Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Safe Amplification Site Society?
2. Why is this needed?
3. How did Safe Amp start?
4. How are you working towards opening a venue?
5. Why do you need $20,000 before renting or leasing a venue space?
6. How will you pay for the space once it's open?
7. Do you have a particular location in mind for the new SASS venue?
8. What kind of space are you looking for?
9. Is this even possible?
10. What is your timeline?
11. What are you working on right now?
12. Why should I donate money to SASS?
13. Why should I become a member of SASS?
14. Why do you need my address and postal code for me to become a member?
15. How can I become a director of the Safe Amplification Site Society?
16. I read that your new venue will allow any kind of cultural event. Does that include events that are racist / sexist / homophobic / etc.?
17. Why do you want to start an alcohol-free venue? Are you straight-edge or religious fundamentalists?
18. You don't have a venue yet, but I keep noticing 'Safe Amp Presents' on flyers for events around town, and I see a whole bunch of events listed on your website. What are those?
19. So are you a promotions company then?
20. Does the Society take any money out of the door proceeds at SASS events?
21. Can my band play at one of your events?
22. If I have to organize it myself, why should I bother making my event a SASS event? What's in it for me?
23. What are the rules for something to be a SASS event? What do you mean by legal, affordable and all-ages?
24. Are you a registered non-profit organization?
25. Can I use your non-profit status to get a discount somewhere?
26. How can I add something to the agenda of a general meeting?
27. What's your preferred nickname: SASS or Safe Amp? Is there a difference?
28. When was this FAQ last updated?
    

 

 

1. What is the Safe Amplification Site Society?
The Safe Amplification Site Society is a non-profit society dedicated to establishing a permanent all-ages space for music and other arts events in Vancouver. You can read more about it here.

 

2. Why is this needed?
There is a tremendous amount of incredible talent in Vancouver, but with no reliable place to perform, artists either move elsewhere, struggle to get by with illegal and unsustainable venues, or give up on performing altogether. There isn't a single performance space in Vancouver that is legal, affordable, all-ages and accessible to any genre of music. There are many venues that have a few of those traits, but none that possess all four. We feel that that’s a deplorable gap in our cultural landscape and we have set out to do something about it.

One of our members is also writing an in-depth essay that explains the philosophical background of why Safe Amp is necessary. We'll post it here when it's done.

 

3. How did Safe Amp start?
Safe Amp was conceived when several friends from within Vancouver’s music and arts communities realized they were all thinking about starting a venue and decided it would be best to work together. They held a few very broad meetings where about 10-12 friends discussed a lot of different ideas and approaches. Eventually a consensus was reached on the name Safe Amplification Site Society and on basic guiding principles like inclusiveness, legality, sustainability, affordability, and positivity. They decided that their next step should be to incorporate as a non-profit society, and doing so required a formal constitution, bylaws, and a list of founding directors. Once those things were established, the group announced their existence via the internet, and more people have been getting involved ever since.

 

4. How are you working towards opening a venue?
We are simultaneously pursuing two different routes to a venue.

The first is that we are lobbying for a free or very-cheap venue to use for events on a temporary basis. This would likely be a shared space, where our events benefit the venue’s current occupants in ways that go beyond simply paying rent. For example, there are many community centres, churches, youth centres, government agencies, schools and unions that have a written mandate to help youth in their community; we are trying to convince them that what youth in their community need is a space for music and art, and remind them that they can easily provide that space. Another mutually-beneficial space-sharing arrangement could be with a restaurant or café that is permitted to have live music and would benefit from the large number of customers that our events would bring. A third way we are trying to acquire a free venue is by approaching the owners of buildings that are currently empty and convincing them that since they aren’t generating any rental income anyway, allowing us to use the space free of charge would not hurt them financially, and would in fact help as we would increase the value of the space by keeping it clean, secure and well-maintained.

The other approach we are taking to acquire a venue is fundraising to rent or lease a space off of the commercial market. We are committed to being financially sustainable, however, so we don’t want to rush into a lease until we are confident we can pay for it. We have set a goal of $20,000 to pay for startup costs, and we will not really be looking at commercial spaces until we have raised at least that much money. You can see how much money we have right now by viewing our current financial statement. Please help us get to $20,000 faster by donating money or volunteering to help with fundraiser events!

