Comments on: How to promote my weird noise and improvisation workshop/event in San Francisco?

Question: How to promote my weird noise and improvisation workshop/event in San Francisco?

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:11:17 -0800

How to promote my weird noise and improvisation workshop/event in San Francisco?

Hi! I wonder if folks on the green could advise me on strategies for finding people to take part in a series of workshops I'm planning to teach in San Francisco in a month or so.

I'm based in Toronto. People here really love the classes, but I'm finding it challenging figuring out how to transfer that love to a new city. I know how to promote the classes at home, but not in SF.

Part of what makes the series hard to promote is that it's a bit of a weird thing: It is a class in collective improvised noise-music, but it's meant more as a fun thing for people to do in a group (nonmusicians and musicians) as opposed to a skills-development thing for musicians (though musicians do take the class and get stuff from it...)

Does anyone have ideas for how/where I might find participants? Some questions I had, where help could be very useful:

- Are there any discussion boards or mailing lists or other resources where people post stuff about experimental/improvised music and/or sound art?

- Any discussion boards or mailing lists or other resources where people post stuff about social art and/or participatory art (I see the workshops more as participatory performance events than as classes, though they do look a lot like classes...)

- Any sites where people list workshops and classes. (My stuff sometimes gets categorized as a sort of "creativity-building" workshop, and though I'm not so comfortable with that category, I have to admit it's not so very far from what I do).

- Any sites where people list stuff about unconventional vocal music? Or just fun, hard-to-categorize events?

- I've found a whole bunch of calendar sites (upcoming, etc...) but they're all focused on single-night events. Are there calendar sites that are good for something like this – a series of twice-weekly events, over three weeks, requiring advance registration? Places where people announce classes and things?

- I sometimes do fliering for my workshops here at home (mostly dropping off leaflets at bookstores, coffeeshops, music venue, galleries), but I can't to that in SF (because I'm not there). I thought maybe I could hire someone to do fliering in SF. Does anyone have any experience with fliering/postering services in SF?

- Any other obvious ideas I'm overlooking?

I really hope I can make this work out! Any help or ideas would be much appreciated!

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:12:05 -0800

(At Jessamyn's suggestion, I've put a link to more specific information about the class on my profile page)

By: chairface

chairface — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:51:05 -0800

Squid List maybe? Craigs list, of course.

By: macadam9

macadam9 — Fri, 07 May 2010 11:56:05 -0800

noisebridge? centrally located hackerspace? check 'em out...

www.noisebridge.net

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:00:20 -0800

Thanks CF! I posted a while ago on Craigslist in the events->classes section. I submitted to squidlist a couple weeks ago, but I guess that's a curated list, and it looks like they didn't choose to post my event there.

Good to know I'm on the right track...

By: vickyverky

vickyverky — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:15:01 -0800

I suggest SFist. It can't hurt to send details to the Chronicle, Examiner, SF Bay Guardian, and SF Weekly, too. Do it now, though -- they probably have long lead times on getting coverage and/or listings set up. The Weekly and Chronicle definitely list classes and workshops -- I can't vouch for the others.

Look at all those papers' web sites and see who the music editors/writers/bloggers are. You might spot someone who is into weird noise who will be keen to write about this, even if it's just as a calendar listing/tip. Good luck!

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:15:29 -0800

SquidList?

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:22:56 -0800

Apologies - I think that was in my cache or something. Thought I posted it hours ago, and now it's just a double. I'll try to make up for that by referencing Junkstock, which is apparently happening again in July, and has community bulletin boards on their website.

By: gingerbeer

gingerbeer — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:26:53 -0800

Except, in the continued fail, their bulletin board is nothing but spam.

You could hire someone through craigslist to do the flyering. Or even use Mefi Jobs for that, I bet.

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:27:41 -0800

Thanks VickyVerky - Looking for journalists at the papers who like to write about noises is an especially good idea! Gingerbeer - I'll look into Junkstock!

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:30:31 -0800

MacAdam - A friend brought me by the noisebridge space when I was in SF earlier this spring (more indication I'm on the right track!). What a cool place! I'm not sure I see how they'd be helpful in promoting the event - do they have a place to list non-noisebridge events that might be of interest to noisebridge people?

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:38:10 -0800

Or even use Mefi Jobs for that, I bet

Is there no problem MeFi can't solve?

By: grapesaresour

grapesaresour — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:37:10 -0800

While it's not exactly the same it sounds like something the Maker Faire folks might be into, and they have a forum. You could see if the Re/Search Pubs folks will add you to their newsletter.

By: vickyverky

vickyverky — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:23:16 -0800

I also asked a colleague who is fond of avant-noise and out-there music, and he suggested these sites:

www.transbaycalendar.org
sfnoise.org
www.bayimproviser.com
www.brutalsoundeffects.com
launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/brutalsfx
www.outsound.org

By: ManInSuit

ManInSuit — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:37:06 -0800

Grapes- Thanks! Vicky - Whoa, Awesome! I will check out those sites!

By: barnone

barnone — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:40:10 -0800

Networked Performance