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With one exception, the Troubadour’s performance continues to follow the same pattern from when we reopened in September: Paid attendance hovering around 40 per show, and financially losing between $350 and $450 per show. The one exception was the Christine Lavin show of November 19, which drew a more respectable 95 paid. But due to Christine’s relatively high guarantee, we still lost $287 on that show. Pre-Pandemic, she probably would have drawn anywhere from 120 to 150 paid. November’s averages were 52.3 paid (66.3 total) attendees for the three shows, for a loss of $1,191 for the month. Our losses since we resumed operation total $3.987, which are more than covered by the personal donations to the Troubadour by Bill Henderson ($3,800) and Jules Schneider ($500) we have received thus far. And I will be covering the Troubadour’s losses myself once those are exhausted. I will continue to support the Troubadour financially for at least a full year.
After consulting with Gary Pratt of the Streaming Committee, I have decided to raise the streaming ticket price from $2.99 to $4.99 starting in year 2022. Gary postulated that if it weren’t such a bargain to stay home and watch online, more folks might make it out to the show in person. It will be a worthwhile experiment to try. Thus far, we’ve been averaging 20 online viewers per show for a profit of $53 per show after deducting PayPal expenses. After a couple of months we’ll be able to see if the higher price is driving viewers to the live performance, or just driving them away.
Thus far, our policy of requiring proof of vaccination at the door has met with general acceptance. We have had to turn away occasional attendees who have neglected to bring their vax cards. It’s probably harder on the Vax-checker volunteer than the patrons themselves to perform the onerous task of denying them entry. Some of those people have been able to go home and get their documentation, or have someone at home text a photo of their vax card to them. Some have just gone home. (I’ve also had to withdraw the offer of a gig to one performer who was not vaccinated, but that was offset by another performer who would only take the gig if everyone was vaccinated.)
I have some concerns that the new Omicron variant of COVID may trigger another shutdown of the economy and an increasing reluctance of patrons to attend. If attendance does drop precipitously, I’ll consider suspending operations. All of our performers have been booked with the provisio that COVID conditions may result in cancellation. Let’s hope for the best.
New Bookings since last month:
January 7: Brilliant comedic songwriter John Forster, with Folk Project member Ken Galipeau opening.
January 28: FP member harmony duo Ken & Pat Rolston to open for Windborne.
April 15: Iconic songwriter Bill Staines rescheduled to this date after a wrist injury resulted in his cancellation back in October.
December:
There will be only one Troubadour show in December, the Chorus Song Night on the 3rd, featuring Diane Polledri, Paul Fisher, Chris Carpenter, and myself. If you’ve missed being able to sing together with other people during the Pandemic, come on out tonight.
Respectfully submitted
Mike Agranoff
Program Chair
The Troubadour Acoustic Concert Series
Morristown, NJ. USA
Troubadour P&L.pdf
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