Urban Music Presents

Edition 301 May 3, 2012

Thu, 03 May 2012 22:40:00 GMT

It has been more than a minute since my last newsletter, but this week is so exciting for Bay Area music I had to take a few minutes (as that is all I currently have) to tell you what is happening! This week: Kenny Washington, Raices Profundas Direct from Cuba, John Santos Sextet, Omar Sosa, SFSU Afro Cuban Ensemble Spring Concert! Click Here to Read More!

Creating LIVE MUSIC Economy in San Francisco: Musicians and Venue Owners Need Your Help: Open Letter

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:38:16 GMT

Dear Honorable Mayor Ed Lee, Honorable Supervisors, Legislative Aides, and Urban Music Presents community,

Click Here to Download Letter that includes Links

I am seeking your support to review real solutions to creating LIVE MUSIC ECONOMY and to provide support to our small business venue owners and our working musicians which are the backbone of cultural vibrancy in San Francisco and the Bay Area.

I thought it fantastic to see The Economist Magazine (March 30, 2012) discussing the economy of live music performance featuring the City's own Classical Revolution (www.classicalrevolution.org), started in the Mission District. This goes hand in hand with what I have been researching and writing about regarding creating viable economy to support fair wage to musicians by creating tax break incentives to venue owners who pay fair wage.

Here is the article from the Economist - http://www.economist.com/comment/1340808#comment-1340808

Here is the article I wrote in the March 14 Urban Music Newsletter with links and observations to all the economic impact studies on entertainment from Austin, Nashville, Seattle (all considered "music cities") and the recent study in San Francisco - http://urbanmusicpresents.com/musicianspay.cfm

All the studies indicate two major points:
For every music job created, there are numerous induced jobs created in the community.
The largest revenue of tax revenue comes from food and beverage sales generated from the performances, which the performing musician is never allowed to benefit from those sales, yet are required to bring a full house of patrons if they are to return to perform again.
I have identified fair wage to musicians through numerous surveys and discussion as $100 for 2 hour performance and $25 per hour thereafter as a base wage to negotiate from.

In the San Francisco Economic Study on Entertainment, $55 million is generated for tax revenue, 70% of which stems from Sales Tax from Food and Beverage Sales... The tax break incentive I am proposing is a sales tax break to the venues who pay the musicians the identified minimum base wage, and thus the city recoups the taxes through payroll tax as the musicians are contract 1099 employees.

It is interesting to point out, The SF Study shows a total gross revenue from Entertainment annually at $4.2 Billion dollars, yet only $110,00,000 are paid out to performers (this includes theater, musicians - all performers). As a side note to this, I am curious to know how this data was sourced, as my insights tell me this number is much lower, but again, I would like to know the data source, which the study does not include.

Every economic impact study clearly points out there is direct and indirect job creation from supporting LIVE MUSIC economy. San Francisco and the Bay Area is poised to become a "music city" as we are home to some of the top performing musicians in the country, but with it becoming increasingly more challenging to find performance spaces, and garner reasonable performance fees, our artists may seek other locations to create and live in.

Lastly I have drafted an online petition, which is growing in numbers and seeks support to begin looking at creating legislative policy to support our local working musicians, to support our small business venue owners who are drowning in operating expenses, and to create a local economy that will attract artists, which will attract tourism, and by doing so will bolster the economic overall well being for the City of San Francisco.

I do hope you consider what I am proposing seriously and would love to have support from the San Francisco Supervisors as this proposal is good for small business, good for working artists, good for the residents of San Francisco and good for the overall economy of San Francisco.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Dalton

--
Stephanie Dalton, Founding Partner
Urban Music Presents
2588 Mission Street, Suite 215 | San Francisco, CA 94110
o: 415-796-2319 | m: 415-503-8207 | stephanie@urbanmusicpresents.com
www.urbanmusicpresents.com | *Music*Community*Accessibility

UMP is currently in a fund drive! Only 73 days remain to reach goal of $5,000.
UMP is fiscally sponsored by the San Francisco International Arts Festival
www.sfiaf.org and all donations are 100% tax deductible!

To make donation please visit:
www.fundly.com/urbanmusicpresents

Edition 215 - March 27, 2012

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

As always I am excited to share with you some amazing concerts happening around the Bay Area!

Before I get to the music I want to take a moment to dedicate this newsletter to music and life of trumpeter Khalil Shaheed. Khalil passed away on Sunday March 23 after battling cancer for nearly four years. Khalil stood for everything I believe in... love of music, service, kindness and passing on the truth to the youth. I was fortunate to work with Khalil as an assistant on the 2007 World Music and Jazz Festival... I was simply honored to work along side him and it was that experience that inspired me to try to create pathways for music in the community. He always was encouraging of my efforts and so dear Khalil, I will miss you... John Santos wrote a beautiful tribute and letter on the passing of our friend... to read, please click here.

