Norwescon & Album Sales

I mentioned this in passing in my latest version of my Norwescon Notes, but I thought I'd highlight the issue here in hopes of eliciting some feedback and possible solutions to the problem.

Usually at most conventions there is a merchant in the Dealer's Room, such as Friends of Filk, who is selling filk & folk music, and will take albums from musicians performing that weekend and sell them for a small commission. This allows the performer to make some money off of their albums (which are usually their primary income source even when they are being paid to perform, which rarely happens at cons) without having to man a sales table of their own all weekend; and allows that merchant to make a small profit of their own. (In Friends of Filk's case, that profit is used to bring a special performer to Orycon each year, and sometimes to acquire albums not carried by Firebird if Celia can't trade for them.) The downside is the performer doesn't make as much money from the sale, because they have to pay the merchant their cut. This last point has become increasingly tough for the performers as the costs of living and doing business have increased for everyone. Also, at cons like this year's Norwescon, there may be no merchant onsite which carries filk music and is able & willing to take commission items. (Quicksilver Fantasies will be there this year, but their selection is small since they carry so many other products, and they said they wouldn't be able to do much in commission work.)

The other solution is for the performers to get a table of their own. A regular table in the Dealer's Room is tough: they sell out months in advance, you have to be there working it all weekend, and if you only have one or two albums you're not going to make enough profit to make it worth the effort (if the coordinator will even let you have a table, since they prefer large, diverse industries). The ideal solution is to have a sales table at the evening concerts: it's in the same room at the same time as your targeted shopping audience, it only has to be run for a couple of hours, each of the performers can move their merchandise through it at the same time or in succession, and you're not taking space away from the other merchants who might wish to be in the Dealer's Room.

I asked Norwescon whether we could run a sales table at the concerts this year, and the answer was "NO". Apparently the Executive Committee deferred to the Dealer’s Liaison and she decided it would be unfair to the merchants who were paying for their tables in the main room all weekend. (In fairness, they're also apparently banning the Sunday SCA merchants this year as well, since they also don't pay for their space.)

The Liaison's concern is motivated by consistent complaints over the past few years, apparently from a small number of vocal merchants concerned about the loss in profits. (I've spoken with other merchants who couldn't care less if we had our own sales table for a couple hours at the concerts.) Now, given how small of a market we honestly are, and that most of the fans buying music are doing so because they really want that product, and not just because the money is burning a hole in their pocket; I don't think they're really losing that much. (The fans would be just as likely to save their money for another day as to then use for a necklace or book.) However, this is difficult to prove concretely, and there may be something to those merchants concerns.

To do the math: This year a dealer's table cost $80 and included one membership. This means the table really costs between $55 and $25 depending on when one bought their membership. (Given that table sales were done between Sept and Dec when memberships were $45, call it $35.) This is not a lot of money to argue over. Actually, to run the math in detail: assuming the Dealer's Room is open 24 hours over the weekend (2-6 TH, 10-6 Fri & Sat, 10-2 Sun); the merchants are paying less than $1.50 an hour for their tables. Now if we were to run the concert sales table for 2 hours Fri & Sat night, this is $6. A fee the committee could either forgo, or perhaps the artists can pay; but the committee still decided the principle was bigger than the money, and stuck with the "NO" answer.

When I relayed this to the performers who were coming this year, I got a range of reactions varying from: "Does this mean I have to go down the street before I can sell someone a cd?" to "Let's boycott the Dealer's Room." to "As a matter of principle I won't do a concert anywhere I can't make sales." to "I can no longer afford to come." (These last 2 answer categories were from Heather Alexander, Avalon Rising, Telynor, and Laurie Riley; none of whom are now attending, predominantly or solely due to this issue.)

I've already appealed this decision once to Norwescon, and was offered a compromise for next year: That they would be willing to reserve a table for the filkers to pay for and run cooperatively in the Dealers Room, which would then give them the right to have a table up at the concerts as well. (Just like the book dealers generally take their wares up to the Autograph Sessions.) This is a possible solution, but one I have some concerns over, mainly whether there will be sufficient interest to follow through on it.

I also intend to summarize the responses I've gotten from the performers, and any here, to next year's organizing committee and see if we can't generate some other solutions. Further, I've encouraged the performers, and now you guys, to write your own letters to the committee about this topic. You can reach Norwescon at:

	PO Box 68547
	Seattle, WA  98168-0547
	206-270-7850
	nwc at eskimo.com

NORWESCON, AND EVERY OTHER FAN RUN CON, IS *YOUR EVENT* IF YOU CHOOSE TO GET INVOLVED! What would be fair to everyone involved on this topic? Write back here, and more importantly to the committee and let us know. Thanks!

Quarong           

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"Some people see things as they are and ask 'Why'. I dream of things that have never been, and ask 'Why not?'". --- Robert Kennedy. ==== Reply to <quarong at eskimo.com>. Received on 03/21/98