Isn’t That Special

Hi all…blogging virgin here…it is, yes, my maiden
voyage.  I am told to keep it
frank, conversational, and informal. 
(Having just re-read my opening sentence, it appears that I should not have
too much trouble with that directive.)

Amanda, in two paragraphs, has already touched on a number
of my favorite topics about which to kvetch, so let me touch on a few of them
before I get to her central question of “who’s responsible for making the
artist special anyway!”

How presenters and artistic directors make choices about who
and what ends up on a season program is as varied as the sands in the hour
glass.  (Reference please.)  I can tell you that while I believe
most artistic decision makers really do feel the pressure to reward the nobler
values of artistry, merit, a unique point of
view, or emblematic torch bearing, less exalted realities often creep into the equation as well:  day of the week, fee, venue avails,
past box office performance, calendar spacing, funding interests, special
tie-ins…and the list goes on. 
While I do like to think of myself as wed to my own unique value system
of the former, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that the latter play a
role in program and artist selection, as well.  I do, however, lead with my organizational, as well as, my
personal values.  (It isn’t always
about a performers specialness or lack there of…)

And, yes, hooks are
fine and human interest angles
(sometimes) riveting…but, never a substitute for convincing music making that
reveals some truth or provocation embedded within, some kind of technical
accomplishment, or, maybe, some hint at a shared humanity.  (Thanks for calling the obvious out
Amanda!  It often times feels lost
in the discussion and can’t be repeated enough.)  Actually, the more I think about it, if one can be certain
that the players will hit the accomplishment quotient, then human interest
hooks are actually welcome in my book. 
And we shouldn’t be afraid of them or feel that they somehow cheapen the
artist’s integrity.  (Please.)  Any information sharing or story telling
that aids, abets, or heightens a sense of empathy between performer and
listener – whether artistic, human, spiritual – has to be a good thing.  Right?  Live concert performances must, after all, traffic in
empathy.

(But I digress: 
There is a wicked tendency in our business to believe that artistic
accomplishment accompanied with a good hook or human interest angle exists only
in fairytales and can never actually be embodied in one being.  False.  And, yes, I have made that mistake.)

And, now, we turn to the central story of the artist – and
manager, and journalist, and presenter and publicist – feeling overly pressured
to be SPECIAL beyond their artistic abilities.  As an eco-system, we all seem, to one degree or another, to
be trapped in a game of articulating our own competitive advantage (specialty)
in a sometimes cruel game of supply and demand.   And it seems that this phenomenon is especially acute
and played out most dramatically when it comes to artists selling
themselves.  Sad to say it, but I
do think that presenters are sometimes lazy…and make the whole dynamic worse by
reaching for the obvious quick hook (translation: choosing artists with easy
media tie-ins, angles or even fads to signal “specialness” without really
spending any time assessing whether the performer will have any meaningful
impact on at least some segment of their audience) over the slower, more
deliberate and long-term commitment of nurturing an artist, over multiple
visits, which, time and again, I have seen yield a far richer sense of special
connection between performer and
listener.  (BTW, I also see an
equal number of presenter who are rigorous to a fault on this point…!)

It isn’t just the artist and his or her manager or press
rep’s job to sell their clients specialness…it is equally important for the
presenter to articulate for his/her community what he/she sees as special about
the artistic programming choices he/she makes.  That, of course, means that the decision maker must
articulate an opinion.  Scary, I
know.  Living in a world of
ambiguous and subjective pronouncements can be a bear…but go out on a limb
presenters, and make the case for the specialness of the artists on your
season…don’t just assume that it is the artists job alone.  And, even better, make a commitment to
include an artist on your season who doesn’t necessarily have apparent hooks or
ready-made human interest angles to sell tickets.  If you believe in the artist’s work, make the case yourself.  (Hmmm…I not sure Amanda was looking for
a call to arms…)

But come on artists, and managers and press reps…help us
presenters out!  In 2010, I have no
time for performers who can’t find the time (or understanding) to invest in
some well-designed, artistic photographic artwork, short performance video,
short human-interest video (if it feels right), and, of course, some
easily-linked-to social media pages and websites.  It should also be mandatory that all performers have a
couple of favorite vids on YouTube. 
I mean…if we’re gonna make the case for your specialness ourselves, we
at least need some cool tools. 
(BTW, you don’t have to feel cool to look cool.)

It takes a village.