Here is a video performance of the kids from Oaktown Jazz Workshop, led by Khalil Shaheed at Yoshis Oakland, Oct. 2011, with special guest Pete Escovedo, performing Serena. If you would like to make a donation in his memory to keep his legacy of music moving forward you can donate to www.oaktownjazz.org. Thank you Khalil for everything you gave, for the example you set and for your kind and generous heart. The world is surely a better place because of what you gave.

The music is on FIRE this week! SFJAZZ is honoring the great maestro Benny Valarde with the Beacon Award this Saturday March 31 at YBCA Forum. A spectacular line up of musicians and an open dance floor! The musician line up includes: Patrick Morehead - piano, Jorge Pomar - bass,
Ross Wilson - trombone, trumpet, Marty Wehner - trombone, Dr. John Calloway - flute, Orestes Vilató - bongos, John Santos - tumbadoras, Monchi Esteves - vocals and
MC - John Santos!

Click Here To Purchase Tickets!

Benny Valarde has been on the bandstand since 1950! Has performed with legendary greats such as Cal Tjader and led his own band for nearly three decades in the Bay Area! His last album Viva Valarde

was recorded in 2002 and the Bay Area's Dr. John Calloway composed the title track! To learn more about Benny please read here.

I have 8 pairs of tickets to win - please tell me something about Benny's contribution to the Bay Area Latin Music Scene! Please be the 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 18th persons to email me to win the tickets with your answer!

Below the calendar listings feature all the great shows I highly recommend! Be sure to check this calendar out as there are many surprise chances to win tickets! We are fortunate in the Bay Area and to have so much to chose from, but the venues and the artists absolutely need you, so thank you always for supporting live music! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

Edition 214 - March 14, 2012

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:50:00 GMT

Greetings!

There are truly fabulous shows happening this week and next, and I have some opportunities below for you to WIN TICKETS (look for the highlights in red below) to see Chrisette Michelle, The Robert Glasper Experience and Ray Obiedo Group featuring the Horns, Vocal and Percussion of the Carlos Santana Band!

Please be sure to review the calendar listings and thank you for supporting LIVE MUSIC and the community that creates it!

Last week, I was fortunate on March 6th to host an internet radio show, Solutions Now Radio. The discussion regarded the Grammy category cuts, the effects on gender and race and the efforts that have been made to restore the diversity and where do we go from here. The panelists included; independent writer and jornalist Sylvia Pfeiffenberger, 3 x Grammy winner, bandleader and composer for Spanish Harlem Orchestra Oscar Hernandez, Ex - Board Governor for NARAS and recording artist Sandy Cressman and professor and grammy nominated artist Benjamin Lapidus.

Please click here to listen to entire discussion that I hope spurs critical thinking, as our national institutions for culture have a responsibility to safeguard our American treasures!

The other day my partner's brother asked me "Why do you do what you do?" This was in regards to my efforts to look at fair wages for musicians and my efforts to stand up to NARAS regarding the cuts to categories for Grammy consideration. I have been asked this question many times over.

Thinking of the why, I have determined, much like most peoples why, it is because of my life's experience. For the most part I have worked for small business and I have always supported the arts and I have experienced the inadequacy and unfairness that I hope to balance in what ever ways I can, as I cannot turn the other way anymore.

I have been fortunate in that I was a bartender in some amazing gems for music and for people and when I look back, nearly all of the venues I have worked at no longer exist and it makes me sad. I can also tell you I have worked at some other venues that I wish were closed as their business practices have taken advantage of their employees, musicians and patrons, but alas they unfortunately are still in business and maintaining their unfair practices. So seeing the good, the bad and the ugly AND knowing the people, this is the WHY.

The list of venues I have worked at that have closed, but certainly not a complete list include: Jazz at Pearls (I worked for Pearl), the 5th Amendment in Oakland (The best juke joint that ever existed), Eli's Mile High Club (worked there with KoKo Taylor performing and was shut down the night Joe Louis Walker was performing) in Oakland, Anna's Jazz Island - Berkeley (Anna fought a good fight with City of Berkeley but to no avail), The OLD Cliff House - the New one just does not have the same character, Coda. Supper Club - even though was relatively new - it had a good vibe with soul and now the Gold Dust Lounge is in jeopardy! PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ MORE