One of the most interesting things Mike Schoder said to me when I interviewed him for this month’s Launch Q&A was: "People are so willing with watching a new TV show or watching a new movie, so why aren’t they willing to experiment with a new band?"
It was a good point. I pay $9 every time I want to see a movie at the NorthPark AMC, and most of the Granada’s shows start at $10 or $12. Schoder followed his statement by explaining the venue’s aggressive marketing strategies, the best being its website, where you can listen to songs by scheduled artists, and even watch videos of them performing.
The listening feature, called Radio Granada, is much easier to use than most web music. There’s no need to download a file and play it with Real Player or Windows Media Player; music by the next artist to take the Granada’s stage begins playing as soon as you open the website. And if you don’t like it, all you have to do is scroll down and pick another artist or band.
My other favorite feature about the Granada’s advertising is its "goes good with" descriptions for each band, which give you an idea of what style the music is. For example, this Friday’s concert with Monte Montgomery "goes good with" John Mayer, Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews, among others.
Schoder is obviously big on educating the public about local music — also made evident by Granada’s newsletters sent out weekly, geared to nine different music style preferences. "Man, there’s a lot of bands out there," he told me. "It’s better now because people can publicize their bands on the Internet for nothing, so there’s more ability to learn about the artists."