 

5. Why do you need $20,000 before renting or leasing a venue space?
That’s our estimated startup cost for a rented or leased venue. It’s our educated guess at how much it might cost for renovations, soundproofing, basic equipment, licenses, permits, fees, insurance, damage deposit and the first few months of rent (because it might take a while before the venue generates enough income to pay for itself). Some people say $20,000 is too low, others say it’s too high, but for us it’s just a minimum amount funds that we need to have before we’ll feel comfortable signing a lease or rental agreement. We are working on writing a more detailed startup budget that will explain dollar for dollar what the $20,000 will be spent on.

 

6. How will you pay for the space once it's open?
We are currently in the process of writing a Feasibility Study that will include a detailed business plan for how to cover expenses on an ongoing basis. Most likely we will have to take a percentage of the cover charge for events and will rely on donations, fundraising and grants to pay for the rest. We are also committed to volunteerism and plan on having very minimal overhead costs.

 

7. Do you have a particular location in mind for the new SASS venue?
No, we don’t. If we are successful in finding a free or cheap temporary space, we would probably be interested in taking it no matter where it’s located. And as for renting a venue off the commercial market, we don’t have a particular space in mind because the spaces that are available now will probably not be still available when we have enough money to proceed.

 

8. What kind of space are you looking for?
We have some general ideas, although most of these aren't firm and if the perfect location comes along but doesn't fit one of these parameters, we would still be open to it.
- It should have a capacity of between 80-200 people.
- It must be located within Vancouver city limits, probably East of Cambie, West of Renfrew and North of about King Edward.
- It should be easily accessible by bike and transit routes.
- It needs to be properly zoned and permitted for live music events.
- It needs to be either soundproofed, soundproofable, or located in a place where it will not anger neighbours or break Vancouver's Noise Control Bylaw.
- It needs to have one large room, and possibly one or more smaller rooms as well.

 

9. Is this even possible?
Yes: it is possible, and we will open a venue. It's going to take a lot of time, though. We have no paid staff and are going as fast as we can. But we are not going to give up! What we are doing may be new to Vancouver, but it's not new to the world. Similar models have succeeded in lots of other cities, and it's going to happen here. We just need to work hard and be patient - and we need your help!

 

10. What is your timeline?
Unfortunately it might take longer than most of us would like. For some all-ages venues, it took years to raise enough money to rent, upgrade, and legally operate a space. We want this to happen as soon as possible, though, and we are working at it just as fast as we can. If you want to help speed up the process, please consider volunteering or making a financial contribution!

 

11. What are you working on right now?
We currently have four committees which all meet simultaneously at every general meeting. People sign up to do work within their committee’s subject area, and then have a month to complete it (on their own or with a small group) before reporting back at the next meeting. For more information, come to a meeting or check out our minutes!

There are also some things that members, directors or small groups are working on outside of the committees. These include booking events, updating this website, dealing with issues, planning meetings, and building relationships with relevant City officials and members of the community.

 

12. Why should I donate money to SASS?
You should donate money because you want a permanent, legal, sustainable, safe, affordable, accessible all-ages venue in Vancouver. You want it so badly that you are willing to pay for it with your own hard-earned money. It's not going to be free, and we are counting on you for support. Our financial records are always available online, so it’s easy for you to see where and how your donation is being spent. Your donations also help us show major funders and City staff that there is a wide base of support for this project. Anyone who donates more than $100 will have the option of being recognized on our past donors page.

 

13. Why should I become a member of SASS?
Becoming a member is a simple way of saying you support this project; the more members we have, the broader our membership becomes and the more supported our society appears. You can still get involved without becoming a member, but membership signifies your involvement in a concrete, legal, and documented manner.

Some other advantages of being a member:
- You can organize Safe Amp events now and receive all of the event support that we provide.
- You will be able to organize events at the new venue once it’s open.
- You will get a snazzy membership card.
- You will get emails notifying you about upcoming general meetings.
- You will be able to add items to the agendas of general meetings.

 

14. Why do you need my address and postal code for me to become a member?
Because Part 11 of our bylaws requires us to notify all members of a general meeting via either email or postal mail, we must keep a record of all members' email and postal addresses. We will not send you junk mail or forward your address to marketing companies. This requirement does not discriminate against homeless people: if you don't have a fixed address, just write "no fixed address" in place of your postal address.

