Performing At The Nick

Please note: The Nickelodeon presents a series of twelve concerts running from late September to early April each year.

Performers wishing to be considered to play at the Nickelodeon should send their most recent CD and a cover letter containing their website or MySpace links to the mailing address of our Artistic Director::
Vic Bell, email: vicbell@telusplanet.net, telephone: (403) 284-4384 (answering machine)
Mailing Address:  2112 - 12th Avenue NW. Calgary, Alberta, Canada, T2N 1J9

Vic's Comments:
I am receptive to acts performing in the many genres of music that are regularly featured at Canadian folk music festivals. My preference is for exceptional and entertaining singer-songwriters and our audience seems to agree with that bias. I try to provide equal opportunities for male and female performers and to toss a bit of blues, country, world beat and occasional comedy into the mix. Any given season will tend to feature a majority of Canadian performers.

We set our dates for the following September to April season around the start of the year.  I will have most of the headliners for that season booked by the end of April.  We will often have a club or two open for the following spring, pending checking out acts at summer festivals. Opening act spots are usually not booked until the end of August. Booking so far in advance has its disadvantages, and cancellations sometimes occur. If you are touring to our area during our season, it never hurts to get in touch.

We work in cooperation with the artistic directors of Calgary's other volunteer clubs as well as with commercial venues in Calgary and other venues in Alberta and British Columbia. This does not mean that we block book, rather, we keep each other informed. Sometimes this leads to additional gigs. All club and festival artistic directors have complementary tickets to the Nick and vice-versa.

I regularly attend three to five folk festivals a summer and often go to the annual convention of the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance.  While I do occasionally book acts on the basis of a CD alone, more often I like to have seen a live performance before taking the plunge. It goes without saying that I already have a fairly large list of new acts I'd like to book, along with an ever-growing list of past performers who deserve a return engagement.

A look at our past seasons will reveal that solo performers predominate, although we have squeezed six piece bands on to our stage. A headliner gig at the Nick will often be negotiated for a guarantee plus a percentage of ticket revenue after expenses. We provide all sound and lights, a few beers and in-house food if desired. Our volunteers will sell your product at no charge (we do ask for one CD for future volunteer raffles) and we pay the SOCAN tariff so you can claim royalties with a live-performance report form.

International performers should be aware that performing at Canadian concert venues like the Nick, no longer requires a work permit. Performers who will appear in venues such as bars, restaurants etc. will still be required to purchase a permit on entry into the country. Performers must also apply for a Revenue Canada waiver up to five weeks in advance of their entry to the country. These waivers can generally be obtained (with arcane paperwork). Otherwise, we are required by Revenue Canada to withhold 15% of your fee for tax purposes.

The Folk Links page lists some resources that may be of  interest to touring artists and agents.