Attending numerous meetings, collaborating with student groups and musicians, applying for money, signing contracts, and enduring high stress levels are just a few of the things that many Events Managers on this campus experience. Although an event may only last for three or four hours, it’s amazing to see how much logistical work goes into it. However, Quinn Webb, current Events Manager of the Sounds of Colorado College, is a student committed to planning music events, bringing artists to campus, and providing opportunities for artists to connect and perform.
How did you get involved with music? Did you/do you play instruments or attend a lot of concerts?
My dad raised me listening to ‘60s music and some classical music… You hear this from a lot of people at CC, but it was a big influence. I’ve always attended a lot of concerts, and I started playing guitar and singing in high school. At CC, choosing a music minor forced me, which I’m happy to admit, to experience new types of music. It also gave me the opportunity to take classical guitar, jazz guitar, and voice lessons.
Before we really met, I remember you saying you worked at Ivywild. How has your previous involvement there added to your experience and knowledge of the music experience?
Ivywild was an opportunity that basically fell into my lap when I was discussing my passion for music with Heather Browne. I was actually in her office to ask about study abroad opportunities, and we clicked. If anything, I learned how many moving parts there are to planning a concert.
Not only do you have to negotiate payment with an artist’s manager, but you also have to sort through tons of requests, and get the logistics right. Once, I forgot to hire ticket takers and spent half the show out front doing it myself. You also have to consider a sound guy, feeding the band, sound check, dealing with customer complaints, etc.
We got weekly emails of people who were angry that we didn’t have chairs in the venue for instance. Another huge takeaway from Ivywild was actually witnessing how hard it is to start a business. There were only three of us doing all the music at Ivywild, and you had to market like crazy… the management at Ivywild is difficult to navigate, and we had to coordinate with four different management entities at once.
How would you describe the music scene at Colorado College, and in what ways do you contribute to that scene?
The CC music scene has a ton of potential, but I’m in no way satisfied. A primary goal of mine is to see more females performing. After realizing there was only one female at Battle of the Bands last year, we had seminars, and I helped Heather organize the musicians during Half Bock. It illustrated the need we have not only for more females in music but also more music on campus over all.
I wanted to be Events Manager at the SOCC, because I love music, but more importantly, so I could start proactively making opportunities for students to play and experience music. There are over 100 people in the CC student musicians group on Facebook and I think that is a good indicator of the need on campus.
My only other qualm with the music scene is that people are constantly asking for more shows, but then at 11 p.m., everyone leaves events so they can go grind at a house party. PRIORITIES.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Are you planning on being involved in the music industry?
I graduate in December and am hoping to get a job with AEG Live (it’s a promotion company like Live Nation). After I get some experience, I might want to move to Seattle, Austin, or New Orleans. My ultimate goal is to own one or more non-profit, popular music venues that somehow contribute to music education.
As events manager for the SOCC, what do you have planned? Upcoming events? Any specific things you want to see SOCC doing?
Upcoming SOCC events include: Three student bands playing in Cossitt Amphitheater this Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. AND Shabazz Palaces (butterfly from Digable Planets) playing on Oct. 30. Super excited for both. I think I want to do another student showcase in December as well and I’m waiting to hear back from some exciting artists to play in November. I want the SOCC to continue growing and collaborating with other clubs. It could be an umbrella organization for a music space on campus for example. It’s all very exciting.
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Webb alluded to very important realities about the music scene on campus, in how promising it is, while lacking in other dimensions, such as the gender gap or lack of opportunity. As someone who is continuously working to address these issues by working with students, Webb is able to contribute to the music scene on campus. Upon her graduation, she will leave a big set of shoes to fill and will leave room for growth in the music and arts sector at Colorado College.