Board Meeting Minutes May 2022

MINUTES

Colorado Music Business Organization Board of Directors Meeting

Sunday, May 1, 2022 – 7:00 p.m.

1. Called to Order at 7:01 p.m.

2. Present: Alex Teitz, David Barber, Barb Dye, Annette Cannon, Tracey Chirhart, Jamie

Krutz

Absent: Tony Molina (working), Johnnie Johnson (Excused), Maurice Avatar

3. Approval of the Minutes of April 4, 2022: Annette Cannonso moved, David Barber seconded. Approved.

4. Treasurer’s Report:

Income received:

Memberships (Paypal) $ 280.00 (See Membership Report)

Guitar Show: $ 90.00 (money not spent)

Guitar Show (quilt) $ 25.00

Interest on Savings: $ .01(April 2022)

Total: $ 395.01

Expenses paid (Ck = check; PP = Paypal; BW = bank withdrawal, checking acct.):

Bank Fees for April: $ 2.00 (checking fees)

Paypal fees (PP): $ 13.71 (See Membership Report)

American Voice Mail (Ck): $ 92.45 (renewal of VM for one year)

Zoom acct. for April (PP): $ 16.30

Facebook Ad $ 12.00

Mailchimp for April (PP):    $  33.00

                                Total: $ 169.46

Checking Balance: $ 1,194.21 (as of 4/30/22)

Savings Balance: $ 703.36 (as of 4/30/22)

PayPal Balance: $ 886.92 (as of 5/1/22)

Grand Total: $ 2784.49

D. Membership Report:

Current Paid Members: 50 (31 individuals, 5 businesses, 13 bands, and 1 Supporter) (Old numbers; Need updated numbers)

Renewed Members in April:

Supporter(s): None

Individual(s): Erik Nelson, Steve Glotzer, Jenn Cleary, Laurie Dameron,

Band(s): Last Call Romance, David Perlowski (Category 6)

Business(es): None

New Members in April:

Supporter(s): Pat Badwound

Individual: Dean McCall

Band(s): None

Business(es): None

Up for Renewal in May:

Supporter: None

Individuals: Wendy Clark Hudson, Christopher Ryan Poissant, Brittany Devons, Kathleen Todd, Nic Jay

Bands: SickDuck

Business(es): None

Membership “Welcome Surveys”: 2

E. Unfinished Business:

1. Bar Code requests: None. People may be getting them elsewhere. Last requests were some time ago with someone wanting 18 for different projects (CD, DVD), and a member who requested a 2^nd one.

1. Upcoming Programs:

a. May 23, 2022: TV/YouTube – Headroom Sessions, Channel 12. Alex will contact Elle Neaf and Heather Dalton about being panelists for a TBD COMBO general meeting.

b. June, 2022:

Settled on Social at Illegal Pete’s on Monday, June 27^th – Colfax & Race location at 6.

1Saturday, 4^th – All Day & All Night- Five Points Jazz Festival

https://www.artsandvenuesdenver.com/events-programs/five-points-jazz-festival/

2Saturday, 18^th & Sunday, 19^th – Juneteenth Music Festival, Five Points Denver

https://www.juneteenthmusicfestival.com/

c. July 2022: TBD

Friday, 8^th thru Sunday, 10^th – Colorado Black Arts Festival – more info here: https://www.juneteenthmusicfestival.com/

d. August 2022: Skip it.

3. Web & Social Media Reports – David Barber (as of 5/1/22):

1. Current Email Subscribers: COMBO has 2417subscribers which is downfrom the 2,424 reported at the last Board Meeting. As of the 4/28/22 newsletter, we had 26% opens and 4% click thrus. Dean McCall joined as individual and gave band members e-mails. Added guitar show e-mails.

2. Twitter Account Followers: COMBO has 7644followers which is up from 7,640 followers from the last report.

3. Facebook Analytics: Page Views: 43, down 14%; Post Reach: 14857, down 60%; Post Engagement: 121, down 42%; Page Likes: 9, up 28%; Page Followers: 9 up 13% from last month.

Reminder – Our Facebook address is:

http://www.Facebook.com/ColoradoMusicBusinessOrganization

4. LinkedIn: 129, 0 new follower (129) Tracey focusing on Linkedin

5. Google Analytics Report: In April 2022 there were 3916sessions, which is up 25.7% from April2021 when we had 3116sessions. The most viewed article in April was /ex-littleton resident riker lynch appears on American Song Contest (Spike on Apri1 1, at around 10pm from coloradomusic.org). No explanation for that.

4. Ombudsman Program – Annette Cannon: I wanted to pass on that two people who attended the last meeting have been contacting me for assistance. Jay Stott (Jay Stott Trio) and George Williams (Reckless and Blue). I have given advice on contacting venues, how often to contact, etc., and how to write an email to get the information concise and out within the first sentence or two, how to write a follow up email, offer to be open to phone, text, etc., for contacting, scheduling, and a host of other informational content. I wrote some sample emails for them both to use going forward. They will let me know how things go with their searches for gigs/events.

5. Promotion/Advertising: One Facebook ad for April meeting. Annette shared the meeting on several Facebook groups’ pages, and David shared same to other FB groups.

6. COMBO Organization By-Laws: Barb will update the revised By-Laws and will send out to the Board of Directors soon for Ratification. The rest of the By-Laws from Article VIII on do not need to be changed or corrected. After Ratification, we will send them to the Colorado Secretary of State for recording and entry into the record.

See “New Business” for a related issue.

