Emergenza

Emergenza is a European and North American music festival for up-and-coming bands. The first Emergenza festival was held in Rome in 1994. The festival expanded through the rest of Europe through the 1990s, and has included cities in the United States since 2004.

Artists compete for votes in a series of live concerts with a "Battle of the Bands" format, with those that secure the most votes advancing to further rounds. Bands pay a fee to enter the festival, get free gadgets and are supplied with tickets to sell to their fans.

Winners from the National Finals play at the International final in Germany in August, during the Taubertal Festival.

howcase Tour

The Best of Emergenza Showcase Tour is a special series of shows featuring the top winners of the Emergenza Festival who are taken on tour around North America and Europe. The B.E.S.T. showcases are incorporated into the Emergenza shows and the selected bands play at the end of the each concert night. In 2007, the BEST Tour had slots of shows at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.

Criticism

Emergenza is a for-profit company that sustains its operations through a revenue model that is disputed by some of its participants. A $70 fee is required to enter, however bands receive profit from ticket sales if they sell over 45 of their 100 tickets in the initial rounds, a task many bands have much trouble completing. Bands often complain that in earlier rounds the voting system is more of a popularity contest than a true representation of talent. Many bands who take part see a more sensible system in using judges throughout all stages, with judges of "higher importance" being used through further stages. A large amount of shows are in 21 and over establishments.

Complaints, considerations and rebuttals

Some people retain that Emergenza is a 'pay to play' operation.

The festival is organized by a company with capital which engages nearly twenty employees who work all year to make the festival possible - thus there is a need for income to sustain this structure.

As far as the 'lucrative' aspect of the operation is concerned, one would do well to look into the details and realize that the festival is not the central focus of the organization. Instead, the organization, basing itself on the experience of having interviewed 729 bands, sponsors, on a non-profit basis, 200 tours and other promotional showcases. All expenses associated with these showcases are covered for the bands. Dealing with bands who are not widely known, it is evident that none of these expenses recovered and so the financial and organizational commitment to these bands is obvious.

Despite this, it appears that between 5 & 6% of musicians who take part in the festival feel it was not organized as they would have liked it to be. About 55% consider it alright and 30% are very happy and decide to play again for a second season.

The festival would seem as an optimal opportunity for mid-level musicians and bands, while, objectively speaking it may be less advantageous for those who have already achieved some notoriety on a regional and national scale. The organization appears very attentive and committed to communications with musicians who are informed of every detail of the proceedings. Given this level of attention, it would seem that either the grievances put forth by the 5/6% of musicians are not always legitimate or that the organization is unable to sustain the necessary level of communication with more than 94/95% of all participants.

Based on an analysis of various forums and interviews, a lack of quality in organization has been noted in eleven concerts over the last six years - five in the UK, three in the USA, and one in each Italy, France and Canada. During these shows the sound was not run well and some equipment was sub-par, including microphones cutting in and out and low quality PA systems in a Buffalo, NY show on February 8, 2008.

The Controversy surrounding the Buffalo show is based on the notion that originally, there were to be three shows in a row, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Due to poor planning and lack of communication, the Thursday and Saturday shows were cancelled, with all bands performing Friday, which only totaled six. The required technical meetings were moved from the Wednesday before the show to the Thursday with no notification to many bands, some traveling nearly two hours to make the meetings, which didn't happen. They bands were then informed that instead of Emergenze taking the top 3 bands to participate in Buffalo at a later date, that night would be the local final with the winner going to New York City to preform in the national final. the controversy with this is that the local finals are supposed to be judged, with the first stage being fan voted. Now, the fan votes determine who went to the national final, a very unfair procedure with the last band of the night, who sold the most tickets to friends, winning.

In 2006 the festival put on 1873 concerts. In the 2005-06 season 161 prizes announced and promised by the organization (guitars, basses, amps, cymbals, drums mics and other gear) were delivered to their rightful recipients in a timely and no hassle manner. Three cases were reported where the system malfunctioned - two bands received their prize with a 5 month delay and one musicians maintains he never received his. Every band who was promised (and who won) the trip to Germany for the International Final has made the journey. Every year all of their transportation is covered - including flights, shuttles to get to and from the hotel, as well as food and board. In ten years 189 bands have taken part in the International Final courtesy of Emergenza. Two bands retain that the hotel where they stayed did not meet with their expectations - because the rooms were not private, a fact that is confirmed by other musicians. It does not however appear that the organization ever promised private rooms. Six out of the 189 bands have made complaints about the lack of variety in food provided - even if nothing could be said about its quality or quantity provided. Finally, two bands have complained that alcoholic drinks were not provided to musicians free of charge after midnight - once again a fact confirmed by other musicians.

In 2008, there was controversy surrounding the NY finals held at Webster Hall. The bands had been told that the finals for the NY portion of the festival would be held at Webster Hall in the main ballroom, and that the winner would move on to compete in Germany. However, when the bands arrived on the day of the show, they found that the concert had been moved into the basement which had a maximum capacity of 300 people. Also, there were exposed electrical wires, unfinished plumbing, no sheetrock on the ceiling (just exposed insulation), and a fire alarm pull station that was unattached to the wall and dangling from the ceiling. After the bands complained, the show was eventually moved upstairs to a slightly larger room (not the main ballroom), with a maximum capacity of 400 people.

Emergenza also claims that if a band wins their final regional heat, they immediately move on to compete in Germany, however the 2008 Irish winners, Deshonos, were instead told they were going to compete in London a week later. In London they were introduced as "Special Guests", competing in a show they were not supposed to be in.

Another concern that is brought forth by 59 bands (51 American and eight Canadian) is the age limit for musicians in some cities - which limits their participation. In many US states and Canadian provinces there are restrictions on musicians, audience or both, who may enter a given venue, be it 18, 19 or 21 years of age. The organization does not deny this claim and justifies it by putting forth the fact that it cannot produce concerts which do not conform to the laws of the region where they are taking place.Upon an analysis of venues which hosted the festival, 49 out of 327 are bound by a government restriction on age of both musicians and audiences.

External links

* [http://www.emergenza.net Emergenza Music Festival]
* [http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=39458&category=22101 For the Love of Money: Is the Emergenza Festival Ripping Off Local Bands?] at the Portland Mercury
* [http://www.the-mag.me.uk/Band-Profiles/Emergenza-Battle-of-the-Bands/ Emergenza 2004 on The Mag]