Answers
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.
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.
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.
We are simultaneously pursuing two different routes to a venue.
The first is that we are searching for affordable or free venues to use
for events on a temporary basis. They would likely be shared spaces,
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 them, 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!
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 more detailed startup budget that will explain dollar for dollar what
the $20,000 will be spent on.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
We have divided our workload into a number of different committees, some of which meet simultaneously
at every general meeting. People sign up to do work within their committee’s
subject area and then have about 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While some of our members do have moral issues with the consumption of
alcohol, our plan to create 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 for a venue 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 550+ 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.
One reason is we help to publicize all SASS events - we list them on our
display board, website and Myspace and can invite our 550+ 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.
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.
- We recognize that there is perhaps not a single venue in Vancouver that is 100.00% completely legal, and that the law around performance spaces is a bit of a grey area. We don't expect
you to demand to see all of the venue's licenses and permits, but generally our events just have to be held in places that are mostly free of legal risk and where there would be nothing to worry about if police or
City officials show up. Restaurants, cafes, halls and some art galleries are usually okay. House shows usually aren't, unless they are for a private audience, but in that case they're not accessible to everyone, which is a problem. 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 liquor is not being sold
to minors. Unlicensed 'booze cans' may be the bread and butter of the Vancouver music community, but we don't feel they are suitable locations for Safe Amp events. We’ve also 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 events. Our
event support team can 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 their event is legal as well as affordable and all-ages. If you're thinking of doing an event at a particular venue and don't know whether or not Safe Amp would consider it legal, please email your proposal to secretary@safeamp.org and our board will discuss it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It was last updated in June, 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Safe Amplification Site Society?
- Why is this needed?
- How did Safe Amp start?
- How are you working towards opening a venue?
- Why do you need $20,000 before renting or leasing a venue
space?
- How will you pay for the space once it's open?
- Do you have a particular location in mind for the new
SASS venue?
- What kind of space are you looking for?
- Is this even possible?
- What is your timeline?
- What are you working on right now?
- Why should I donate money to SASS?
- Why should I become a member of SASS?
- Why do you need my address and postal code for me to become
a member?
- How can I become a director of the Safe Amplification
Site Society?
- I read that your new venue will allow any kind of cultural
event. Does that include events that are racist / sexist / homophobic
/ etc.?
- Why do you want to start an alcohol-free venue? Are you
straight-edge or religious fundamentalists?
- 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?
- So are you a promotions company then?
- Does the Society take any money out of the door proceeds
at SASS events?
- Can my band play at one of your events?
- If I have to organize it myself, why should I bother making
my event a SASS event? What's in it for me?
- What are the rules for something to be a SASS event? What
do you mean by legal, affordable and all-ages?
- Are you a registered non-profit organization?
- Can I use your non-profit status to get a discount somewhere?
- How can I add something to the agenda of a general meeting?
- What's your preferred nickname: SASS or Safe Amp? Is there
a difference?
- When was this FAQ last updated?
