https://twitter.com/user/status/1107703261987917824
Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
i haven't really compared previous years to confirm it is scaled down much. There are still over 200 bands that will get announced for this year, including more headliners.
I know 2013 (the flood) nearly killed the festival, but people generously did not ask for their $ back. Events are no longer held at olympic plaza - probably due to cost and bad weather (june is the rainiest month in calgary). They regularly hold bingos and casinos, and attendance seems consistent. They have sponsors and get grants - i don't know if there is a revenue problem, but i can speak to some board members. Sometimes too i think they try not to book bands that have appeared recently - they seek out new artists and "bucket-list" bands that they have been wanting to book for years.
We lost some good venues - republik, nite owl. I think it has become harder for some us bands to cross the border. A low canadian dollar must be a problem too.
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The raw number of bands remains consistent, but when for various reasons the likes of Olympic Plaza or Republik or Theatre Junction Grand get removed as venues and they get replaced with the likes of...uh, McHugh House and a single show at Mac Hall it feels safe to say that the ability to pull in Guided By Voices-level talent is weakening. I'd have to dig through the programs I've kept over the years to check but it feels like they've scaled back the number of shows played at the big venues they still have as well. Reducing the shows being performed at the Palace from 3 down to 2, that kind of thing.
I guess we'll see, last year's venue arrangements felt particularly clumsy but hopefully it was an aberration. Presumably the King Eddy will return as a venue and it seems like the central library's auditorium is being used this year.