There are many costs associated with running a community-based arts organization, why keep them a secret?
First off, there's the unavoidable expenses like rent, utilities, insurance, licensing, routine services, and the robust suite of apps and software needed to keep an organization going.
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Then there's inventory; without anything to sell, there's no money to pay the aforementioned expenses. But wait - there's even more surprise expenses found in forms like 'The walk-in cooler's down!' or 'Why is there a puddle in the bathroom?' or 'someone backed into our door!'
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Further, who pays the person maintaining the website and socials to make sure the community knows what's going on? Who pays the sound tech? And, most importantly, who pays the artists?
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In case you didn't know, venues only really make money from drink sales. Not food, not really a portion of ticket sales - drink sales. For a deeper understanding of the relationship between liquor/beer sales and entertainment restrictions, we definitely recommend reading this case study; it explores Portland-specific data to demonstrate the tricky harbors of licensing various types of organizations.
FUN FACT: one of the first things Andrew and Celeste did was remove the pre-existing drink minimum. But why would they do this? What kind of confused capitalists take over a business and encourage the patrons to order less?
For a community-based arts organization to exist, it relies on the support of the community to get more people into an inviting room, with no objective other than to celebrate live performance. But some people who love live music the most don’t partake in drinking alcohol; some can’t afford it; some are under 21; some are under 18; the list goes on. Without adequate funding, legacy small venues will disappear and local music will cease to be much more than background noise at a local brewery or restaurant.
Please consider making a one-time or recurring donation to help support our programming and ensure Blue Portland Maine is open for another 20 years in its home on Congress Street.