The Frequency held a community meeting Monday to address issues in the Madison music scene such as show security, artist responsibility and patron expectations when attending a show.
Led by owners Darwin Sampson, and Dana Pellebon, the discussion was formally called a Community Conversation about Hip-Hop. The discussion arose from a recent incident in which a Frequency employee was the victim of violence at a hip-hop show, causing the club to briefly ban booking hip-hop shows. The ban was quickly lifted.
A Madison sound emerges: Hip-hop activists work to strengthen genre
Cooper Talbot, host of Her Infinite Variety on WORT 89.9FM, said hip-hop lovers saw the ban as a “slight against them.”
“Being a hip-hop lover doesn’t give you the right to act a particular way, or to feel a freedom that will actually inhibit others from coming to enjoy what they love to hear,” Talbot said.
Discussion revolved mainly around whose responsibility security is and whether certain types of music or bands should be banned based on the crowds they might draw.
While promoters will remain responsible for deciding whether security is needed for a show and who to hire for security, the club will be creating its own security team. The team will be trained by the Madison Police Department and available when wanted by promoters. Employees of the club will also undergo additional preparedness training, Sampson said.
Attendees and the owners discussed community guidelines for all genres of music, not exclusively hip-hop.
“It’s not just a hip-hop issue,” Joey Broyles, local artist, said. “I see it as a music community issue, and I feel if we come together, something will be accomplished.”
Sampson said he was pleased with how the meeting went. Another meeting will be held at the end of June.
An earlier edition of this article incorrectly referred to The Frequency owners as Dana and Darwin Samson and said the venue would be hiring its own security for all future shows. The Badger Herald regrets these errors.
