Finding The Right Audience

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not an entertainer.  I'm a storyteller and an artist.  Like all artists, we love when people listen, watch, see and understand what we are putting out to the public.  Unfortunately, that isn't always the case.  In many cities, musicians are merely wallpaper while guests do their meet and greets.

Playing solo, or as a duo with my wife, I have encountered that quite a bit.  Unfortunately, if you want to play regularly, you have to play at venues that are not set up as a proper music venue.  They are restaurants, breweries, cocktail parties, and networking events.  The musician is hired for the ambiance and nothing more.  For someone like me who tries to make every song I write meaningful and with a story, these kinds of venues are not conducive to having anyone pay attention to what you're singing about.

I have decided that I will no longer seek bookings at these kinds of venues.  I would rather just write and record my music in hopes that whoever is buying or streaming, the songs will hear what I have to say.  I sure stand a better chance of getting heard than I do in these venues.  If the opportunity presents itself to play a 'soft seater' where the audience has no distractions, I'll be there!

Sault Ste Marie has become known for not having the best audiences.  Grammy winning, Juno winning, multi-million selling artists have come to this city and not sell out.  Dolly Parton, John Fogerty, Jerry Seinfeld and others have played to far less than full houses.  It's insulting.  In 2001, 

Canadian singer/songwriter, Matthew Good, experienced the same thing I have.  I've included the link to the article.  https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/local-yokels-greet-matthew-good-not-so-good-112479?fbclid=IwAR1QOtRGe7OL6AbRP8IKFJw-B6BYDLlGTXsbE2dBFI_KJXyelkLVpUCzusY