Not every venue, gallery or theatre has your best interest at heart, in fact some are out to exploit you. 2 checks to make sure they don’t.
Video:
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Podcast:
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Video Transcript:
Hi, it’s John Paul Fischbach, Chief Alchemist and CEO of the Arts Incubator with this week’s hot tip. The topic this week is, are you being exploited? Look, I rarely rant in the Hot Tip Tuesday, but I have heard too many stories of artists being exploited by galleries and theaters and music venues, so I have to speak up and give you some warnings. What I have to say does not apply to every venue. There are awesome venues run by fabulous producers and curators who really do care about you and your success. So go find them, work with them, be in their venues, and stay away from the ones that are all about exploiting you and your work. There are a growing number of people running arts venues. I’m talking galleries, theaters, music venues who are doing it to make money and be cool, but what makes them money and makes them cool is you.
So here’s two things that you have to look out for. Come on. Number one, a venue that tries to convince you that being in their space will be great exposure for you, so you should pay for the privilege, and that’s either a real fee or by discounting your work, discounting your prices or letting them take a big commission. Well now sure, sometimes, this is an okay arrangement, but too often, it isn’t. And at the end of the experience, the venue walks away with a profit, and you walk away with nothing. All right, in this scenario, you and your art is what made that venue cool. You’re helping that venue. You’re hanging your work. You’re performing there so that they are cool. You’re helping the next artist and that venue by having your awesome art there so that they can attract more customers. Careful.
The second exploitation is that…and it’s running rampant, is the venue not giving you the contact details of the people who come there and think that you are great. The contact details of your customer and your potential customers is useful to both of you and the venue. The venue wants to let them know that more cool art is happening in their venue, and you need to let these people know where your cool art is happening next.
So here’s my advice. Number one, negotiate. Negotiate the deal. Negotiate the deal for performing your art or exhibiting your art in their venue. You have to walk away with a win. Remember you are the prize, not the opportunity to be in the venue, you. Piece of advice number two, make sure that they will share the contact details. Make sure people know about you. Make sure that they know that it was you that was performing or exhibiting. If the venue really cares and there are awesome venues that do, they will work with you not exploit you. So is that okay? A little bit of a rant, does that help? Let us know and be sure that you subscribe to the next hot tip and tell a fellow artist about us. If you want real practical help and advice and support to thrive as an artist, well then check us out at auspiciousartsincubator.org.