MINUTES
Colorado Music Business Organization Board of Directors Meeting
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Send Todd names and email addresses for everyone who was a panelist at the September event. So he can send them surveys like Alex used to do.
A. Called to Order at 7:07 p.m.
B. Present: Barb Dye, Annette Cannon, David Barber, Jamie Krutz and Tony Molina
Absent: Maurice Avatar, Todd Caron, Tracey Chirhart, and Johnnie Johnson
C. Approval of the Minutes of September 11, 2022: David so moved, Annette 2nd: Approved with a clarification to the “No Tour” comment
D. Treasurer’s Report:
Income received:
Memberships (Paypal): $ 245.00 (See Membership Report)
Remainder Parking: $ 23.00 (balance from “Cash” check)
Interest on Savings: $ .09(September 2022)
Total: $ 268.09
Expenses paid (Ck = check; PP = Paypal; BW = bank withdrawal, checking acct.):
Bank Fees for Sept (BW): $ 2.00 (checking fees)
Cash for parking (Ck): $ 100.00 (for Grammy event – see accounting below)
Paypal fees (PP): $ 10.03 (See David’s accounting below)
CODA, Inc. (Ck) $ 78.00 (for 75 Songwriting Contest CDs)
Guitar Pick Guy (Ck): $ 203.95 (for 1,000 new promotional guitar picks)
Meta (PP): $ 20.00 (Facebook ads for 9/26/22 meeting)
Google Workspace (PP): $ 15.72 (for Google accounts)
Possibility Promotion (Ck): $ 20.00 (SSL certificate for one year)
Zoom acct. for Sept. (PP): $ 16.30
Mailchimp for Sept. (PP): $ 33.00
Total: $ 499.00
Barb wrote a check for $100 for cash to pay for parking fees for COMBO’s booth attendants at the Grammy event on 9/20/22; she gave $16 each to Maurice & herself; $10 to Todd; $20 to Jamie, and $15 to Annette = $77.00. She re-deposited the balance of $23 into the checking acct. The event provided “snacks” and soft drinks. Cash bar.
Paypal Fees: (1 x $2.41) = $2.41 (for individual memberships)
Paypal Fees: (2 x $3.81) = $7.62 (for business memberships)
Total = 2.41 + 7.62 = $10.03
Checking Balance: $ 1,493.26 (as of 9/30/22) (transferred $500 from savings)
Savings Balance: $ 1,953.59 (as of 9/30/22)
PayPal Balance: $ 471.41(as of 9/30/22)
Grand Total: $ 3,918.26
E. Membership Report:
Renewed Members in September:
Supporter(s): None
Individual: None
Band(s): None
Business(es): Wales Business Mgmt. (Llewellyn Haden)
New Members in September:
Supporter: None
Individuals: None
Band(s): James Black (North Yard Blues Band)
Business(es): My Salamander (Danila Chinchek)
Up for Renewal in October:
Supporter: None
Individuals: Rudy Grant, Pat Barton
Bands: Grey Rails, Slopeside
Business(es): None
David sent out renewal reminder emails to the above members.
Membership “Welcome Surveys”: 2 (James Black & Danila Chenchik)
F. Unfinished Business:
- Bar Code requests: None.
- Upcoming Programs:
a. Monday, October 24th: Atty. David Ratner has confirmed that he will speak on a “To Do” list after [your] album is completed. For example, registering with a PRO, MLC, and SoundExchange, having proper documents with all contributors to the album, having split sheets with co-writers, and so on. The meeting will be via Zoom. We decided on the title “Monetize Your Music: Get Your Legal Ducks in a Row”.
b. Sunday, November 13th – Songwriters Showcase at Moe’s Barbeque: Barb sent an e-mail to “Alex” at Moe’s. He responded that he could set us up for Sunday, Nov. 13th. Alex said “his boss” wants $600 in rent. I propose that we counter-offer with $150 since it is getting so close. Board approved but David suggested that Barb contact Chris Thomas from Herman’s first.
c. Holiday Dinner on December ____ at _______________. Not yet decided.
d. Monday, January23rd – Meeting on Booking. Speakers to be decided.
e. Monday, February 27th (the 20th is Presidents Day): Shannon Bock on ‘Live Music’
The Program Committee will meet via Zoom on Tues., Oct. 11th at 7:00 p.m.