 

15. How can I become a director of the Safe Amplification Site Society?
Our organization is committed to being inclusive and open to anyone, even at the directorship level. But be forewarned: being a director is a big commitment and a lot of work. We have high expectations for ourselves, and we’ll have high expectations for you too. We recommend you come to a few meetings and get heavily involved with one of our committees first. If you do that for a few months and find that you are still feeling 100% dedicated to the organization, then you may be ready to become a director.

This is the process for becoming a new director. First, email your intentions to secretary@safeamp.org and request that the following two items be added to the agenda of the next general meeting. The first is a motion to increase the number of directors by one. Our membership will be required to vote on the issue, and if it passes, then there will be a new vacant directorship position. The second item will be an election to fill the new vacancy. You would nominate yourself in person at the meeting, and then members would vote by a show of hands on whether or not to elect you. Remember, you MUST email your intentions to our secretary at least one week before a general meeting in order to put these items on the agenda. You cannot request votes on increasing the number of directors or on electing new directors in person at the meeting; it has to be on the agenda beforehand.

 

16. I read that your new venue will allow any kind of cultural event. Does that include events that are racist / sexist / homophobic / etc.?
While it’s true that we hope to allow any kind of cultural event at our venue, we are also committed to being 100% legal and safe. Section 319 of Canada’s Criminal Code explicitly outlaws the “public incitement of hatred,” and we intend to take this law seriously. Furthermore, we are committed to providing a safe environment for event attendees, and we feel that a racist / sexist / homophobic / etc. production may jeopardize that safety. While we are not interested in censorship, it's fair to say that our commitments to legality and safety outweigh our commitment to cultural inclusiveness.

 

17. Why do you want to start an alcohol-free venue? Are you straight-edge or religious fundamentalists?
While some of our members do have moral issues with the consumption of alcohol, our plan to be an alcohol-free venue primarily comes out of our wishes to be legal and all-ages. We don't want to be another quasi all-ages space that gets shut down after a few months because they are selling booze illegally, and we also don't want to be another bar that doesn't allow anyone under the age of 19 to participate. If BC’s liquor laws are ever re-written in such a way that it becomes easy for a music and arts venue to be legal, all-ages AND allow alcohol, then we could consider changing our alcohol policy at that time. Currently, it seems like the only way to be legal and all-ages is to be alcohol-free, and that’s the main reason why we’ve set out to create a dry venue.

 

18. You don't have a venue yet, but I keep noticing 'Safe Amp Presents' on flyers for events around town, and I see a whole bunch of events listed on your website. What are those?
While we haven't opened our permanent space yet, we are trying to hold events at various other locations, operating as a virtual venue or a venue without walls. The fact that there isn’t a single performance space in Vancouver that is legal, affordable, all-ages and open to any genre makes this very difficult, but we are doing our best to work with existing cultural infrastructure. Just as any member will be able to organize an event at our new venue when it opens, any member can organize a legal affordable all-ages event now at an existing venue in Vancouver, using the Safe Amp name to mutual advantage.

 

19. So are you a promotions company then?
No: we are more like an open network of individual promoters and event organizers. Anyone can become a member of the Society, and any member of the Society can organize an event using the Safe Amp name, provided it’s legal, affordable and all-ages. The Society itself does not organize events; individual members do, and they use our name to mutual advantage. We are currently working on developing a system whereby our volunteers will be available to support Safe Amp events free of charge.

 

20. Does the Society take any money out of the door proceeds at SASS events?
No: the individual event organizer is responsible for covering their costs and paying the performers fairly. Sometimes we hold SASS benefit / fundraiser shows where the proceeds do go to the Society, but these are special situations that are clearly discussed with performers beforehand.

Once we open our own venue, we may have to take a small percentage of door proceeds to cover costs, but this decision has not yet been finalized.

 

21. Can my band play at one of your events?
Yes, but you have to organize the event yourself. First, become a member of the society. Then organize a legal affordable all-ages event somewhere in Greater Vancouver. Look at our database of existing all-ages venues if you need some ideas for where to hold the event. Once it’s booked, email secretary@safeamp.org and we’ll list it on our website and Myspace as a Safe Amp event. If you want it listed on our Facebook group with invitations automatically sent to our 500+ group members, we have to create the event page ourselves, so just send us the info you want included and we’ll do it up. Once the event page has been created, we’ll make you an 'admin' so you can invite other people and make any necessary changes. Our publicist and event support co-ordinator will also be in touch with you to offer the volunteer services that SASS provides for its events.

