MINSTREL BOOKING

Well, at last a decent month at the Minstrel. We averaged 92 paid attendees per show for the two shows with paid acts. And we averaged 80.1 for all shows, including the Birthday Show with 116 paid. We bumped the admission to the B'day show by $2 to include refreshments instead of the $1.00 in the past, which made for a healthy deposit of about $1000 for the evening, wiping out the red ink in the Profit/Loss figures for the past 12 months. (We probably should have thought to eliminate that $2.00 bump for performers, and will do so next year.) At $732, the yearly profit is still nothing to crow about, but at least it's positive. Also, due to the fact that the Birthday show is in July this year, but was in August last year, the financial figures for the past 12 months include two birthday shows. It is interesting to note that the $732 profit for the past 12 months is due in large part to the $752 profit in July 2013.

the Birthday Show was not only a good money maker, it also tied for the best-attended since 2006, although participation was down a little.

The big news for us was our new contract we received from MUF for the period starting July 1, 2013. Our rent has been raised by a whopping $69 per show from $250 to $319. This does not come as a total surprise, but it is still a bit of a shock. When it went up from $225 to $250 last July, they told us that it would be going up to somewhere around the $300 level. But still, from 2009 to 2013 it has gone up by over 50% in a period of the lowest inflation rate in 50 years. And more to the point, it has gone up to the point where I don't believe we can continue under our present system of operation and stay in the black. Without a significant increase in attendance, we would probably need to raise the admission to $10 to cover the additional expense. And when that admission price hits the double-digit level, I feel that the creel will suffer as a consequence, and we will not be able to meet performers' guarantees without kicking in from our own funds.

We have one of four options:

1. Increase our attendance to a point that would support the new rent. The actual number we would need is hard to pin down, but it would be something like 95 or so including open stages. That's a level we haven't achieved since the mid '90's.

2. Change our whole operational procedure into a model that can support the higher rent. This might involve things like eliminating opening acts or the Open Stage, both of which would be money-losing activities at the new rental rates. It might involve dispensing with the creel and going to a higher door price. Or other plans not yet articulated.

3. Moving to another venue that is more affordable.

4. Convincing MUF to roll back the increase. We have some good arguments to support that. We can use the threat of leaving as a stick, and the offer to run annual benefit concert(s) for them as a carrot.

Option #4 is obviously my preference. Option 1 would be good too, but I don't know how to achieve that. So Option #3 is currently my 2nd choice. I have made a few preliminary inquiries as to othre venues, but made no concrete proposals or gotten any quotes. Whatever we do, we have enough of a cushion that we do not need to undertake any precipitous action immediately.

My read on the increase is that it is not due to animosity on the part of MUF, nor are they trying to get rid of us. They are desparately looking to raise funds for massive long-term building improvement project. They are looking at our rent as compared with their standard fee of around$400 per event, and see a disparity they are trying to close. The people there were not around when we first came to the Fellowship in 2005. When we negotiated our rent back then, we did so on the basis of a "quantity discount", knowing that the rent per show was much lower than standard, but in return, we provided a steady income stream that they would have needed 24 separate Friday rentals over the course of the year at the standard rate in order to equal.

I will be meeting with the powers that be at MUF sometime in August to discuss the situation, and will have a better picture of the situation after that. In any event it will be good to sit down with them, and it should have been done years ago. for the past several years, my entire contact with the Fellowship has been through the office manager. I do not actually know who all the decision-makers are at the Fellowship, and we need to establish a line of communication with them.

PLEASE NOTE: I AM NOT GOING TO ENGAGE IN AN EMAIL DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC BEFORE THE MEETING. It is the wrong forum for such a discussion. I have been discussing this with Jean, Scooter, and Mark, and there may be a separate meeting later focussed on this topic. Please come to the Board meeting prepared to be succinct in your input. I will do the same.

The videorecording by NJ Public Television's "State Of The Arts" program of the December 27 show with Shockenaw Mountain Boys is confirmed.

New Bookings this month

· Oct. 18: Avi Wisnia opening for Buskin & Batteau. Piano-playing pop-oriented songwriter with a great voice

· Nov. 22: Ronstadt Generations: High-energy multi-instrumental family band with southwestern roots and FP member Ron Renninger opening.

· Dec. 6: The Chorus Song Night will be presented by Hillary Foxsong (of Gathering Time and Folk Goddesses), Scooter, Rachel Streich, and myself.

· Jan. 24: Jean Rohe & The End Of The World Show.

· Feb. 2: Jean Scully opening for Mangsen & Gillette

· Mar. 21: Legends of the Celtic Harp: An evening of music and stories by harper Patrick Ball and two other musicians. Just after St. Patrick's Day.

· Mar. 28: Orrin Star: Flatpicking champion.

I also had Cliff Eberhardt booked, for April 18, but it turns out he has other gigs that are too close to us, and he will need to move later in the year. Also have Jean Rohe pencilled in for sometime in late January. Am still working on dates for John Gorka, but Susan Werner is now sadly out of our reach, with a minimum guarantee for a solo show of $2500..

Highlights for August:

Aug. 23: David Massengill

And of course the special Uke New Jersey event on Aug 30-31.

Mike Agranoff

Program Chair

The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series

Morristown, NJ 07960, USA

http://Minstrel.FolkProject.org