Kintyre Songwriters Festival seeks new acts for 2012

[Kintyre Forum News]

Kintyre Songwriters Festival seeks new acts for 2012

The Kintyre Songwriters Festival is on the look out for new performers for this year’s event, which is being held in Campbeltown on 01 – 03 June 2012. Past performers, and those from further afield, are also invited to get in touch. The festival, which is now in its fifth year, welcomes all styles of music and aims to showcase and promote the song writing and musical talent in Kintyre.

This year’s event will include free and ticketed events and will run over three nights, as well as an open mic session on the Saturday afternoon, so everyone can get involved. Songwriters who are just starting out are encouraged to get involved in the open mic session so they can get their songs heard and play alongside more experienced performers in a relaxed setting. The ticketed events welcome all styles of performers including individuals and bands from the local area and further afield.

If you are interested in playing in this year’s festival, Kintyre Songwriters Festival would be delighted to hear from you, please email info@kintyresongwritersfestival.co.uk – closing date for entries is 19th March .

More details and ticket sales will be announced soon, and you can keep up-to-date by also visiting www.kintyresongwritersfestival.co.uk or find them on facebook.

[WC1]

Why does this festival have to be held on the same weekend as the MOK run? I know people in Glasgow who were very keen to come down for it but couldn't since all the accommodation was full up because of the run. Surely it could be held on a different weekend to avoid this difficulty - and spread the benefits for tourist-related businesses.

[howlsatthemoon]

Why does this festival have to be held on the same weekend as the MOK run? I know people in Glasgow who were very keen to come down for it but couldn't since all the accommodation was full up because of the run. Surely it could be held on a different weekend to avoid this difficulty - and spread the benefits for tourist-related businesses.

Agree.

[StephenJ]

Holding the festival on the holiday weekend means it can be a 3 night event rather than a 2 night one, allowing more local artists to be showcased, which is the primary aim of the festival. It also makes it easier for non-locally-based emerging artists and volunteers (most of whom work full-time) to attend. The accommodation issue is less than ideal but is something the festival has no control over so it could potentially be problematic on other possible weekends too. It seems better to hold the festival on a weekend when tourists are more likely to be in the town anyway?

To be clear, the festival is run by volunteers, not for profit and has made donations to a number of local causes and organisations. It is not (currently) grant funded so does not have a responsibility to the tourist industry in the same way other events may. All feedback is very welcome, especially from those who attend and support the events, or would like to.

[WC1]

Stephen, accommodation will only be an issue when the festival is on at the same time as a massive event like the MOK run, and if it's going to be the same weekend it will always be an issue. Similarly, if large numbers of tourists are down for the MOK run, it likely that they'll be going to the events that are organised around that rather than the songwriters' festival. Any kind of 'spin-off' for the festival is unlikely, or at least will be fairly limited, and likewise any potential spin-off to tourism from the festival. But you seem to be saying that's not the point, and that's fair enough.

I was simply saying that having the festival on the same weekend as the MOK run has prevented people known to me from attending. There are likely to be others in the same boat. That's a pity, I think.

[StephenJ]

WC, I agree that it is unfortunate if people would like to attend but cannot due to infrastructure issues. It is also a major issue when booking artist accommodation. Hopefully early booking and the newly refurbished hotels in the area will help to alleviate this slightly going forward.

It is preferable to be consistent with the timing of any event so that people can plan a year in advance.

History:

The first Songwriters festival was on 30th-31st May 2008 ("last weekend in May")
That year the MOK Run was on Sunday 25th May 2008 (no clash)

The 2nd Songwriters festival was on 29th-30th May 2009 ("last weekend in May")
MOK Run: Sunday 24th May 2009 (no clash)

The 3rd Songwriters festival was on 28-30th May 2010 ("last weekend in May", expanded to 3 nights, holiday weekend)
MOK Run: Sunday 30th May (clash)

The 4th Songwriters festival was on 27-39th May 2011 ("last weekend in May", 3 nights, holiday weekend)
MOK Run: Sunday 29th May (clash)

I believe the MOK Run has always been on the holiday weekend? The reality is that holiday weekends are bound to be better for tourists travelling to remote areas, and there are a limited number of those yearly. The issue is further clouded by the fact that Campbeltown sometimes diverges from national holiday dates and to the best of my knowledge has not always observed the Spring Bank holiday on the weekend in question?

It was decided at the start to place the Songwriters Festival at the opposite end of the summer from the MOK Music Festival to avoid any possible confusion between the two events in the minds of the public. The Songwriters festival seeks as wide an audience as possible but it is differentiated by not seeking a mass audience where entertainment is at the forefront of concerns (think a Channel 4 approach as opposed to ITV).

The MOK Music Festival is often thought to be on the 3rd weekend in August (as it says this on the sign outside the town) but in fact since there are sometimes 5 weekends in August, it has consistently been on the "2nd last weekend in August" throughout its history.

This year, the decision had to be made whether to continue with the "last weekend in May" pattern that had been established over 4 years or the "Spring Bank Holiday weekend" pattern established over the past two years when the event has been expanded to three nights.

If the songwriters event is the "last weekend in May" it will clash with the MOK Run some years and not others. If it is the "Spring Bank Holiday weekend" it will presumably always clash with the Run.

Over the past two years the attendance figures have been more than sustainable despite the inadvertent clash with the MOK Run.
Since a number of organisers, volunteers and participating musicians are not based locally, the holiday weekend simply suits them better. The size of the Festival audience has increased each year, and the Saturday event has consistently sold out early. The newer Sunday event however takes longer to sell. It is possible this is because of a clash with the MOK Run ceilidh, (although we don't believe there is a large crossover in potential audience) or more likely that Sunday nights are seen as less of a traditional "night out" that Friday and Saturday and the late May weekend is not unequivocally thought of as a "local" holiday?

The most pertinent question in the decision process (which I was not directly involved in) was whether this year's Sunday event would be more likely to sell on the night before a holiday Monday or not? It is clear in that context that the holiday weekend is preferable, especially so this year because of the Jubilee on the Tuesday, so the event was moved to the first weekend in June for the first time, breaking with one tradition and reinforcing another. Given the number of runners versus the number of tickets for the ceilidh, there is a possible overspill so the Songwriters festival Sunday audience could possibly benefit from that, and we have seen some evidence over the past two years that this is indeed the case.

It is arguable that due to its niche appeal the event would probably be able to sell all three nights even on a non-holiday weekend, but that is currently unproven. Due to proximity to the MOK Music Festival, the scottish summer bank holiday in early august is not a suitable alternative. That leaves the May Day holiday weekend which is maybe too early in the season.

Perhaps an audience and artist questionnaire at this year's festival could better establish the feasibility of moving to another weekend?