[Sent on August 20th, 2010]
Greetings:
I am sending this as an open letter to your company and establishment to express my acute anger, disappointment, and resentment at the series of events that transpired yesterday evening in regards to what was supposed to have been my third performance of this year.
Earlier this summer, I received what I deemed to be an automatic response to my newsletter from your staff, letting me & my team know about open dates and times available to perform at the UC Lounge on Ludlow Street. Though normally I am a proactive artist and search out venues myself, I took this message as an opportunity to conveniently book a day for the performance I was planning in August as per my marketing & promotional abstract. I responded to the message with a specific date & time: August 19th, 7pm to be exact. The response came back that the time was available and my slot was confirmed, along with contact information should I have any questions.
As the date got closer, I took it upon myself to reconfirm the date, time, and space for my show, entitled, "Pop-Hop." I was sent back that reconfirmation, along with details of the backline and what particulars I would need to be aware of to ensure a smooth evening and show. I took it on good faith that if any problems were to make themselves present, I would be notified beforehand. I even went so far as to visit the UC Lounge two nights before the actual show to get an overview of the space. The gentlemen I spoke to seemed confident that there wouldn't be any technical or logistics issues, and so I left, confident that Thursday the 19th would be another successful event. Evidently even this "detective work" wasn't enough to have things play out the way they were supposed to.
When I arrived at the UC Lounge at around 6pm, I was told by staff that because I had done the e-mail booking with 'Bruno (whom I have yet to have met or speak to),' that there was a complication with timing. Apparently, I had been double booked with another, more involved performance from a music school. I was then informed that I would actually not be able to use the stage or equipment until 9pm, possibly later. While I remained nonplussed, I assure you I was livid.
Please be aware that I understand completely how back-to-back shows can run into and over each other. But I was guaranteed the 7pm time slot for this date, received REcomfirmation, and was not made aware of any scheduling issues until an hour before the night of my gig. I would have even been willing to concede to an hour delay, knowing how situations like this can occur. However, completely shifting my start time to OVER an hour-and-a-half behind my slated time WITHOUT notifying me in advance is unprofessional, unethical, and absolutely unfair. It is for these and professional reasons that I had to officially cancel my performance at the last minute, to the disappointment of my colleagues, family, and fans. Keep in mind that I had musicians with other professional appointments that evening who were ONLY available for the 7-8:30 window of time, as well as corporate representatives and music industry executives who had promised their attendance because of the accessible time frame.
In short, this has put a serious damper on several of my networking opportunities and business relationships, simply because no one on your end thought it wise to call and let me know about this problem in enough time to deal with it in a timely manner.
Were I a more vindictive individual, I would have use my connections to the NYC Fire Department to have your establishment inspected; seeing as how poorly the staff operates, I have no doubt there are several unsafe building code issues that more than likely have been overlooked, which I assure you would not be passed over this time. However, I will pacify my need for reprisal by editing this personal e-mail and creating an open letter for my fans & colleagues to see. Please note also that I will be forwarding this e-mail to any and all of my close musician and industry associates as a warning to stay away from booking anything with your company and this establishment; believe me when I say that my words have no problem reaching very influential eyes & ears. In addition, should I find out from even the smallest group of artists who have had similar problems with LES Productions & The UC Lounge, I will promptly be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
It is my sincere hope that others like myself do not have to experience such poor professional conduct with folks like you. I do wish you well in your business endeavors; as this has been a hard learning experience for me, I advise that it is the last time you let something as egregiously improper as this happen to you.
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Regards,
Joseph P. Murray
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