Mike in Brooklyn writes: I have the opportunity to start up a jam in a local restaurant – they are very supportive and will help publicize etc. I’ve never done this before and wonder if your team have suggestions / guidelines on how to set up and organize?
If there are any bluegrass publications or websites in your area, advertise there, and a flyer with details could get interested people if you put them out at bluegrass events (festivals, concerts, etc.).
OK to start small to get everyone used to coming, and hopefully the fun will get people spreading the word. Try hard to make sure there is a bass player at all the jams.
Those are the basics. Problems can arise including too many people, or people who dominate, or play too loud or fast. If there are two rooms, a slow jam in one would be a good idea.
Make a large poster of ground rules (Check your tuning; Mind your volume; Work together to sound good; Take turns, etc.) have it laminated and put it up in an obvious place each time you get together.
The restaurant should be aware that at some point they’ll likely be visit by reps from ASCAP and BMI. Those are licensing organizations who work on behalf of publishers and writers. Copyright law requires payments from profit-making venues for the use of copyrighted material and these orgs act as collection agencies for the publishers and writers. They set an annual payment for each type of venue, and restaurants are the lower tier, maybe $300/year for all songs performed that are written/owned by their members. Some coffeehouses and restaurants are shocked when approached like that, but it’s quite legit and venues can get sued if an ASCAP or BMI song gets played… so it’s pretty unavoidable — that is, once they become aware of the jam, which could take a while.
Those are some of the basics. Have a great time with it!
— Pete