Terms and Ideas

Came across this bit of information before but forgot to write about it.

Google has a word processing program which is reputed to be as good as MS Word in terms of its features. One benefit it has over Word though is that multiple people can work on the same document simultaneously from different places. No more having to create a read-only copy if someone else is working on a document you want to view.

This has great potential for a lot of different people. Students can work on different sections of papers together while sitting side by side or in the comfort of their own homes, perhaps chatting about each segment using an instant messaging program.

Likewise for arts organizations, different people can work on different sections of a grant proposal narrative at the same time while referencing stats and language the lead writer is using. The online storage reportedly saves as information is being typed rather than at programmed intervals. Google Docs also allows people to telecommute from home or lets a traveling supervisor check on progress, proof and edit from different time zones without worrying about whether software at their destination will be compatible.

A number of years ago I was reading an article that suggested one day our personal computers would regress back to essentially being work stations again with all our software and information processing being accessed from central host locations over the Internet. It looks like that is drawing closer to being true.

On the other hand, given that Google seems to save information on every search conducted via their service, you may want to consider just how sensitive the information you are typing into their word processors and spreadsheets might be. Since most of your financial information is available on Guidestar if you are a non-profit, having that information floating around probably isn’t too big a concern. You probably want to forgo using Google Docs to write a report to a lawyer detailing financial malfeasance though.

I spent my day in a meeting with my block booking consortium trying to solidify portions of my season for next year. (On my supposed day off! The things I do for art.) As we spoke, I was reminded of a conversation I overheard at the APAP convention last month. A man I assumed was giving an orientation lesson to new attendees was warning the new members against common missteps people make when negotiating contracts with artist agents.

Apparently the number of people and organizations entering the field who are poorly educated/informed about general practices, not to mention legal and ethical considerations inherent to the business is a big concern at the conferences.

With that in mind, I thought I would link back to my primer of presenting terms I did a couple years ago.

I also wanted to link to the Arts Presenters code of ethics but for some reason they are in a password protected area of the website. I can’t imagine why they would want the code of ethics to be secret. I see the code was in the process of being revised, but that was a year ago. They may have neglected to make it public on their website when they were done.

As a substitute, I offer the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents code of ethics which the Arts Presenters New Colleague Handbook encourages people to consult. (The link to NAPAMAA in handbook is expired, use mine.)

I have linked to the guidelines before. I like the NAPAMAA ethical guidelines because they explain the problems caused by not adhering to them instead of just pronouncing things unethical. Out of concern that people may not follow the link, I am going to list a few of the more important points in the Manager-Presenter Relations section that the industry is concerned that people aren’t following.

2. Demonstrate leadership at every step of the booking and contracting process.

* Every step of the booking process activity should be a model for both sides of the bargaining table.
* Managers must be frank and forceful with presenters about the effects on artists’ careers of potential abuses, such as unreasonable holds, premature requests for contracts, and other restrictions, such as exaggerated exclusivity clauses….

4. “Holds” should only be requested and granted with the understanding that a decision will be made within an agreed time frame, generally less than thirty days.
* It is recognized, given the committee structure governing many presenting organizations and the complicated and delicate process involved in putting a season together, that the requesting and granting of “holds” may be a necessary step in the booking process. All parties involved must recognize and respect the good faith aspect of holds and not abuse the process.

5. Contracts should only be requested and supplied when all parties can confirm their intention to sign it.
* The contract should be completely, accurately and promptly executed, including any and all riders, except when specific retarding circumstances (government grants, etc.) are clearly defined.
* All parties, including the artist(s), should be fully aware of all conditions and be ready and willing to fulfill them.
* Subsequent impairments should be fully, frankly and promptly communicated to all concerned.
* Remember, verbal agreements are legally binding.

6. In the event of a cancellation, the manager and presenter should work together to maintain good will in service of future partnerships.
* The manager-presenter relationship is a partnership in the service of a larger cause-the bond between artists and audiences. The contract is a crucial link in that chain. If it is broken, far more is lost than what can be entered on a balance sheet. In the event a cancellation threatens, be it willful or not, the important thing is to save the bond. The process will be painful and difficult no matter what. The best preventive medicine is a thoughtfully designed and realistic contract. The only palliative is the frankness and good will of the parties.
* If, despite all efforts to prevent it, a cancellation does occur, all sides must use their best efforts either to find a suitable replacement artist or to reschedule the date….

