Local booker looks at the big picture in a time of slack attendance
If you know Sam Baijal, you know he’s been part of Guelph’s music community for a long time. And if you don’t know him, you’ve probably been to one of his shows.
For over 20 years, Baijal has been the programming coordinator for University Centre Services at U of G. He’s been artistic director for Hillside Festival for almost as long.
As one of Guelph’s leading promoters, he knows the market is never stagnant. “Myself and other people that have been doing this around here for a very, very long time have seen how things have changed,” said Baijal.There has been a steady decline in the number of active local promoters due to inaccessibility and corporate competition. Promoters often face costly barriers when renting spaces, acquiring liquor licences, and paying artists fairly.
“You have a lot more competition for artists happening across the board,” said Baijal. “As soon as a band gets hot, it gets scooped up by the major promoters, and the prices go up.” Major corporate festivals often include “radius clauses” in artist contracts that prevent them from playing any other festivals or shows within a certain distance and timeframe.
One result of the shifting, saturated market is the decline of festival attendance, which has even led to some festival cancellations. With Toronto festivals like Bestival, Riot Fest, and WayHome all failing to return to the city, it’s no secret that festivals are not doing well in Toronto.
Is Guelph immune to this trend? Baijal doesn’t think so: “We’re all vulnerable to economic forces. We have to pay attention to that.” Baijal and the Hillside team are diligent when it comes to maneuvering around these tribulations, and even predicted the decline in festival attendance. “We saw this coming eight years ago,” said Baijal.How does Baijal prepare Hillside to survive? By being different. “Every festival has a personality. Once you start doing something for a while, it develops a personality,” said Baijal. “The uniqueness of the festival really stands out.”
Hillside draws an eclectic array of music fans every year. “Its audience is incredibly open-minded to all kinds of different styles of music. It’s kind of like a blank canvas every year,” said Baijal. When it comes to booking acts, Baijal doesn’t turn to the big names. He focuses on smaller acts that he believes in.
Hillside also counterintuitively lowers its capacity to create a more enjoyable environment for festivalgoers. “We are actually working with a slightly lower capacity on purpose, because it’s more comfortable,” he said. Guelph is not an easy place to be a promoter. With nearby corporate events and festivals saturating the market, and a lack of accessible venues, promoters have a tough time bringing artists into the city, but that doesn’t stop Baijal from booking acts that he believes in for events on campus and Hillside Festival. “That festival exists because of this town and the type of people that are here,” Baijal said of Hillside.
Photo by Claudia Idzik