MONTREAL ? The irony of Indie Montreal?s name is not lost on Jon Weisz.
It?s been a bit less than five years since Weisz founded the promotion company, and in that time the plucky underdogs have grown from a one-man operation based around organizing parties for friends into an integral cog in the Montreal music machine.
Now boasting seven employees, including Weisz, Indie Montreal has promoted more than 150 local shows in the past year, some of them featuring artists that have signed to major labels ? an act that would have garnered cries of ?heresy!? from the indie scene in years past. But unlike the stereotypical hipster, Weisz doesn?t hold the mindset that as soon as a band strives for popularity, it starts to suck.
?That?s something I?ve been asked a lot,? he said. ?To be totally honest, I wanted to name the company something else when I first started.?
While he may be dealing with some big bands these days, it doesn?t mean Indie Montreal is turning into big business. Rather than try to be in competition with the corporate colossus Evenko, or even the smaller Blue Skies Turn Black, Weisz preaches a business philosophy of co-operation.
?They are our competition, but in many cases we?ll work with them,? he said, pointing to four or five collaborative projects with other promoters that are in the works.
?The thing about promoting concerts is that the more competition there is among promoters, the worse off each promoter is. It drives up the price for certain acts; it makes the landscape less navigable. So I try to stay on as good terms with them as I can.?
As to whether he worries about reaching a ceiling due to not having the easy access to a venue like the Bell Centre that Evenko has, Weisz dismissed the idea out of hand.
?Frankly, I don?t have ambitions to do large-scale events like that,? he said. ?I think Evenko does a really good job at Bell Centre shows; that?s their thing. I actually don?t really like going to see huge events. I prefer going to and organizing more intimate events where people can interact with the artist in a certain way.?
If he?s reluctant to talk in the usual terms about the music industry, it?s because Indie Montreal, despite being Weisz?s full-time job, is still about the passion for music. Local bands continue to make their way onto bills with touring acts.
Groups that get booked are not necessarily chosen because they?ll bring in the most money at the door, but because the Indie Montreal staff is digging their songs.
The industry being what it is, profit does have to be a consideration. Different kinds of shows require different attitudes in booking, promotion and marketing.
But no matter who is playing, from a crowd-pleaser like Mark Berube to a local band performing its first gig, the same effort is invested to make it a success.
?We have more of a say to the identity of a show when it?s emerging acts rather than stand-alone headliners,? Weisz admitted. ?But even the smaller shows we do get the same kind of promo ? thousands of flyers, thousands of posters, all kinds of social media. We give the same attention to smaller shows that a lot of other promoters aren?t willing to take on, because it?s not a great economic endeavour.?
Which brings us back to the name. The war over the term ?indie? has raged for more than two decades now ? for details, ask your local scenester.
But what is ?indie? in Montreal? Is it the business side, or the music side? For Indie Montreal, it?s neither. Sometimes a name is just a name. If you?re good, the company just might find you a home on one of the city?s stages.
?We work with bands who fall into a lot of different genre categories,? Weisz said. ?The first thing is, do I think the band is doing something new or something that is worthwhile??
For more information on Indie Montreal, including a list of upcoming shows, visit indiemontreal.ca.
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