idea---how about a sxsw mini record convention?

[dakar]

i know i mentioned this before and a lot of people seem to say things like, "too hectic"
but why do you need the emphasis of the bigwig "official" austin record convention people to have a smaller, and cooler per capita record show?
like the record riots of the northeast us, or that awesome indie label showcase/record fair in brooklyn in october?
why can't we have something like that?
why worry about stepping on the toes of the old guard?
it could be just a 1-day event. no need for it to be this mega lengthy 3-day deal.
it would be cool. like in the courtyard or parking lot of a showspace underneath tents.
it could reach the actual demographic of the people one would want--and people with shops---it could get new people in to your shop.
other non-record shop people with cool stuff could set up. it could be a great place to find some nice finds and meet people.

i for one would definitely help on coordinating something, though i don't even currently live in austin.
i'm a native texan, and enjoy going back during this time frame for fun--- and even possibly a job interview of my own (thinking of moving back!)

anyone who thinks this might work??? let me know.

 

[esskay]

As prev. discussed somebody needs to do a large scale record convention here on the west coast in either LA or the Bay that draws dealers/buyers f/San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, The Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, Arizona, Nevada, etc!

 

[HarveyCanal]

Sure, do it...as many record conventions here as possible is fine by me...BUT DO NOT DO IT DURING SXSW!!!





It's extraordinarily stupid that ARC is now trying to coincide with SXSW. People come to SXSW to see/hear live music, period.





Basically, too hectic is right. Pick another weekend please.

 

[billbradley]

dakar said:i know i mentioned this before and a lot of people seem to say things like, "too hectic"


but why do you need the emphasis of the bigwig "official" austin record convention people to have a smaller, and cooler per capita record show?







The general consensus was that most didn't do that well at the SXSW show. Most dealers don't want to deal with the hassles of parking and not being able to get a hotel room without booking months in advance.





dakar said:


like the record riots of the northeast us, or that awesome indie label showcase/record fair in brooklyn in october?


why can't we have something like that?


why worry about stepping on the toes of the old guard?







This is another issue. It isn't so much about stepping on toes as Doug Hanners has established the ARC brand over 30 years. Dealers know that his show has a good following and turnout. The last spin-off show didn't do well at all.





dakar said:


it could be just a 1-day event. no need for it to be this mega lengthy 3-day deal.


it would be cool. like in the courtyard or parking lot of a showspace underneath tents.


it could reach the actual demographic of the people one would want--and people with shops---it could get new people in to your shop.


other non-record shop people with cool stuff could set up. it could be a great place to find some nice finds and meet people.







The people that own shops in town don't need a 1 day record show to draw more people in.





dakar said:


i for one would definitely help on coordinating something, though i don't even currently live in austin.


i'm a native texan, and enjoy going back during this time frame for fun--- and even possibly a job interview of my own (thinking of moving back!)





anyone who thinks this might work??? let me know.




I just don't think it is a good idea. At the previous SXSW ARC show there were probably 1/3 of the dealers of the normal show. There was a ton of foot traffic and a lot of lookie-loos browsing but not buying much. Don't get me wrong, dealers were selling stuff and personally I didn't do that bad at the show but the selection of stuff wasn't as good as the normal show and I'd expect it to be the same at a one day show. Dealers wouldn't want to travel across the country to sell so it would end up being mostly local dealers and stores selling.

 

[billbradley]

HarveyCanal said:Sure, do it...as many record conventions here as possible is fine by me...BUT DO NOT DO IT DURING SXSW!!!





It's extraordinarily stupid that ARC is now trying to coincide with SXSW. People come to SXSW to see/hear live music, period.





Basically, too hectic is right. Pick another weekend please.




I don't think ARC will actually happen during SXSW. The city approached Doug about it doing a show at the Palmer Events Center but the dealers were not real receptive.





Also, as a dealer, having the show during SXSW sucks because instead of seeing shows I'm stuck behind the table selling.

 

[dakar]

I'm not so sure it would be that big a deal, or that it would need to be "a huge deal" to be successful


Why not do it on a Saturday or Sunday from like 10-5pm?


