Columbus Music Scene Deserving of Respect
March 13, 2009 by James E. Donaldson
Newport Music Hall
Newport Music Hall on North High Street across the street from the Ohio State campus provides a local venue for artists of all genres to perform.
(Photo by Ashley Arend)
For a stereotypical Midwestern college town, Columbus deserves more respect for its contributions to the arts -- most specifically the music scene. Columbus is surprisingly diverse in its range of musicians who call it home.
We have a good amount of college students, young professionals and immigrants who bring their own unique flavor to the city. We also have a wide range of music available to us at our disposal.
Columbus is one of the only cities that I know of where you can go out one night of the week and get your fill of many different genres of music. For example, local hip-hop awaits at Café Bourbon Street, then you can indulge your ears with punk rock at Bernie’s, then attend a rock n roll dance party at the Ravari Room, and finally the next day see a national act at the Newport Music Hall.
But, like spoiled little children, we have gotten used to and bored with these artistic accommodations. My fellow Columbus citizens, we are not worthy of this very special treatment our city bestows upon us.
Many local musicians discount the local music market that is Columbus. They are quick to cut it down with the cons while overlooking the many pros.
What are the pros? If I named them all I think I would go over the generous word limit this publication’s editor has set for the writers. But the most prevalent "pro" is that Columbus is a college town, and therefore a town that consumes large quantities of alcohol on the “money nights” for musicians: Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Two great things happen for musicians when large quantities of alcohol are consumed. The first and most important thing is that you usually will get paid more by the venue. This happens because most venues give the performing acts a cut of alcohol percentage. A tip I have for aspiring Columbus musicians is that when you set up shows, get paid via alcohol sales rather than door costs -- the former usually pays far more.
The other great thing about playing shows in and around rowdy Columbus is that drunk people are easy to impress, musically speaking. Okay, I am half joking there. Inebriated people are more likely to buy your merchandise (usually CDs, shirts, and stickers) and come out next weekend at the next college bar you happen to be playing. This is very important to how you build a following and eventually make yourself some money.
Is it better to be a big fish in a little pond, or a little fish in a big pond? Is it better to be a big act in a medium sized music market or better to be a medium sized act in a large music market? Economically, the former is far more conducive to making money in music. And isn’t that what it’s always about: making money?
You might be asking yourself what I know about the music industry and why I'm allowed to sit on my high horse and make these varied observations. I have been involved in the Columbus music scene since I was 15, playing drums regularly in Columbus. I continued this trend until I moved to Boston for a couple years to try my luck in the rock scene out there. Now, I am back in Columbus and I am simply tired of hearing about how much better the New York City scene is than out here.
However, this opinion piece is about you, not me. We are very lucky to live in a smaller city that is simply bursting at the seams with artistic opportunities. Art is the pulse of our city and our city is very alive. It will not be as teeming as it is forever. It takes our constant support. Everybody likes music and Columbus has it, whether it is jazz, blues, rock, metal, electronic, or hip-hop.