 

22. If I have to organize it myself, why should I bother making my event a SASS event? What's in it for me?
One reason is we help to publicize all SASS events - we list them on our display board, website and Myspace and can invite our 500+ Facebook group members and the subscribers to our mailing list. People check these things often as a way of finding out about all-ages events in Vancouver, so making your event a SASS event may increase your audience size.

Secondly, we can provide volunteer support at the event itself, free of charge.

Thirdly, our non-profit status can get you a discount on renting many hall venues in Vancouver.

Fourthly, making your event a SASS event helps us by adding to our resume of awesome past productions, which demonstrates to potential supporters that there is a strong interest in this project. And since you want this project to succeed, anything that helps us also helps you.

Finally, there is no reason why your event shouldn't be a SASS event. We don't charge money to use the name or take a percentage of the door proceeds. So if your event is going to be legal, affordable and all-ages anyway, there is really no reason not to make it a SASS event.

 

23. What are the rules for something to be a SASS event? What do you mean by legal, affordable and all-ages?
All SASS events must be legal, affordable and all-ages.

- All-ages means any person must be allowed to attend the event, regardless of their age

- SASS generally defines “affordable” as a cover / ticket / entrance charge that is $5 or less. If you wish to charge more than $5 and have a good reason to do so (for example it's a fundraiser, it's at an expensive hall venue, there's 10 bands playing or there's a famous touring act that needs a guaranteed amount of pay), we may be able to make an exception to the $5 rule, but our directors need to discuss the event and approve the higher cost at a special meeting. Email secretary@safeamp.org if you want to apply for an exception to the $5 rule.

- Legal means the show must be held in a legal location. We don't expect you to demand to see all of the venue's licenses and permits, but generally it just has to be a legitimate venue. Restaurants, cafes, galleries, and halls are all usually okay. House shows may be alright if they are free, quiet and early. Shows in guerilla spaces such as parking lots, abandoned warehouses, parks or banks are generally not legal unless you have explicit permission from the property owner. Alcohol may be sold at SASS events as long as the venue is properly licensed and booze is not being sold to minors. We’ve recently learned that BYOB is illegal at every non-residential location in British Columbia, and so as of December 2009 we will not be allowing BYOB at any non-residential Safe Amp event. Our event support team will help to make sure illegal activities are not occurring at SASS events, but ultimately it is the responsibility of the individual event organizer to ensure it is legal as well as affordable and all-ages.

 

24. Are you a registered non-profit organization?
Yes, we have been incorporated as a non-profit society by the Province of British Columbia's Corporate Registry, in accordance with the Society Act, since June 5, 2009. You can read our legally registered constitution and bylaws here.

 

25. Can I use your non-profit status to get a discount somewhere?
Some businesses offer discounts to registered non-profit organizations, and SASS is indeed a registered non-profit. If you are a Safe Amp member, you may be able to use our non-profit status to your advantage, depending on what it is you’re trying to get a discount on. If you’re talking about renting a hall venue for a concert or other event, then we can only allow you to use our non-profit status if the event you’re organizing is going to be a Safe Amp event. If it’s something else you’re trying to get a discount on, then we will consider it on a case-by-case basis. Just email your proposal to secretary@safeamp.org and we’ll get back to you with a decision as soon as possible.

 

26. How can I add something to the agenda of a general meeting?
First, you have to be a member of the Society, so if you’re not, then become one. Once you’re a member, all you have to do is email your proposed agenda addition to secretary@safeamp.org at least one week before the meeting and as long as it seems like an appropriate use of meeting time, we’ll add it. If the agenda is already full for that meeting, we may have to postpone your suggested addition to another meeting sometime in the future.

 

27. What's your preferred nickname: SASS, S.A.S.S. or Safe Amp? Is there a difference?
Our official name is "Safe Amplification Site Society." Because that's a bit long, sometimes people abbreviate it to SASS, S.A.S.S. or Safe Amp. For the record, "SASS," "S.A.S.S.," "Safe Amp," and "Safe Amplification Site Society" all mean the same thing; we use them synonymously.

 

28. When was this FAQ last updated?
It was last updated in December, 2009.