Participation

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PHONE IMPROV SHOW

For the month of August 2010, as part of a worldwide month-long festival celebrating the 30th Anniversary of “the improvisor” journal of free improvisation, we have organized live improvisation sessions via phone to be streamed LIVE over the internet. Our open phone improv jams have now ended, and our schedule for solo and group shows is now full. See our schedule page for the current line up.

If you are scheduled to perform on the Phone Improv Show or if you have performed previously, click on the questions below to find the answers to all your questions about the show...

- How do I participate? Does it cost anything?
- How do I hear the other players? How do they hear me?
- How do I arrange a show for myself and/or my group?
- How long are the shows?
- When are the shows scheduled?
- How do I participate in an open improv session?
- Are you streaming any live events from the 30th Anniversary festival?
- How can my friends hear the show streamed live?
- Will the show be recorded?
- Do I retain rights to this recording of my phone performance?
- Why is there a recorded advertisement at the beginning of the archived program and banner advertisements on the show page?
- Does anyone make money from this?
- What if someone posts a negative comment about me or my group in the “comments” box on blogtalkradio?
- Can you do anything about the poor sound quality?
- What is “The Improvisor”?
- Where do I go to find out about live events happening during the 30th Anniversary of the Improvisor?
- Who is organizing this phone show?

- How do I participate? Does it cost anything?

You only need a phone in order to participate. Up to five callers can participate at once. You simply phone in to your assigned phone number at your scheduled time. You are responsible for long distance phone charges (if applicable), but there is no fee for participating.

- How do I hear the other players? How do they hear me?

You will be able to hear the other players through your phone earpiece. Here are a few ways you can send your sound through your phone’s mouthpiece/microphone:

1) If you are a vocalist, you can simply sing into the phone mouthpiece.

2) Use a headset and aim the microphone of the headset toward your instrument.

3) Using two phone extensions -- use one phone for listening and one as your microphone. If you do this, make sure your “monitor” phone does not bleed into your “microphone” phone.

4) This solution is a bit tricky to understand, but totally doable: Call in from two separate numbers (such as your landline and your cellphone). Use one phone as your “monitor” and the other as your “microphone”. Use a headset for your monitor so the sound cannot bleed into your microphone and cause feedback. For your monitor line, when you call in do NOT press 1 (do NOT choose to speak to the host) and it will automatically send you to a monitor-only line, which will keep your monitor from picking up your live signal and causing a looping sound. (This solution only requires one phone-in line per person, because your monitor line is not phoning into the show. This method may be used for the open improvs.)

5) We accept Skype-to-phone calls from Skype. This means you can route your sound into your computer, and from your computer directly to Skype. You can monitor the broadcast through Skype as well. You will need to install virtual routing software in order to do this, which is available through these links:
http://cycling74.com/products/soundflower/
http://www.jackosx.com/

6) Soloists can use a speaker phone.

Each individual of a group should call in on a separate phone line. If each individual uses only one phone line, there are up to five lines available. If any individual is using more than one phone line then this means less phone lines are available for other players.

- How do I arrange a show for myself and/or my group?

Our schedule is now fully booked. However, if you would like to talk to us about future phone improv projects, email Gene:

- How long are the shows?

Groups (two or more players) may schedule slots of either 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Soloists may have 15 minute programs only.

- When are the shows scheduled?

Programs must be scheduled between 1pm and 1am Eastern Standard Time. When you contact us to ask for a date and time, it is best to offer one or two alternate options should your first choice not be available. Some dates and times may not be available based on the personal schedule of the organizer.

- How do I participate in an open improv session?

The open improvisation sessions have now ended. Thanks to everyone who called!

- Are you streaming any live events from the 30th Anniversary festival?

We will be relaying some live events from the 30th Anniversary festival. Streamed live events must be official events of the 30th Anniversary festival. Shows may not exceed one hour. If you are organizing an official event for the festival and would like it streamed live, please contact Gene.

- How can my friends hear the show streamed live?

Your friends can hear the shows streamed live on blogtalkradio, a free streaming service. Blogtalkradio allows an unlimited number of listeners. Once your schow is scheduled, we will send you a direct url, so you may share it with all your friends. A link to your show will also be available on the SCHEDULE PAGE. Click the link on our HOME PAGE to listen to the next live show.

Note: There is an approximately 30 second delay between the live signal and the stream, so please do not use the stream for monitoring your live improv.

- Will the show be recorded?

Approximately one hour after the show ends, a recording of the show will be available on blogtalkradio. You and your friends may listen to the archived show as a streamed version. If you would like to download the program you must become a member of blogtalkradio (membership is free).

- Do I retain rights to this recording of my phone performance?

Regretfully, NO. Blogtalkradio owns all content streamed on blogtalkradio. You may not release the recording commercially or air it on commercial radio without paying a fee. However, the low-quality of phone lines combined with low bit-rate streaming compression is hardly conducive to a commercial music release, so neither you nor blogtalkradio has much to worry about! Blogtalk radio does allow you to rebroadcast your own program on nonprofit public and community radio stations for free if you include their intro jingle. If you do this, you should obtain permission of all members of your group as well.

- Why is there a recorded advertisement at the beginning of my archived program and advertisements on the show page?

Blogtalkradio is a commercial entity. In order to use their service without charge we must allow them to place recorded advertisements at the beginning of our archived programs. There are also banner and rollover advertisements on our show page at blogtalkradio. A statement on our blogtalkradio show page and a recording played at the beginning of each show will notify listeners that your program is not in any way related to the advertising.

- Does anyone make money from this?

You will not be paid for your participation. We do not participate in blogtalkradio’s revenue sharing program and thus receive no remuneration from these programs. The 30th Anniversary festival phone show is run entirely by volunteers. The only entity that makes money from this show is blogtalkradio, who makes money primarily from their advertisements. It would be extraordinarily expensive to purchase streaming with unlimited listeners, an automatic archiving feature, the live call-in service with multiple phone lines, and an accompanying web interface. Allowing blogtalkradio to advertise on our program is a very small price to pay.

- What if someone posts a negative comment about me or my group in the comments box on blogtalkradio?

- Good news! We now can DELETE distasteful comments posted on our blogtalkradio show pages. If you see a comment that is not to your liking posted on your blogtalkradio show page, let us know and we will remove it immediately. (Note: Open improv performers are anonymous - we will not list player’s names for the open improvs.)

- Can you do anything about the poor sound quality?

Phones and phone lines have poor sound quality and lots of freaky quirks such as narrow frequency bandwidth, extreme compression, aggressive noise gates, distortion, ancillary noises, etc. But you’re improvisors -- so improvise! Enjoy it, ride it, play with it, exploit it, and make it part of your sound.

- What is “the improvisor”?

http://www.the-improvisor.com/aboutus.html

- Where do I go to find information about live events happening during the 30th Anniversary of the Improvisor?

http://www.the-improvisor.com/Improvfest/festival%20schedule.htm

- Who is organizing this phone show?

Gene Ric Nowman, organizer of the phone improv show, has been an improvising musician for what seems like at least 50 years. Now s/he wants to sit back and listen to you improvise on the phone from the comfort of hir favorite Barckalounger. S/he will promptly respond to all questions concerning the show, so feel free to write to hir at:

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