entersoundman Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 I always like to play a playlist before the peformance and I was wondering what you other technicians out there play before the show starts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 It all depends on the show, what would be suitable pre-show for a Brecht piece may not fit as well for a performance of Grease! Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac.calder Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Total agreement with Sam. Usually I would talk to the director and feel out what they want pre-show. I have one director who constantly tells me "Nothing with lyrics... make it fit the mood" It is a challenge, but quite enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 I also, more and more recently, that the Director wants no pre-show. Make sure you discuss it with them whatever, they will be most annoyed if they suddenly find some random songs playing out on oppening night. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 I always have to remember that what I like is irrelevant. What is best is the correct choice. Most one nighters either carry their own walk-in disk, while others leave it up to you. When you don't even know what the show is about, then something as bland and un-hummable and rememberable is my choice. Mostly stuff the audience won't have heard of. The worst I've had to play was Jim Davidsons music from Sinderella, before his show. Drove me mad every time. I don't think I'm a prude, but with some of the audience not knowing what was about to come, it was a bit squeamish to watch as they suddenly recognised the lyric content! Oh yes, and I hate the word 'technician' - always conjures up images in my head of people playing at being proper technicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick S Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 My first rule of thumb is to always ask - but in the era of the iPod, it's really all about what the show feels like, rather than what you have on you. I always carry generic "muzak" for shows, as well as a selection of jazz, funk, and dance stuff. However, I normally find it's a bad idea to put on well known tracks or songs, unless the director wants to do so, or it's that kind of event (where you need to get people "pumped up"). I always do appreciate pre-show music that doesn't drive the people running it insane though - I once worked on a play that played "English Country Garden" as it's walk-in music, and doors opened a good 20 minutes before curtain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1nuzz Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 ive heard from a director yesterday that we have to pay extra to use more popular songs. It is now not covered in an Ents. License? is this true? ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 If pre-show music is the order of the day, it should be appropriate to the show and unobtrusive. Sometimes, though, the best kind of pre-show music is no pre-show music .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 ive heard from a director yesterday that we have to pay extra to use more popular songs. It is now not covered in an Ents. License? is this true?It's never been covered by your 'ents' licnece. That is simply a licence from your local council (and all public entertainment licences cease to be on Nov 26th anyways). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 ive heard from a director yesterday that we have to pay extra to use more popular songs. It is now not covered in an Ents. License? is this true? benThe venue should be declaring ALL events where music is played as show music, incidental music within a show, walk-in, interval, walk-out, foyer, bar and in fact ANYTHING that can be perceived as being played in the public's hearing.This is declared IN ADVANCE if you can believe it, to the Performing Rights Society (PRS), and also the Phonographic Performance people, for which the former charges a LOT and the latter isn't so bad. I've just had a LONG 3 years battling with the PRS over what constitutes what and how much it should cost us, and it is painful to negotiate with them!:PWhether this is charged directly to user groups depends on the venue, but I suspect most will just have part of the general hire fee allocated to cover projected costs.And no, the ents license has never covered this sort of thing, and the new licensing setup (something else that's costing us an arm and a leg!) will still not do so. TD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1nuzz Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 oh ok. So as I have no idea about this sort of thing, what is it likely to cost us to run some music through a show? I know about the new licensing coming in, but I have a music festival coming in soon, so how do you go abou paying for it? Confused.... Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 The simple answer, is talk to PRS. If it is a one off and small scale, they are very friendly - if the sclae is bigger then they will see some real monet from you and as for a huge show, they'll be your best friend as long as you have the chequebook. PRS/MCPS/PPL all have an interest. Strictly speaking, MCPS concerns itself with the transfer of copyright works from one media format to another - so, transferring a CD to a hard drive for playback, could mean dosh due. What happens in practice is often due to 'history'. At one local theatre, you get given the PRS document to fill in as soon as you arrive (thanks, Slim), at others they suggest you fill one in, but sometimes forget, at two I can think of they wouldn't know what a PRS form even looked like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw1981 Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Cna someone confirm my impression then that it is the venues responsibility to organise this, not the promoters, tech crew or the artistes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 Cna someone confirm my impression then that it is the venues responsibility to organise this, not the promoters, tech crew or the artistes?Depends on the contract the promoter has signed with the venue. It certainly isn't the tech crew, it could conceivably be the artist, most likely to be the promoter/organiser - after all how would the venue know what music is being used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick S Posted November 5, 2005 Share Posted November 5, 2005 djw1981 - In my experience, It's nearly always the promotor's responsibility to inform the venue of the music they use. The venue then takes x amount from ticket sales / whatever, although this obviously depends on many factors (size, organisation type, etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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