(what would you miss? an afternoon showcase of bands that perform like 4 other times in the same week?---an estate sale??? come on!)





that's how most record shows are anyways. there would be no early admission because my vision would be to have it outdoors in a confined area.


you could have 20-30 dealers or something like that---and if you had something like this ---


http://www.brooklynflea.com/2011/09/09/recordfair/


it could involve some of the independent labels. get to meet the people that put out the records kind of deal in a non-smoky club environment where no one really talks to the owners/workers of a label anyway.


i totally think you austin folk are missing the idea that this would reach a completely different crowd of people---and that it need not be part of some established group like the ARC at all.


and it wouldn't even need to involve shops, but could involve individual record dealers with cool stock that appeals to a 20-something/30-something market (ie: f tha collectibe "elvis" dealers, and ragged dealers who bring the same old stuff at overblown prices.





i'm saying, as a person who doesn't travel to austin many other times of the year---having something like this would rule in my book.





parking wouldn't even be that big a deal early in the morning to late afternoon (it gets crazy post 6pm for sure).


why the lack of motivation?

 

[Rockadelic]

dakar said: why the lack of motivation?




Have you attended either of the two SXSW sponsored Record Shows?





I thought they were done well....included a section for posters and another for guitars.....lots of musicians and celebs were seen walking the venue.......record sales were very poor......jokes about those "big black CD's" were plentiful.

 

[HarveyCanal]

Why ask people what they think only to completely dismiss what they tell you?

 

[dakar]

ummm...because it seems like the idea is being dismissed from the get go.





it just seems like a weird thing to dismiss it without trying or giving a thought to something different from the standard record show.





rockadelic---i was at one of those sxsw record shows---i thought it was too big (i know, that was nothing compared to the size of the fall show---but it was as big as WFMU, but nowhere near the quality) not enough good dealers per capita, boring dollar bins (and i got there early). there was good stuff, and i found some nice records---but it was kind of weak stuff for the most part.


plus, it wasn't "in the way" of the happenings for the most part in town.


i am envisioning some sort of small show set up near a venue/park (maybe on the east side) and not in some stuffy huge building where most of the foot traffic isn't there.

 

[dakar]

i also don't get why it would need to be a huge show to have good dealers and do well.


dealers don't really need to come from all over. i just think it would be a cool thing to have, and much funner than a typical record show.

 

[Rockadelic]

dakar said:.





rockadelic---i was at one of those sxsw record shows---i thought it was too big (i know, that was nothing compared to the size of the fall show---but it was as big as WFMU, but nowhere near the quality) not enough good dealers per capita, boring dollar bins (and i got there early). there was good stuff, and i found some nice records---but it was kind of weak stuff for the most part.


plus, it wasn't "in the way" of the happenings for the most part in town.


i am envisioning some sort of small show set up near a venue/park (maybe on the east side) and not in some stuffy huge building where most of the foot traffic isn't there.




Not sure which one you attended but I attended the first one and set up at the second.....this is what I found....





At the first show dealers brought their usual ARC stock and found that cheaper, more common records were what was hot....selling Willie Nelson "Red Headed Stranger" and Steve Miller Band LP's in the $1.00-$5.00 range.





Some of them decided to bring nothing but "dollar bin commons" to the second show and found that even if they sold everything they brought the payoff wasn't justifying a road trip, gas, hotel, food and table costs.





Your idea of a smaller, more specialized show sounds good.....but it has always been known that if you set up at any other Record Show in Austin besides ARC you would no longer be able to buy a table at ARC......so getting people to commit may be hard.

 

[billbradley]

dakar said:i also don't get why it would need to be a huge show to have good dealers and do well.


dealers don't really need to come from all over. i just think it would be a cool thing to have, and much funner than a typical record show.




It wouldn't have to be a huge show but I don't think that you could get the "good dealers" to show up. Sure you could do something different and have indie labels, t-shirt vendors, and stuff other than the typical Beatles crap at every ARC show but in the end record dealers are there to sell records and not promote any of that other stuff. SXSW just isn't a huge draw for sellers. Sure there are a ton of people in town that are into music but most of them aren't there to ball out on vinyl and are busy partying it up at shows instead.

 

[dakar]

ok---so now we are getting to the real reason--


wow. that's kind of a douchey thing to do (ban people for setting up at other events)


why do people stand for such crap? just because of the ARC brand name?





this would barely even need to involve most of their regular dealers at ARC.


it would be a completely different vibe and everything.

 

[dakar]

i also know how sxsw is, and how the average person is (yeah, cheap commons will sell--but the crap i saw in dollar bins was beyond what silly hipsters in their most ironic state would buy--it was turd city). they would spend an hour diggin through stuff and go onto the next event, party, whatever hangout they go to.


that's good. it doesn't need to be a super serious show ---but i did extremely well at that brooklyn deal to the same types of people.