This interview with Boo Song, owner of Taos independent music venue The Mothership, is part of Hypebot’s In The Trenches. The series, sponsored by live music marketing solution Bandsintown PRO, spotlights the unsung heroes fighting to keep independent live music alive.
Hypebot: Tell us about yourself and your current gig?
Boo Song: "My name is Boo Song and I am the General Manager, Talent Buyer, Marketing Director of The Mothership in Taos, NM. I have a joint Electrical Engineering Honors College Degree from University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon."
H: What lead you to The Mothership?
BS: "My journey includes Wilmington, NC's The Soapbox; founding Progressive Music Group; talent buying for Richmond, VA's Hat Factory, Southeast/ Carolina's club talent buyer for Live Nation, events and marketing for cannabis dispensary chain Pinnacle Emporium and agent at LA's Empire Agency."
H: Tell us about your venue.
BS: "The Mothership in Taos, New Mexico. Capacity is 2,000 SRO, 1,000 half house/partially seated and 500 side stage. Our stage was constructed by The Earthship Community."
Some of the artists who have played here include Dead South, Shakey Graves, Thievery Corporation, Midland, Beats Antique, SOJA, Lucero, Magic City Hippies, Los Lonely Boys, The Motet, Desert Dwellers, Microwave and Free Throw."
The venue sits atop the Hondo Mesa with views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the background. They are a part of the Southern Rockies. We are several miles from the Rio Grande Gorge."
Taos, NM is a remote mountain community of 6500 with a strong arts and music community and Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with one of the longest inhabited operating Pueblos in the Nation."
H: What does your typical workday look like?
BS: "Every day is different."
It consists of connecting and communicating with Agents and Managers, sending offers, creating and implementing marketing plans, putting out fires on existing shows."
Venue management that can also look like staff scheduling, bar management, hospitality, Food & Beverage management, vending beer at area events. (We are a brewery too!), outsourcing labor, looking at cost analyzation of products, creating new channels of revenue."
H: What ‘go to’ tools, strategies and platforms do you use to market shows?
BS: "We use all of these:
• Meta
• Radio
• Email - Bandsintown & JamBase
• Organic email list through Laylo
• Cross promoting at our sister restaurant - Taos Mesa Brewing Taproom.
• Print
• Street Team
• Google, YouTube
• Heavy focus on regional markets: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Denver, Front Range CO (Durango, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Alamosa)
• We get 60-65% of patrons on national touring acts come from outside of Taos County."
H: What newer marketing tools, strategies and outlets show the most promise?
BS: "Geo-targeting."
H: Name a show or campaign that you were involved in where you felt you had the most impact and why?
BS: "All of them, because I book the show and also setup marketing, the bars, and load the band in, settle with the band."
H: What do you wish more artists and their teams would do differently that would make your job easier and help sell more tickets?
BS: "Proper assets including Videos and Video Liners. Utilize email lists and bands data to promote the show locally."
Basically have your team together, the more assets and language that you provide, the more we can integrate properly with marketing."
Learn more about The Mothership and check out the calendar on Bandsintown, or on Facebook/Instagram @TaosMothership.