7. Potential New Board Member – Maurice Avatar: Not present

8. Membership Chairman: Still need someone.

9. Five Points Jazz Festival & Juneteenth Festival: The City of Denver – Arts & Venues Department has taken these events over from Mile High Festivals. The cost of a booth now is $475. Barb is trying to get them to give us the “Not-for-Profit Information Only” booth.

10. Open Mic Night with Tony: Coincidentally Marty Jones contacted Barb about having a “COMBO” artist performance night at the Dry Dock Brewing Co. on East Hampden. David & Tony will meet Marty there on May 10^th to discuss the matter with Dave Lash who currently runs an open mic night on the 2^nd Tuesday of the month. Marty would like to have more “nights”.

11. Discussion of Hypnautic and app again: David will contact him after app is officially launched.

F. New Business

1. Re-Do on 501(c)(6) Status: While adding events to the calendar and trying to flesh out an article on FoCoMa’s Showcase event on April 23^rd & 24^th, Barb noticed the following on FoCoMa’s website:

FoCoMX is presented by FoCoMA (Fort Collins Musicians Association), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Northern Colorado that provides education, support, and networking opportunities for the Northern Colorado Music community. The festival’s goals are to create a sustainable and deeprooted infrastructure that supports Northern Colorado music, encourages businesses to open up their space to local music, and grow a sense of community within our musical family. We do this by fostering new artists and supporting established musicians while raising artists’ selfworth and national awareness of the Northern Colorado music scene.

Obviously FoCoMA got a different IRS agent to approve their application! The above highlighted wording is identical to COMBO’s and, in particular, the word “Networking” has been a thorn in OUR side. FoCoMA applied for their 501(c)(3) status about 2 years after we did.

However, Barb wonders if our By-Laws had anything to do with this since the By-Laws were originally taken from a profit-making corporation. We have spent the last 3 years revising them to fit our current not-for-profit organization and this may help.

The big problem is – we should probably hire a lawyer to do this. Cost? LOTS. Does not count the $850 to apply to the IRS for the change of designation. However, we are missing out on a lot of potential income not only from “members” who would like to be able to deduct their “dues” from their income taxes, but in potential revenue from grants and donations. For instance, Johnnie Johnson has applied for several grants and has been approved. We could apply for $10,000 from the SCFD (Scientific & Cultural Facilities District) and might get it but only if we are a 501(c)(3) “Not for Profit” entity.

Thoughts and discussion: Discussion about wording about Networking. By-Laws may be written about for profit organization. Discussion about how COMBO’s original status came about. When COMBO was forming Networking was a major component and we were advised by Beth Patterson of Colorado Lawyers for the Arts that a 501c(6)might be easier to get than a 501c(3) which was unlikely. Education has become a major focus of COMBO. Barb will contact Todd Myers. What steps would need to be taken? Can we convert status vs starting new?

2. BINGO & Raffles Rules

Rule 8 – page 24 (of 47) starts the Rules for Raffles

Income from tickets sold for quilt. Nothing applies to in-house raffle. If raffle was advertised beforehand would need license. Are there plans to do this is in the future? Would like future notice. Collected $25 for quilt. Must be present to win.

1. Alma Park shut down. Park has mini-Red Rocks set-up and is used by Johnnie.

G. Reports

1. April 25, 2022: Last minute program: Barb offered to speak on “Booking”. We had 21 attendees. Chris Kresge sent a note on his thoughts on booking which Barb incorporated into her program, giving Chris credit. Barb encouraged the attendees to “think outside the box” and other suggested “venues” to play at such as festivals and fairs, nursing homes, cruise ships, breweries, and busking were brought up.

Barb also promoted the Songwriting Contest by explaining it and pointing out that the compilation CDs would be handed out to the pros at the Durango Songwriters Expo, and that all entrants’ names would be “put in the hat” for one to be drawn for a free entry into the expo.

2. Updated Display Material: Annette commented that the material from COMBO for the shows should be updated. What do we offer? How do we connect? 70% in cardboard boxes. COMBO material needs to be organized better in clear tubs, or labeled boxes.

Barb’s Response: I agree our material is old. We were getting updated stuff from the DSE but, since it wasn’t held for the last two years, I was unable to get much of anything, especially newer magazines. It would be nice if we could afford to buy new books but that can add up real fast (at $25 or more per book). We only use books from Colorado authors.

I bought see-thru plastic boxes for the COMBO stuff but the boxes were too heavy for me to lift after stuff was put in them. I still have the boxes but, remember, I have to carry them up/down a set of 10 stairs from my storage room in the basement, then lift them over a “pit” to my car. So I started collecting the much-lighter [paper] boxes to put the display stuff in.

I tried labeling the boxes but, what would happen after the shows were over, people would just starting throwing stuff back in the boxes without looking at the labels in order to get out of the shows in a hurry. At first I would try to re-pack the stuff after I got home but found it was taking at least an hour or more of my time. So I gave up on that!

We do have “dollys” to carry the boxes on but the boxes still have to be carried up/down the stairs, and over the “pit” to put them in my car. I’m getting too old for this!!! I have been looking for a ground-level storage space near me but, so far, have not come up with anything that is affordable ($85 p/m) and that can be accessed at all hours and days.

[As a side note, Mark King still has the big dolly, a brown table, and 6 boxes of CDs stored in his house.]

H. Next General Meeting: Monday, May 23^rd at 7:00 p.m. Program TBD [Note sign in time of 6:50 p.m.!]

I. Next Board Meeting: Sunday, June 5^th at 7:00 p.m. Sign in time 6:50 p.m. via Zoom.

J. Meeting Adjourned at 8:21 p.m.

/s/ Alex Teitz

___________________________________

Alex Teitz, Secretary