Hi there. Chiming in here. I was not able to attend this event cause I was out of town, my loss. But I have been at many meetings at different venues and I beleive that a quality venue is a very important aspect in our showcases. I was a regular for a while at Beaux Arts for the open mic, many of you know that place. We always were asked to give a donation of $3 to $5 at the door. I am sure that some gave more than that and some gave nothing, cool either way. I know that Java is a commericial venue and Beaux was a private venue, but, what if we do both? What if we ask for a voluntary donation of $5 at the door for those who choose to, and also bust our butts to bring people in and buy some food and drinks too? This way, it is a personal choice for everyone, and we give ourselves three different ways to build our business for the venue and become more important to them. I hear what Jak is saying, however I don't see it as giving anything away, I see it as building a home for all of us, and many more to come, to play and share our music. If we stay put long enough, we might actually become a "destination" for audiences to hear genuine creativity.

Kathryn Stafford