3. Web & Social Media Reports – David Barber (as of 10/02/22):
- Current Email Subscribers: COMBO has 2,424 subscribers up from the 2,405 reported at the last meeting. We were able to add 19 contacts who signed up at the Grammys event on Sept. 20, 2022. As of the 9/29/22 newsletter, we had 34% opens and 6% click thrus.
- Twitter Account Followers: COMBO has 7,628 followers which is up from the last report of 7,625.
c. Facebook Analytics: Reach: 814, up 70%; Page Visits: 58, up 16%; New Likes: 8, even with last month!
Reminder – Our Facebook address is:
http://www.Facebook.com/ColoradoMusicBusinessOrganization
d. LinkedIn: 158 followers up from 155.
e. Google Analytics Report: In Sept. 2022 there were 5,292 sessions, which is up 6% from Sept. 2021 when we had 5,003 sessions. The most viewed article in Sept. (883 views) was the article about venue No. 38 possibly losing their liquor license. In second place with 741 views was a story about the Aurora boy with autism who is a musical whiz. A spike occurred on Sept. 22nd, mostly coming from Newsbreak!
4. Ombudsman Program – Annette Cannon: Not really an ‘ombudsman’ matter but Annette brought up that David Booker, a former speaker for a COMBO meeting, is again battling cancer. She asked that we send him a “good will” check for $50, a program that we had to abandon some years back due to budget constraints. The board Approved. Barb will send him a check.
5. Promotion/Advertising: Barb, Annette, Jamie, Maurice and Todd attended the Open House at McNichols Event Center for NARAS, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, a/k/a the Grammys, on Sept. 20, 2022. We passed out a lot of business cards and got 19 names for the mailing list, including several Grammy people! The event was a get-together for various music organizations in the area. Nice to meet so many like-minded people! Christen McFarland asked for attendees to speak as to their organization and Jamie was standing up front so he was the first volunteer. He did a really good job of extemporaneous speaking as to what COMBO does! He also talked to Stephen Brackett from the Flobots (also with Youth on Record) and Stephen said he would be glad to speak at a COMBO meeting.
Barb ordered new guitar picks which arrived in time for the Durango Songwriters Expo held this past weekend. She also received the Songwriting Contest CDs which CODA-Inc. replicated for us. Clark picked them up from CODA which is now located in Franktown, CO and delivered them to Barb.
We have a booth scheduled for the Durango Songwriters Expo on Sept. 29, 30 & Oct. 1st. Cost is to be set. We paid $100 the last 4 years (none in 2020 due to the pandemic). Barb wrote a check for $100 for 2022. She and Annette also volunteered ‘us’ to run the Meet & Greet for next year. It was very disorganized this year due to the loss of the performance venue. However, a M&G at the hotel is a really good idea and saves the musicians from trying to get “downtown”.
6. Open Mic Night with Tony: Tony is still trying to find a place that may be closer to his home due to time constraints. He said he would contact the Westminster Dry Dock location as the Aurora venue is really far east.
7. Songwriting Contest: Compilation CDs received; Showcase tentatively set on Nov. 13th; Barb sent hundreds of comments (530) onto the entrants; and we’ll set the performers up during the coming month. We ended up with 4 judges plus Barb’s scores to break any potential ties.
These top songwriters will be asked to perform in the Showcase 1(in alphabetical order): Teresa Anderson; Jenn Cleary; Kevin Danzig; Jeremy Dion; Ken E. Setser; Larry Good; Michael Hossler; Steve Law; Baggs Patrick; Lynn Patrick; Lisa Selle; Carol Van Alstine; Zack Weld. Jackson Emmer lives in Crawford, CO and will not be able to perform. (We got to meet Jenn Cleary at the Grammy event!)
Clark Hagan mastered the CD at Mighty Fine Studios who graciously donated their space & equipment for Clark to do this. CODA-Inc.com for replicated them at a big discount in exchange for the advertising (their logo is included on the CD labels). Barb wrote up a ‘thank you’ article to Mighty Fine for their generous donation.
