Answers

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

The first is that we are continuously searching for affordable or free venues to use for events on a temporary basis. These are shared spaces, where our events benefit the venue as well as Safe Ampers. Examples include restaurants and cafés that are permitted to have live music and appreciate the customers that our events bring. There are also many community centres, churches, youth centres, government agencies, schools and unions that have a written mandate to help youth in their community, and we are continuously trying to convince them that what youth in their community need is a space for music and art. Finally, there are many venues available for rent on a daily basis, and these are sometimes suitable for Safe Amp events.

The other approach we are taking to acquire a venue is fundraising to rent or lease a long-term 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!
Why do you need $20,000 before renting or leasing a venue space?
That’s our estimate of startup costs for a rented or leased venue. It’s an 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 of funds that we need to have before we’ll feel comfortable signing a lease or rental agreement. We are working on writing a Feasibility Study which may adjust the $20,000 figure and will explain dollar for dollar what the startup budget will be spent on.
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.
Do you have a particular location in mind for the new SASS venue?
No, we don’t. If the right opportunity comes along, we would probably be interested in 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. We are also in consultation with the City of Vancouver about what zones this sort of facility would be allowed in.
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 violate Vancouver's Noise Control Bylaw.
- It needs to have one large room, and possibly one or more smaller rooms as well.
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!
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!
What are you working on right now?
We have divided our workload into a number of different committees. If you want to get involved with a particular committee, please email its chair - they would love to hear from you! Some of our committees meet simultaneously at every general meeting and others operate independently. 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.
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.
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 and legally-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.
Why do you need my address and postal code for me to become a member?
The Society Act of BC requires us to collect this information. We do not discriminate against homeless people though; if you don't have a fixed address, just write "no fixed address" in place of your postal address.
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 set up a meeting to discuss your proposed role as a new director. Then we will add an election to the agenda of the next general meeting. If you are acclaimed, then an actual ballot is not necessary. Remember, you cannot request to be elected as a new director at a meeting; you must contact us at least one week beforehand to ensure this item is added to the agenda.
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 are just as important as our commitment to cultural inclusiveness.
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 of our Society can organize a legal affordable all-ages event now at an existing venue in Vancouver, using the Safe Amp name to mutual advantage.
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.
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.
I'm from an awesome band from another city, and we are thinking of coming to Vancouver to play a show. Can we play at one of your events?
We love it when bands from other cities want to play in Vancouver. As you know from reading Question 18 above, Safe Amp itself isn’t a show promoter. We are a network of over 150 individual people, many of whom book shows from time to time, occasionally using the words “Safe Amp presents...” to help them promote and help the organization build its resume of past events. So, while 'Safe Amp' itself cannot book you a show, perhaps one of our members can. We have identified about 50 of our members who enjoy booking shows, and if you email communication@safeamp.org asking to play a show in Vancouver, we can forward your message to all of them. If any of them are able to set something up, they’ll be in touch! In the meantime, you might wish to check out our list of Vancouver concert booking contacts.
I'm from an awesome local band. Can we 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 Facebook 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.
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 and website and can invite our 1000+ Facebook 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, we have a PA and microphones that you can borrow for your event, free of charge.

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

Fifthly, 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.
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. For more information, see Policy Document #3: Safe Amp Events.
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.
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 communication@safeamp.org and we’ll get back to you with a decision as soon as possible.
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.
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
Do you accept donations from anybody?
Not necessarily - for more information, see Policy Document #6: Accepting Donations.
How is Safe Amp money spent?
For more information on our spending policy, see Policy Document #2: Expenditures.
When was this FAQ last updated?
It was last updated in October, 2011.

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