their Northeast tours. We are a well-run organization (if I do say
so myself), and we treat you right.

Performers and agents interested in securing a booking should be aware that we
do not have a "season." We hold a show virtually every Friday of the year, but
that the 2nd Friday of the month is generally reserved for our Open Stage or
some other special function. We generally book 3 to 12 months in advance for
feature acts and 2 to 8 months in advance for openers (although that can vary a
lot sometimes). I must have a feature act booked on a given date before I can
confirm an opening act booking for that date. You can refer to the Troubadour
page to see our schedule as far ahead as is booked to look for which dates are
open, and might coincide with your touring schedule.

Now for the bad news: I usually have to see a performer in person before booking
a feature act. My judgments are based on more than just out-and-out musical
prowess. Heavily weighted in my consideration are such elements as rapport with
the audience, intelligence of presentation, content and poetry of lyrics (for
songwriters), balance and diversity of musical style in a set, ties to
traditional music, more undefinable and esoteric qualities and, of course, an
act's draw in our area. I prefer to see this for myself by seeing a performer
live. I have made exceptions based upon recommendations from those I trust
implicitly or from live concert recordings.

If you want to send me a demo, bear in mind the following requirements:

 * Conventional studio recordings are not acceptable.
 * I require a recording of a LIVE PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE WITH
   LITTLE OR NO EDITING. This applies to both headliners and opening acts. I
   need to hear a full set, half hour minimum, with talk, tuning, and all the
   warts left in. (Please, no radio interviews, no "live in the studio with no
   overdubs" recordings. Let me hear you in front of a crowd of people.) I weigh
   the introductions, banter, and other performer-audience interaction almost as
   heavily as I do the music itself.
 * The recording need not be professionally done. but all song lyrics must be
   clear and intelligible, and well out in front of instrumentation. Generally,
   that will require that audio be taken directly off the sound board.
   Recordings made with hand-held recorders, video cameras, or smart phones in
   the audience are usually unacceptable, as they often result in lyrics being
   so muddy as to be rendered unintelligible. When in doubt, play it for someone
   who does not know the music, and see if they can repeat the lyrics. If they
   can't, don't send it.
 * You can mail me a DVD, or provide me a URL of a video or audio file.

Most acts I book from demos are openers. I have to be really blown away by a
recording to book a feature act on that basis. In grey areas where I'm not sure,
I've occasionally asked a performer to do an opening set on a sort of a paid
audition basis. If I'm really blown away by a demo, but feel they might not draw
enough to make a headline set worthwhile for either of us, I will occasionally
ask them to do an opening set in front of a headliner that will draw a sellout
crowd, and then a headliner of their own some months later. I'm aware that this
makes it hard on a performer, particularly a traveling professional, but the
facts are that the system works for us, and we have no shortage of fine acts. If
you'll be playing in the area, let me know. I can't promise, but I'll try to get
to hear you.

If you're still interested, email me or give me a call and we'll talk,
973-335-9489, weekdays and weekends between 10 AM and 10 PM Eastern time. Good
luck to you.

Sincerely,
Mike Agranoff

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts, a
partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Made possible in part by funds from Morris Arts, a partner of the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 1985-2023, The Folk Project, All rights reserved.

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