Michael Hossler won the entry into the Durango Songwriters Expo. He was able to attend and said he absolutely loved it. He was so encouraged by the positive critiques of his songs that he wrote another one while he was there!
8. Event Spaces: Barb sent the following note to the Program Committee on 9/13/22:
She [Barb] spent 3 hours running around to the following venues today to see if she could find a place for our showcase. Here are updates:
No. 38: Parking is terrible. They are building three HUGE apartment buildings “next door” — one across the street, one at the south end of the venue, and one catty-corner on the next block. The space is also huge and has bare concrete floors with open ceilings. Lots of sound issues. They do have a nice stage in 1/2 of the building but no sound system or lights (similar to the Aurora Dry Dock building). Seating is limited. Might be good for a younger band whose crowd likes standing & dancing. City is thinking about shutting them down. Contact Ben DeSoto at ben . desoto @ number thirty eight.com (take out the spaces) for booking.
Gennaro’s: South Broadway. Very small with a small stage in the corner. No PA, no lights. Bar in the middle of the room cuts the crowd off from the performers. Parking is good, though!
The Walnut Room: No longer doing bands. The back room has been completely converted to the golf set-up. They were running acoustic duos in the parking lot — they took out 3 spaces and put in tables & chairs. The musicians would play in the corner of the parking lot, next to the sidewalk. However, they are no longer booking the “Patio Jams” as the nights outside are getting too chilly. They have groups scheduled until the end of September. Contact Leslie O. at Leslie_O @ the Walnut Room .com (take out the spaces) for booking. Parking is limited; road was been changed to two-way; no stage, no sound system, no lights. Lots of apartment building being built near-by.
Mercury Cafe: Parking is VERY limited. They have built a new apartment building on the parking lot south of the MC. They were closed when I went by. They open at 5:00 p.m. Only vegan foods (menu posted on the door). Weeds & seedling trees are everywhere. Makes it look like the building is abandoned. The last time I was there, they did have two decent performance areas (before the pandemic & before Marilyn sold it). Johnnie might be able to add more since he was running shows there.
Moe’s BBQ: Decent set-up. Stage & PA; limited lighting. HUGE TV behind the stage — obviously for sports watching parties. Food & drink. Street parking available depending on shows at the Gothic (practically next door). Would need to check Gothic’s schedule before setting anything. Booking guy is Alex @ Moes Denver .com
Dazzle: Barb talked to Donald Rossa. He said he is booked thru February. They are moving sometime before Feb. 1st to a space in the DCPA (at least they have a parking garage!) He did offer day time times (i.e., 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon). He said all their shows start at 7:00 so she couldn’t even talk him into an early evening show.
The Muse Performance Space: Mr. Rossa suggested this space in Lafayette. Rental only. No PA, lights. Bring your own. No food, no drinks. Parking is o.k. (Might was well go with a church or a recording studio).
Herman’s Hideaway: Might work if we can get a date, although parking is limited. David said that Chris Thomas is still booking it. Barb will contact Chris to see if we can work something out.
Alex just sent info on another space but Barb does not think it will work at this time.
Dave told me you were still searching for a place for the November Songwriter Showcase meeting. I may have an idea. A few months ago we had Elle Naef from Headroom Sessions on the COMBO panel. She said Headroom Sessions was moving to Town Hall Collaborative. Last night I attended Headroom Sessions at Town Hall Collaborative. The place has just received their certificate of occupancy & liquor license. Their official grand opening is October 7th. The address is 525 Santa Fe Drive. They have a bar, a stage and a small parking lot. No food.
The owners are Lauren & Denise. E-mails & numbers are:
Lauren Beno – lauren@townhallcollaborative.com – 303-746-6287
Denise Day – denise@townhallcollaborative.com – 415-244-7309
Barb checked with Tony at Denver Open Media. They do not have a performance space at this time and hope to have something set up in 2023. They are only doing radio shows.
Anyone heard anything about Cervante’s? No. A couple of the board members are not fond of this space, and the general style of music presented might not be a good fit for our showcasers.
