Watchung
Arts Center
18 Stirling Road on the Circle in
Watchung, NJ 07069
Central New Jersey's Home for the Arts
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Watchung
Arts Center |
908 753-0190 |
Interested in performing at the Watchung Arts Center Folk Concert Series? Here's some information that I think will be helpful in getting your music in front of our very appreciative audience.
The Folk Concert Series takes place in an historic building in Watchung, NJ, which is in the central part of the State, between Plainfield and Summit. The concerts are run by the Watchung Arts Center, a nonprofit arts organization that also hosts art galleries, arts classes, and many other types of performances in the Center.
The concerts are held in a spacious second-floor art gallery with unbelievable hear-a-flatpick-drop acoustics. Maximum capacity is about 160 (175 with many squeaks and groans). Although we have a full sound system, most artists have found that the space works best without amplification.
The Folk Concert Series is a "listening room": The audience is deeply appreciative, and there are no refreshments, merchandising, or other distractions in the concert space.
We ordinarily book concerts on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from September through June. Generally, each concert will include a feature performer and an opener.
Please send a bio and a CD or tape to me at 15 Duncan Street, Millburn, NJ 07041. My tinny computer speakers will not present your music well, so I can't book from music samples on the Internet. However, I'm happy to rely on your Web page for reviews, lists of places played, pictures, etc., so you need not send those in hard copy.
I will usually send an e-mail letting you know I've received the package, and then will be in touch within a month or two to set up a feature booking. The process of booking opening acts is somewhat more fluid, since my goal is to match each feature performer with a complementary opener.
To us, "folk" is a genre that includes every variety of acoustic music that conveys the wit, passion, and musicianship of a performer. We have featured klezmer, traditional, Celtic, comic songs, instrumental, and all varieties of singer/songwriters. The good news is that we present only performers about whom we are passionate, and we convey that passion to our 1000 plus members and to the more than 150 newspapers and radio stations to whom we publicize our concerts.
In general, our feature performer is a national or regional
touring artist (including NJ artists who have a national or regional following).
Our opener is generally a performer who is building an area following, and whom
we hope to bring back in the future as a feature.
Our feature performer receives a percentage of the gross ticket sales against a guarantee. At our usual ticket price of $12, the result is a performer fee that ranges from $500-1250. We will price some shows between $15 and $25, resulting in a higher artist potential. We also have produced some shows in a nearby 400-seat venue, which again increases the artist potential. Openers receive a flat fee of $40.
We also handle CD and merchandise sales without fee, and we can arrange overnight accommodations in members' homes for performers.
Openers play two fifteen-minute sets, and feature performers two 45-minute sets. We ask that feature performers not book other shows in the central NJ area within the 30 days before or after our event.
Your Humble PresenterI am a performing singer/songwriter, www.scottsheldon.com, and a longtime lover of acoustic music. It will be my great pleasure to put your music in front of an enthusiastic and attentive audience. You can reach me at any time by e-mail at scott_sheldon@adp.com. My home telephone is 973-376-4946, and I return messages promptly. I wish you all the best in your musical endeavors.
Scott Sheldon
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Watchung
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