We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Dickinson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

I think that small venues that feature live music are disappearing in the U.S. The corporate music industry ignores independent artists and focuses on a handful of “major” artists who perform only at arena type events. Most of their music is pre-programmed and “formulaic”. However, all of the major revolutions in American music have originated with artists who were outside of the mainstream of their eras and did things in their own novel ways.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have spent my “day job” career as an attorney and have also served my community as an elected official/public servant. I have served as mayor and am currently a city councilman in Monroe, Georgia. I have also served as a judge in various local courts. I have always had a deep interest in music and play guitar. As I near retirement from the legal profession, I decided to open a local “listening room” in Monroe to provide a place for local musicians to share their art in a supportive environment where the audience comes to truly listen to the performance. This area has never had a venue of this type. Instead, it has numerous bars and restaurants where live music is “background” and few patrons pay any real attention to the performers. I also believe that music is a universal language that brings diverse groups together. I consider my venue to be a community building effort that is sorely needed in a world where people are deeply divided by political and social issues.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The live music venue business is filled with venue owners whose primary focus is to make money rather than being focused on the artists and the music. I think this is backwards thinking and, therefore, take the opposite approach. My primary emphasis is on the music and the artists. No performer is ever shortchanged at my venue. We work together and the performances either succeed or don’t based on our joint efforts. The performers respect this approach and continue to spread the word that David’s 105 Listening Room is a great small venue. I can think of no better way to reach new performers. I take the same approach with the venue’s patrons and make an effort to personally interact with them and to have them “spread the word” about what we are doing.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I think my best advertising comes in the form of the “word of mouth” accolades expressed by the artists who have performed at the 105 and the patrons who have attended shows. I also use various social media platforms to promote what I am doing but the personal accolades from performers and patrons are far more effective than any self promotion efforts.

Contact Info:

• Website: davids105.com
• Instagram: davids_105_listening_room
• Facebook: davids 105
• Youtube: david’s 105 listening room