Research - Stage 1

So currently I'm attempting to start looking up the venues that I plan to visit next year. This part of the process seems to go both simultaneously really slow and also really fast. Occasionally I'll find a website that dedicates itself to the same goal that I have. I've known about the All-Ages Movement Project for a while now, but last night I discovered a similar group geared towards houses that have DIY shows called Do DIY USA. If you're not familiar with them (as most people don't seem to be... and to an extent it looks like they're not familiar with each other) let me give you a little bit of the info that I've gleaned off of their websites.

The All-Ages Movement Project (or AMP for short) is a non-profit grant funded organization run out of San Francisco. Shannon, the project manager, has big dreams. She's currently creating a network of all-ages non-profit music and art collectives all around the United States. Her goal is to have a continually updated database of not only these collectives, but also tools that anyone can use to make their non-profit all-ages collective a reality, something permanent and reliable. She hopes to have a book out next year with stories from ten successful collectives and also at some point wants to mount a summit for these collectives. Like I said, big dreams.

Do DIY USA appears to be (and I say appears because I haven't talked to them like I've talked to Shannon, all I have to go on is their myspace) attempting to create a network of DIY venues across the United States, similar to AMP except with a different focus. They currently have listings of more than a few DIY house venues all over, from Iowa to New York, but it appears that there are only one, maybe two, legit venues on their list. They say they want to help bands book all all-ages tours and share resources. More power to them. I sent them a message and wait for a response back, maybe we can help each other.

As far as the research is going, it's somewhat tough. Although I can be sure to find venues in areas I plan to visit, there's no way that while it's still October I can discover who's going to be playing the night that I stop in these cities. After I conduct my research here I think I'll be a little more confident about contacting people and telling them what I'm about. But as a booker I know it can be somewhat intimidating to have something planned so far in advance when there are so many variables. Then again, maybe I should just bite the bullet and suck it up, stop being so timid about this.