Dance of the fliers
'A Camp David of fliers' recommended
Even with the economic downturn, at least some of Portland's real estate remains coveted.
And as any Realtor will tell you, the attraction boils down to location, location, location.
For those using fliers to promote music, business or the occasional zombie kickball throwdown, the logical places to post bills become quickly crowded, with some broadsides pushing out newcomers and the idea of "three sheets to the wind" meaning somebody is still learning to staple. Flier information adorns our telephone poles, roadsigns and crowds into a the city's 50 formally designated areas, like the Arts District bulletin board, where they form layers familiar to anyone with a passing interest in archaeology.
They may seem random, but the fliers are actually governed by a set of (mostly unwritten) rules and practices that create a sort of dance, with newcomers gently nudging space hogs into oblivion while covering old material like fast-growing moss.
But veteran promoters warn that the city is headed for a postings meltdown of sorts as ongoing space feuds escalate.
Spencer Albee, one of the city's better known musicians and promoters who gained national recognition with bands including Rustic Overtones and As Fast As, says his 15 years of "hitting the boards of Portland" makes him worry that things are getting out of hand.
When Albee returned to the Portland music scene two years ago from exile in the Other Portland, one of his first actions was to call an informal meeting of local promoters. About 65 people showed up and their biggest problems included places to post their shows. He says things have only gotten worse.
Albee explains that Portland's flier problems stem from simple math: He rattles off venues, quickly counting 30 places that routinely offer live music promoted with fliers. He notes that the city is "blessed with" many businesses that agree to post fliers and posters, but that's not the same as public space set aside for fliers.
Plus, he notes, the economy makes such promotion even more important.
"In a time of suffering arts economy, it's how you get your word out," he said.
Albee is calling for a postings summit.
"I am about to hold a meeting of all the major promoters in town to have this discussion with them," he said Friday. "Promoters have a certain responsibility and they're not living up to it ... we need a Camp David of fliers."
Some rules apply:
When it comes to fliers, there are different levels of public commons.
Many "public" spaces are actually private property, like store fronts or grocery store bulletin boards. The city actually provides about 50 truly public posting spaces, which are supposed to be policed weekly by cleanup crews.
At the University of Southern Maine campus, as another example, postings require approval from the office of the Dean of Student Life, which gets a stamp indicating you're street legal. Bulletin boards in high-traffic areas concentrate the information, but omit the stamp and your post is likely to be quickly removed.
And rules differ for utility poles.
In May, the Central Maine Power Company noted that a "recent rise in the prevalence of signs attached to utility poles" prompted the utility to "remind" the public that "the practice can endanger utility workers and can lead to fines under Maine law."
It's a seasonal concern, noted the utility.
“Come spring, yard-sale organizers, entrepreneurs, house painters, and other folks are looking for places to post signs,” said CMP spokesman John Carroll. ”We wish them all well, but ask that they not use utility poles as bulletin boards. It can have lethal consequences.”
Carroll said utility workers typically use bucket trucks to work on poles, but some jobs or some terrain may require that workers climb or otherwise contact the pole. Nails, tacks, screws, and staples left in a pole from attaching signs or other objects can cause life-threatening holes or rips in insulating gloves, tear clothing, cut workers, or lead to other accidents that could hurt people and interrupt service.
“The potential hazards from unauthorized pole attachments are serious enough that the Maine Legislature has acted on them,” Carroll said. Attaching anything to a utility pole without permission of the owner is a civil offense that can draw a fine of up to $100. The offense, “Trespass on a utility pole,” is described in Title 35-A of Maine statutes, Chapter 23, Section 2310.
The city of Portland has a significantly more laissez-faire approach.
"What the city does," explained spokesperson Nicole Clegg, "is, pretty much weekly, we go around and take the fliers down on the places they're not supposed to be like traffic signs."
She also reports that the city hopes to replace the public boards "sometime this year."
Elise Loschiavo, special events and public relations manager for the Portland Downtown District, says the public posting areas are pretty much self-policing.
For example, the big Arts District bulletin board at the corner of High and Congress streets is a PDD board. The postings run several layers deep and some current events have clearly blocked out other pending events. But she says complaints are virtually unheard of.
"I think we have a pretty good community taking care of those things," she explained. "We've never gotten a complaint here, that's for sure."
And the District is itself a flier promoter, especially for its popular Alive At Five concert series held at 5 p.m. on Thursdays in Monument Square.
Big posters raise problems
Drawing much of the ire from fellow posters are larger posters — the 11-by-17-inch type that often promote multiple events at a particular venue.
Some venues specifically avoid those postings.
"My philosophy is that we should not try to post things too far ahead and not use the large tabloid size posters that are valid for a long time," said Nat May, executive director of Space Gallery, adding that the larger posters occupy real estate "for a really long time."
"It's a fuzzy set of rules that not everybody knows," said May, who says the nonprofit tries to stick to bulletin boards and send its street teams out with clear instructions. Still, he admits, it's not always black and white.
"It's just like everything else, you have to vie for everybody's attention," he said.
May said Space tries to use letter-size postings in the common areas, but will use the larger posters in business locations with permission. Also, he said, it works to use posters for wider audiences. As an example, he noted the Space posters for its "food and farm" series.
"It's probably a little more compelling for your local merchant to put that into their window as opposed to the rock show that could happen every week," he explained.
He echoed concerns that some promoters are following the posting etiquette better than others.
"I'm sure not everyone has the same level of conscientiousness about it," said May, adding that another concern is that many venues use volunteers who likely have different levels of training.
He says that for Space, fliers are typically "a music thing, but we make fliers for most of our movie screenings (monthly) and sometimes for artist talks, but not so much for gallery exhibits." One reason for that, he said, is that gallery shows might last six weeks — too long a time period for fliers.
Another Space strategy is going a step beyond the common flier.
Kris Johnsen, 24, a graphic artist who is doing the current Space fliers, was trained at the Maine College of Art and creates silk-screen images on paper "just a bit larger" than the average posting. He admits some of the fliers get stolen, but adds that increased attention is worth that risk.
The Space postings, because of the group's nonprofit efforts, are a special focus of Albee.
"They're a nonprofit trying to let people know what's going on," he said. "And if somebody just comes along and posts over them, then that doesn't happen."
As for resolving the current flier conflicts, he predicted, meetings will soon be held, with city officials invited.
"It's getting out of control," he warned.
