On this episode, Michael Dorf, founder of City Winery and the Knitting Factory, pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to build and scale a unique live music venue without losing its soul, especially in today's challenging times. Music lawyers Bill Hochberg and Elliot Resnik have front row seats for Dorf's unforgettable tales of near-disasters and soaring successes. We hear about Prince showing up at 3 a.m. and playing until 6 a.m., after blowing off Beyonce. And Avant Garde musician John Zorn shouting curses from the stage at Lou Reed and a chatty Madeleine Albright, causing secret service agents to draw their guns and what went down next. Wild stories mix with sage advice on how to not only survive but thrive in tough times. That's what's on the menu for this episode.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro: How Prince Blew Off Beyonce
02:28 - Creating City Winery
07:07 - Intimate Venues Where Artists and Fans Connect
09:30 - Venue Design and Acoustic Quality
11:53 - Opening the Knitting Factory
14:08 - Downtown music and legendary artists
16:30 - Lou Reed Secret Service story
18:57 - John Zorn Story
21:26 - Carnegie Hall Music Education Tributes
26:09 - City Winery Expansion Challenges
28:25 - Small Venues Versus Stadiums
30:47 - Legal Perspectives on Live Entertainment
33:13 - Prince Concert Backstage Moments
35:34 - Saving Music Venues
37:57 - Streaming Music Versus the Live Experience
45:01 - Ticket Pricing at a Venue
47:19 - GLP-1s and Shifting Restaurant Habits
49:43 - Rising Artist Cancellation Rates
52:07 - Performing Rights Organizations and Venue Royalties
59:16 - Independent Venue Financial Pressures
63:59 - Final thoughts: Future of Independent Music Venues

Shmoozic Biz host Bill Hochberg is a music and media lawyer at Raines Feldman Littrell LLP and he writes regularly in Forbes and other top publications on the business and law of music.

Our musical theme is "8 Church Birds" by billeeto. https://tinyurl.com/billeeto

DISCLAIMER: This program and the associated written materials are provided for informational purposes only and are not intended, and must not be taken, as legal advice on any particular set of facts or circumstances.