Bands At The Farmer's Market?

[joseph]

The band at my farmer's market today was so obnoxiously loud that it was impossible for vendors and customers to talk with each other. The band would not turn down the music when asked. It was so outrageous that I sacrificed a week's pay and left the market early.


So how about it? Do you think that bands should be invited to play at farmer's markets? Does your farmer's market invite musicians to play at the market? How often does the band interfere with your ability to sell or buy vegetables? This has happened before, and I'm sure that it will happen again. Any suggestions about how to deal with bands that lack manners and common sense? What's the best way to deal with it when market managers won't tell the band to tone it down?

[shelleybean]

It's not supposed to be a concert. It's a farmer's market! We have a truck at ours that sometimes plays music but it's not so loud as to interfere with anyone's conversation.

[biscgolf]

one of my markets has music every week but they are careful to keep it low key- generally it is bluegrass or something similar and unamplified. i can't imagine them allowing a full band.

[Stowaway]

If it was a situation where "turning it down" was really an option, then something was going wrong. I lived two blocks from a thriving urban farmer's market in Philadelphia, and I live four blocks from a pretty great one now. Both of them had/have live music, which I'm sure I never really enjoyed, but it rarely got obnoxious. If they're plugging in an amplifier, that's when they're crossing a line. Music at a farmer's market should at least be acoustic.

Actually, by the time I left Philadelphia the Clark Park Farmer's Market on Saturdays was almost more of a street fair. There would be Amish and Mennonites from two counties over, and kids from after-school urban gardening programs, which was great, but increasingly there were also jugglers, people giving massages, and food trucks owned by people who were regulars on the Food Network. I hated it. The Thursday market was just farmers and customers, and while it had fewer customers, it had better farmers.

[Keger]

Originally Posted by joseph

The band at my farmer's market today was so obnoxiously loud that it was impossible for vendors and customers to talk with each other. The band would not turn down the music when asked. It was so outrageous that I sacrificed a week's pay and left the market early.


So how about it? Do you think that bands should be invited to play at farmer's markets? Does your farmer's market invite musicians to play at the market? How often does the band interfere with your ability to sell or buy vegetables? This has happened before, and I'm sure that it will happen again. Any suggestions about how to deal with bands that lack manners and common sense? What's the best way to deal with it when market managers won't tell the band to tone it down?

One I go to has a guy playing a guitar, which isn't horrible but I could still do without it. The managers think its cool so ok.

If I were you and it was that bad I would get the other sellers together and go to the managers that take your pick, us, or the band.

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by Keger

One I go to has a guy playing a guitar, which isn't horrible but I could still do without it. The managers think its cool so ok.

If I were you and it was that bad I would get the other sellers together and go to the managers that take your pick, us, or the band.

You can try that but I'd be prepared for the manager to pick the band. I'd also would be prepared for the other vendors to leave you out there all by yourself if the manager chooses the band.

Before I'd draw a line in the sand like that I'd try to determine why they had the band there in the first place. Are they trying to attract a different crowd, is it someones cousin that needed a gig, or is the manager just clueless.

Focus on the problem, which is that you customers can't communicate with you when the band is playing. Make it about the customers not yourself. See if you individually and as a group can propose alternate solutions that don't involve you or the band going. Maybe the band can be moved, or turned around. If you can get them shoved to the fringe of the market they may leave of their own accord. Maybe another musical performer can be proposed.

Get customers to complain. There is a lot less that a manager can do to a customer than a vendor.

If there are other markets in the area maybe it is time to go there.

[Keger]

Yeah but Doug, kinda hard to have a farmers market without sellers as well. If it is a solid, viable market, those that make up 80% of the business are regular, repeat customers. Those folks aren't buying veggies from the band, and we as sellers pay to be there. So in fact aren't we customers of the market manager?

[clkeiper]

Oyvey, Joseph. I cannot begin to fathom why anyone would do this, but I agree...keep it about the customers or if/when the customer remark about it quietly guide them to the market manager to voice their opinion on the quality/quantity/volume of the performers art.

[Cole_Robbie]

There is typically a culture clash at any given farmer's market. I call it the scruffy hippies versus the crusty old farmers. I don't mean that as derogatory or offensive to anyone; my friends are on one side and my family is on the other. I have been watching the battle wage on since I was a little kid. The clash was so great in my town that one side keeps breaking off and starting their own market to compete.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

There is typically a culture clash at any given farmer's market. I call it the scruffy hippies versus the crusty old farmers.

And what about the old scruffy crusty hippie farmers?

[joseph]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

And what about the old scruffy crusty hippie farmers?

We have one of those at our market, complete with a flower tucked behind the ear. It's my favorite place to buy vegetables that are not currently available from my fields.

[Dewayne mater]

Ours has one on "special" days that end up being about 4 times a year. One of them was loud one day and the manager of the market told them to turn it down. They wouldn't. So they were asked to pack up and leave and they did. I love our little F.M. because they have their priorities in order and if anything is going against that, they act quickly to remedy the situation.

Dewayne

[dustdevil]

Joseph, you should have popped a tape in your eight track player and drowned them out

[RebelRidin]

Send them some tomatoes with a note asking them to turn it down. If that doesn't work send them some by airmail!

[joseph]

I politely asked the band to turn it down. I asked every member of the market staff to ask the band to turn it down. I heckled the band for playing too loud. After it was obvious that nothing would change I removed myself from the market.

I had a cluster headache when I left the market that stayed for 3 days on the side of my head that was facing the band. Today is the first day I've felt well enough to work, so I cleaned out the truck and dumped the unsold produce in the compost pile.

My little battery powered boom box would not have been heard among that much commotion. I've been to disco dance clubs where the music was quieter than what was being played at the farmer's market!!! And the band was only 20 feet away from my table.

I regret donating a watermelon to the band. Next time I'll remember airmail!!!