8. Presenters must realize how much is at stake when they request a hold or a contract.
* Failure to honor a commitment can adversely affect the viability of an entire tour, with consequences not only for management and artists but also for other presenters. It is especially reprehensible when the desire to cancel stems from problematic ticket sales. Presenters will find managements and artists willing to assist in marketing and promotion efforts that can lead to increased sales. Such cancellations will involve reimbursements to management and artists.
* NAPAMA members are advised not to sign contracts that contain cancellation at will clauses.

Neill Archer Roan posted an interesting leadership case study/exercise yesterday. What I really admired about it were the questions.

I appreciated that they didn’t specifically ask who was at fault and how could the person(s) handle the situation more constructively. The questions don’t even ask how you would address the situation with the development director or the board. I am sure any group discussion of the case would probably result in blame being assigned, but I like the fact that the questions don’t necessarily imply that removing a person is part of the solution.

Too often we imagine the solution to be simpler than it is and decide “if only X were to happen, we would be all right.” The X factor is usually just a symptom or a quick fix for a symptom and doesn’t address an underlying cause.

The entry is worth taking a look at just to think about. Some of the questions Neill poses may not have any significance to any situation you are in. You may never ponder “What behavioral or cognitive patterns are in place?” for example, unless you are really interested in organizational behavior.

Even though he places the reader in the position of Executive Director, one need not take that point of view to consider any part of the scenario. In the best situation, you will come up with some questions he hasn’t posed. Moving beyond what Neill suggests shows that your brain is really churning away and exercising your problem solving muscles.

One of the early super sessions I participated in at the APAP conference earlier this month featured Rebecca Ryan speaking about how to attract young people to the arts. Ryan is the principal at Next Generation Consulting which did a pretty good study for the Arts Council of Indianapolis about just that topic. They ask about behavior rather than intent–what is the last arts event you attended rather than what type of event do you think you might like to attend.

She shared some of the conclusions of that study at the conference, the executive summary of which may be found on her website. Some of the more interesting findings about the under 40 set may be found on page 3 where she talks about why young people attend the arts, how much they are typically willing to pay and what the best media for reaching them can be.

The whole summary is only 7 pages long so read it! But in order to entice you into doing so, a few highlights-

“Young patrons attend arts and cultural events for reasons beyond the art itself. Specifically, young patrons want experiences that foster learning, connecting, and sensing.” (page 3)

(Their site has a blog entry giving an example of this during a visit to MoMA)

– The most popular reason 20-40 years olds attend arts andculture events is to learn something;

– Being social is the second most popular reason young patrons attend arts and culture events;

– Supporting an artist or arts organization ranked third among the reasons all arts patrons (regardless of age) attend arts and culture events. (page 4)

Pay attention to this one (my emphasis):

Our research shows many young people who, when asked for examples of their arts participation, mentioned for-profit galleries, house concerts, rock shows, and music clubs. These young people didn’t consider arts events to only be non-profit arts events, but rather had a much broader definition of ‘art.’ (page 4)

One of the ways she suggested was easy to tap into the younger generation’s desire to share an experience is to include a “Tell A Friend” link to each event page. Since we here at Butts In the Seats are all about inexpensive, practical solutions, (well, that and attractive arts management groupies, but we haven’t found any yet), I thought I would provide the HTML code for doing a tell a friend link.

The following method will launch a person’s email program (so it won’t work if they access email via web browsers), insert a subject line and put a short blurb about your show in the body of the email. You can do much more attractive jobs with java script set ups, this method doesn’t even allow for blank lines between information, but if you choose your information wisely, you can do an effective job.

Code:

<a href=”mailto:?subject=Your Subject Here&body=Description of a really great show with lions and tiger and bears, oh my! on Saturday, February 3, 8 pm. $23 adults/$19 students, seniors, military. More information at http://mytheatredomain.com”>Tell A Friend!</a>

Note: The ampersand before body has to be &”amp; without the quotes. I couldn’t make show up correctly without making it confusing.

Assuming you have a mail client that will launch, click on the following to see this in action:

Tell A Friend!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t provide an opportunity for you to tell your friends about Butts In The Seats-

Tell A Friend About the Butts In The Seats Blog