G. New Business
1. We need to re-write Article III in a more simplistic manner:
Article III – Purpose
The corporation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the benefit of songwriters, musicians, performers, recording studios, agents, managers, nightclubs, and all other individuals in businesses associated with the music and recording community in the State of Colorado, and to develop a mutual understanding, appreciation and interaction between members of the public and the business and arts communities by promoting and producing artistic creations in the nature of musical compositions, recordings and live performances, as well as promoting, producing and causing to be produced workshops, seminars, and performances relating to music, and by taking part in activities having that end in view, all within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law) and to that end to exercise any and all powers conferred by law upon nonprofit corporations organized under the Colorado [redundant] Non-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Colorado; to do any other act or thing incidental to or connected with the forgoing purposes or in advancement thereof, but not for the pecuniary profit or financial gain of its directors or officers except as permitted under the Colorado Non-Profit Corporation Act.
Re-write as: The corporation is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes for the benefit of musicians, all within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law) and to that end to exercise any and all powers conferred by law upon nonprofit corporations organized under the Non-Profit Corporation Act of the State of Colorado; to do any other act or thing incidental to or connected with the forgoing purposes or in advancement thereof, but not for the pecuniary profit or financial gain of its directors or officers except as permitted under the Colorado Non-Profit Corporation Act. The board discussed this but decided to table a vote until we have a more full board vote (only ½ the board was in attendance).
3. New Guitar Picks: Barb received the guitar picks in time for the DSE.
4. Setting of Program Committee Meeting: The PC met on Tuesday, Sept. 13th and plans of meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11th. Jamie asked Barb to attend but she will be in San Francisco on a trip. She will try to call in. Suggested speakers include Shannon Bock, Stephen Brackett (Flobots), and someone from the Black Fret and So Far Sounds programs (So Far is trying to “build the [music] community”). We also need some suggestions for the program on “Booking”.
H. Reports
1. Monday, September 26th: Program on Zoom: 2“How to Market Your Album Release – Do’s and Don’ts”, Storm Gloor, Nikki Swarm, and Dean McCall were our guest speakers. Kyle Hartman was unable to make it at the last minute. He was doing a show at Red Rocks and Murphy’s Law prevailed! We had an attendance of 21. All 3 speakers had some great information and we covered the whole time limit. Jamie moderated and asked some very pertinent questions of the speakers. David covered the ‘chat’ and asked the questions that the attendees had asked of the speakers.
2. Movie Night with Barb: Barb attended the David Bowie documentary, Moonage Daydreams, at the Sie (pronounced “see”) Film Center on 9/22/22. While it contained a lot of info about Mr. Bowie, who was multi-talented (think Prince Rogers), she found the film to be very distracting as it contained a lot of psychedelic imagery that probably wasn’t really needed. The film ran over 2½ hours. But she learned a lot about him! There were 32 people watching the movie (on a Thursday night) but she did not see any other COMBO people there. She would, however, recommend that ALL musicians see it. Mr. Bowie wrote a lot of his own songs, arranged & recorded them, painted, designed his costumes, planned his shows, and more, starting at the age of 16. Mr. Bowie died in 2016 at the age of 69 from cancer. The movie showed a lot of actual clips where Mr. Bowie had a cigarette in one hand and an alcoholic drink in the other.
3. Women in Music: No update.
4. Sound Girls: No update.
5. Music Minds Matter: Just a note to say that COMBO consultant board member Angela Rose Whaley married Jonathan S. Goldstein on September 6th in a mountain-location ceremony. We wish them the best of marriages! Long live the Goldsteins! Angela also just started a new job at 3at UCD as a part time Lecturer in Music Industry Entrepreneurship (according to her Linkedin profile).
I. Next COMBO Event: Monday, October 24th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Guest speaker Dave Ratner, Esq.
J. Next Board Meeting: Sunday, November 6th at 7:00 p.m. Sign in time 6:50 p.m. via Zoom.
K. Next Program Committee Meeting: Tuesday, October 11th at 7:00 via Zoom.
L. Adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
/s/ Barb Dye
___________________________________
Barb Dye, President/Acting Secretary