Jazz Clubs, the impact of Corona...

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  • BLUESNIK'S REVOX
    Full Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 4316

    Jazz Clubs, the impact of Corona...

    Today's "Smalls" Newsletter....

    "This is a critical time for the survival of the clubs. Our landlords have been unequivocal in not bending on the rent. They won’t accept advanced payments at a discount and will not tolerate not getting paid, regardless to the fact that we haven’t earned a dime in 40 nights. So – take it or leave it. If Smalls and Mezzrow are to survive then we must float the ark until we can resume. We have some funds but not nearly enough to get us into the late summer. It’s day by day. The SmallsLIVE Foundation has already been active in getting some emergency funds to some artists who are in serious financial straits. Our goal now is to raise enough to float the clubs rent-wise, at least through the summer. Please consider becoming a supporting member. By making a tax-deductible donation to our foundation, you gain access to our extensive audio/video archive of past performances at Smalls and Mezzrow (nearly 18,000 shows). A portion of your gift is distributed directly to the artists through our royalty system. Please go to our website, www.smallslive.com, and join.
    I wish everyone peaceful abiding and please be compassionate to your family and neighbors.

    Regards, Spike"

    It's going to be rough going all round...

    BN
  • BLUESNIK'S REVOX
    Full Member
    • Dec 2010
    • 4316

    #2
    Jammin' at Smalls 2011...some talent....

    Comment

    • Serial_Apologist
      Full Member
      • Dec 2010
      • 37851

      #3
      I can't imagine the position to be any better for our lads and lasses over here: creative pro tem "solutions", like get-togethers via Skype or whatever, won't make their subscribers any money to survive on.

      Comment

      • Ian Thumwood
        Full Member
        • Dec 2010
        • 4242

        #4
        Throughout December and January, numerous venues and sports fixtures were offering discounts for purchasing tickets, in some cases 8 or 9 months in advance. A lot of the things I do socially either resolve around music (either jazz or classical but also Blues if this is available), sport and various events put on by the local theatre. I had loads of gigs lined up for 2020 but only managed to see the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Basingstoke and Alexei Sayle in the Theatre Royal , Winchester before March. The first gig to be cancelled was Clive Anderson in Winchester and because I like this venue, I waived the choice to have my ticket refunded. Since this date, the Turner Sims have shelved all their concerts (I had three gigs to attend including one where I was going to take my nephew so that he could hear jazz for the first time in a live setting) and The Globe on the South Bank are not putting on ay plays this summer. They also asked me to waive the cost of the tickets but I asked to defer them until 2021 as they were part of a birthday present. I like to support The Globe and enjoy seeing Shakespeare there was was happy that they were offering that arrangement. Vienne has similarly been cancelled this year and I am yet to hear from them what will happen with the ticket I had for 7nr gigs. I believe the programme for 2020 will be deferred until next year.

        I think that the artistic community will be devastated by the Coronavirus and jazz will be hit no less hard than other forms of art which usually have to struggle to survive on shoe-string budgets. The press has also concerned itself with football and has perhaps spent too much time looking at the Premiership clubs without really understanding the broader picture. I am not too fussed if the current season is shelved. There seems no logical reason to resurrect the league. The Non-league season was shelved weeks ago. Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, many non-league clubs were under severe financial strain due to the succession of storms over the course of the winter which prevented many matches being played. I think locally Poole Town has something like 16 home games postponed before they ended up playing at Dorchester and trying to survive with a fundraising scheme which was promoted by the local BBC Radio station. This attracted a lot of media attention locally for a few months but what was almost unique to Poole is now affecting all non-league football teams. Winchester City were selling season tickets for 20 /21 month ago and has also opened up a just giving page because of very tight budgets. With games postponed, there is no revenue stream and this has also included things like quiz names which were to be held to support the club. I must admit that the spirit of non-league football really appeals to me so I bought a season ticket albeit it now looks likely that the FA will prevent any non-league football taking place next season because the necessary safety measures required are likely to be beyond the resources of these clubs. You could ask whether non-league football is as important as jazz but I think it is pointless to argue that one is more important than the other. A great many footballers start their careers at non-league - Winchester City players Ted Drake and Terry Paine both went on to play for Saints and then become England internationals. I am already resigned to the possibility that no cricket will be played this year, regardless of whether it is watching Hampshire or England. Whilst the game at a national level will be ok, you wonder what will happen to the county game which was already threatened by the introduction of the new Hundred format.

        I think that Jazz's reputation as a minority music will work against it. However, it is just a small percentage of the artistic world which is at jeopardy. On a local basis, the absence of pubs and clubs that would have been open for business will also have a detrimental impact on income revenues. There are lot of things on a artistic and sporting level that I appreciate during my free time but it is difficult to call when the enterprise you are supporting is asking for financial support. At the moment, this almost seems to be ubiquitous and the only solution in my opinion is that a vaccine is produced as soon as is possible. I would not expect the situation with jazz, local theatre, cricket or non-league football to improve until this has been achieved. All aspects of cultural life are parlous at this point in time and you can appreciate the need to focus elsewhere when we have a NHS that has been penalised with ten years of austerity.

        Comment

        • CGR
          Full Member
          • Aug 2016
          • 370

          #5
          Originally posted by BLUESNIK'S REVOX View Post
          Today's "Smalls" Newsletter....

          "This is a critical time for the survival of the clubs. Our landlords have been unequivocal in not bending on the rent. They won’t accept advanced payments at a discount and will not tolerate not getting paid, regardless to the fact that we haven’t earned a dime in 40 nights. So – take it or leave it. If Smalls and Mezzrow are to survive then we must float the ark until we can resume. We have some funds but not nearly enough to get us into the late summer. It’s day by day. The SmallsLIVE Foundation has already been active in getting some emergency funds to some artists who are in serious financial straits. Our goal now is to raise enough to float the clubs rent-wise, at least through the summer. Please consider becoming a supporting member. By making a tax-deductible donation to our foundation, you gain access to our extensive audio/video archive of past performances at Smalls and Mezzrow (nearly 18,000 shows). A portion of your gift is distributed directly to the artists through our royalty system. Please go to our website, www.smallslive.com, and join.
          I wish everyone peaceful abiding and please be compassionate to your family and neighbors.

          Regards, Spike"

          It's going to be rough going all round...

          BN
          Always went to Smalls when I was working in NY. A great atmosphere and wonderful music. A basement bar with a tiny bandstand half taken up by the piano. Makes the 606 seem huge by comparison.

          Great shame if it was to go under.

          Comment

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