Free Music! Bring Lunch!

by Alex Walsh

“I’ve always wanted to say, ‘I’m with the band’”, says Lynn Valente, “and now I am.”

A former schoolteacher, Ms. Valente produces the “People In Plazas” (Free Summer Noontime Concert Series for the Market Street Association/People in Plazas). “When I tell people what I do for a living, they’re amazed.” She says. “It’s a ton of work, but I love it.”

This season, Lynn is producing more than 130 outdoor concerts up and down Market Street and in adjacent areas such as the Tenderloin and Yerba Buena Gardens. She books a wide variety of musical styles, from jazz to classical, and everything in between. These popular programs take place each Monday through Friday in July, August, and September, with a few additional concerts in October. Her mission is to provide outdoor cultural activities and events which draw a cross-section of residents, workers, and visitors in order to combat deterioration and to keep or restore such areas to the status of “everybody’s neighborhood.” All concerts are free.

“Free is the main word,” says Lynn,”And local. I want people to know that it's all local musicians.”

People come in from all over the bay area for the music. Some of the stages are tucked away downtown, such as 45 Fremont Street or101 California. Others are more high profile, like Yerba Buena Gardens.

Lynn works closely with the police and local businesses. “You have to pay attention to the community you’re working in, whether it be in the Tenderloin or down in the Financial District. If you don’t involve the people that are living and working there, it just doesn’t work”. Says Lynn. Each year the series continues to expand. “Every year, new venues say ‘I want to do that.’ It’s hard to say no.” Next year she hopes to book Union Square.  

A Brief History

The Market Street Association began in the early 1960’s, when Market Street was being dug up to put in BART. There was a need for a liaison between the merchants, landlords, and the City. Over the years property owners and businesses decided they still wanted a spokesperson in city hall. Lynn started working for the Market Street Association in 1991. She has served as the director of People in Plazas for the past six years. The small staff includes herself and long time friend, MSA Executive Director Carolyn Diamond.

People in Plazas, the live music arm of the Market Street Association, had its humble beginnings in the early ’70s  with a few musicians passing the hat. Today, it is a non-profit organization in its own right, and last year celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Over its 25 year history, the organization has presented 1000 concerts to audiences totaling more than 300,000 people, in the process providing paid gigs to more than 4,000 musicians, most of whom are union members.

Lynn says most of the groups were jazz when she started, or jazz musicians playing other styles. As her contacts grew, she began booking a wider variety of music and bands reflecting a greater diversity. She especially enjoys booking women-led bands.

Who Pays For All This?

Lynn gets her funding from the San Francisco hotel tax, special grants, and the Musicians Performance Trust Funds (MPTF). She makes sure the musicians get paid. “They’re professionals,” she says,” Why shouldn’t they get paid? Would you want your brain surgeon to perform brain surgery for free? I come from a plumbing family   my brother doesn’t do plumbing for free.”

Lynn works closely with Musicians Union Local 6, which acts as a liaison between the Market Street Association and the MPTF, acting as a resource for bands and administering much of the required paperwork. “The Union is fabulous, because they help me so much,” says Lynn. “If I had to do all the contracts for 130 concerts, forget it. I’d have to cut the program.”

The Music Performance Trust Funds (MPTF), is a national organization that supports free concerts throughout the country. The MPTF was formed in 1948 by the American Federation of Musicians and the Recording Industry, to address the problem of technological changes that threatened the employment of musicians. Recording companies agreed to pay a small royalty from the sale of recorded music to the fund. Today, more than 25,000 individual performances are enjoyed each year by more than 20 million people. MPTF performances are always free and open to the public.

The Free Summer Noontime Concert Series schedule is printed in The Chronicle Pink Section and SF Examiner. The full schedule is available online at www.marketstreet.citysearch.com. All concerts are accessible by public transportation.

AFM Local 6 Musical News, Aug 2002

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