HERE'S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT ....

Cabaret Hotline Online is an independent website with more than 7,400 pages of news, information and stories on cabaret, owned and maintained by Stu Hamstra. CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE is not affiliated with any club or organization. It is totally supported through advertising and membership donations. This blog is an extension of the website and newsletter.

NOW IN OUR 26th YEAR OF PROMOTING THE ART & ARTISTS OF CABARET!

"His eye is on the sparrow...."

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

HERE & THERE - PART I - BLOG EDITION

HERE & THERE - PART I

This is our regular Monday issue of CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE, but going out on Tuesday this week since yesterday was a holiday. Based on e-mail addresses, about 30% of our subscribers received the newsletter at a business firm or via a business' server. So when a holiday falls on a Monday or Thursday publication date, we usually send out the issue the next day - or skip the issue entirely.


But this issue is actually a "combined" issue, with all the regular items we include in the Thursday issue (including all shows offering discounts to CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE members. We will be sending out an issue on Thursday, but it will only include the weekend cabaret news items that didn't make it here in time for today's issue, plus any important news items that can't wait until next Monday, plus a full rundown on our CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE 20th ANNIVERSARY - not just the Gala on July 13th, but also all the changes and new features we will be adding (as well as trimming) as we enter our 21st year of publication.

CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE was the first mass-mailed, cabaret only publication, starting in July of 1990. It is also the first cabaret website, starting in 1997. And through the years we've remained the first, best and sometimes only source of cabaret news from around the world. We're proud to have led the way, and we're also happy to see other websites, blogs, newsletters and magazines with a cabaret theme following our lead. With the major media outlets nearly totally ignoring the art and the artists of cabaret, all organizations, publications and other media deserve the support of cabaret lovers everywhere!

I've gotten quite busy on the website preparing for our next wave of changes, hopefully to be ready for launch on July 1st. Meantime, some of my other work has been set aside, unfortunately. Currently I have 256 e-mails in the IN box that need attention or deletion (a lot are duplicates). These aren't news items, but rather comments, questions and requests. The requests come in as summer approaches, and folks ask what shows will be playing in this town or that, since the writer plans to visit there for vacation. I can answer many right now: In some cases I don't have a clue!



I check websites of major clubs regularly to keep informed of performers in the next few months, but it appears that either websites aren't being updated on a timely basis, or there are some booking problems and shows cannot be announced yet. I usually get the schedules of the few clubs that email them to me around the 15th of the previous month - not great advance notice, especially for performers with shows in the first week or two of a month.

And please don't assume that your posting on an organization fan list or member group mailing will find its way into the newsletter. In some instances, there are so many duplicated items, so many incomplete items, so many misspelled items, I don't bother to save them anymore.

My advice to you all (performers that is) for you to send me your press release directly ( stuhamstra@svhamstra.com) as soon as your show dates, themes and cast are solidified. Do not depend on the venue to do your PR work for you. Those days are long past. And once again, a flier is not a press release! Neither is a website link.

CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE promises to include every press release that is properly written and includes complete information, if it is deemed suitable for our subscribers. (A shocking, obscene word in the title of your show might draw attention, does not help CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE, since spam filters on various web servers will toss out an entire issue because of just one obscene word, so I usually either censor the title or skip the item). Remember, freedom of speech ends at the spam filter!


We have a major revision to make to our listings page, as soon as I can get everything sorted out. A major booking at the RRAZZ ROOM in San Francisco cancelled with short notice so I have to remove all the information about that show and replace it with shows that have been booked in it's stead. The new show info, naturally, has been coming in piecemeal, but this morning we received a completely revised schedule and will make the adjustments today or tomorrow.

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