Day Two At the WFMU Record Fair

I mentioned that my table was towards the back at the WFMU Record Fair this weekend. There were some clear disadvantages to this location. For one, the front of the room was mobbed and there was a lot of jazz at almost every table, so by the time people made it to my side of the room – if, indeed, they did make it at all – they were pretty jazzed out, and perhaps even all spent out with no more cash in their wallets. The second disadvantage to my location was the unfortunate reality that it was close to where the WFMU people had set up their live broadcast, which meant there was loud music and gab incessantly in my ears from 10 in the morning through the day. All of which was pretty bad.

And then it got worse.

Sometime in the later afternoon, perhaps 3 p.m. or so, they decided to have live music: Yes a rock band, followed by another rock band, each one trying to out-noise the other. Or so it seemed to these delicate, jazz-oriented ears. Loud doesn’t begin to describe what it was like at my table. The whole area of the room was quaking: Potential customers stayed away, and those that did come wouldn’t linger and weren’t able to ask any questions. I tried to cope by stuffing my ears with napkins, but it didn’t really keep out the noise and made me look quite ridiculous and perhaps a little ancient as well.

Up to that point I had been debating whether to come back for Day Three of the record fair, which I had already paid for. I figured I’d be able to sell some records if I came back but, frankly, two days there is more than enough for me, with the noise, the chatter and the boredom of just sitting behind a table waiting for a couple of pleasant conversations with a buyer or two. About 15 minutes of the first rock band made up my mind for me, no sweat: No way I was coming back for Day Three.

Despite the complaints it was actually a good experience. I sold more than 100 records, brought in more than $2,500 and spread the word of Jazz Collector to a bunch of people who, believe it or not, had never heard of the site. I’m sure I’ll be back next year, hopefully with a better table and certainly for no more than three days. As you can see by the picture of me below, taken by my daughter, the lovely Ms. JC, everything seemed quite copacetic. The picture above was taken from my location at the back of the hall, looking out towards where all the people were actually gathered.

Finally,  just because I didn’t go back to the WFMU Record Fair for Day Three, don’t assume that my chronicle is over. In fact, the two days at the fair and the return home provided inspiration for a radical new idea that could impact many of you the in the Jazz Collector audience. But that will have to wait for my next post.  See you then.