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She's the poster child for the art of postering
01/28/2003
Richie Havens is a fan. So is Garnet Rogers.
The drummer from Phish played on Jaime Morton's first album. Dar Williams sang on her second.
In the early 1990s, when Union-News reporter Chris Hamel was writing his music column "The Scene," Jaime was a fixture in the end-of-the-year best-ofs. WRSI had her in a regular rotation.
Yet, before every local show, Jaime Morton postered the landscape.
She'd spy a naked pole or a half-empty bulletin board in Northampton, Amherst, Greenfield or Brattleboro and she'd tape up an 8-by-11 self-designed poster. All the essential facts about herself, the where and when and how much, along with an eye-catching quote or lyric.
Those fliers rode shotgun in her tri-tone VW van. Within arm's length. Closer than her guitar, which was tucked safely in the back. Jaime called what she did constant coverage.
"I postered because I thought it was a cheap, effective way to advertise," she says. "I mean, I always looked at posters. I assumed other people did, too."
Jaime's belief was confirmed one afternoon in Northampton. The posters for her first gig at the Iron Horse Music Hall had wallpapered the town. A stranger approached her with words of recognition, "Hey, you're THAT woman!"
"I have no idea how many people showed up at that first show because of the postering," she says. "But maybe someone saw the poster. Heard a song on the radio. Recalled the name. Saw my name in an ad and showed up at another show. It all works hand-in-hand. It all helps."
She should know.
Jaime spent eight years criss-crossing the country playing her songs, developing a cult following, and not making a whole lot of money. On a tour of California, she came across companies that postered professionally. Your Daily Staple was the name of one, the other was The Thumbtack Bugle.
By this time in her life, Jaime and her partner were thinking of having children. Jaime started contemplating a job that did not involve travel. A home-based business was a goal.
That's how Stick 'em Up! postering was born.
On this recent afternoon, I compete with her 20-month-old daughter for Jaime's attention.
Jaime is now 38 and lives in Shutesbury. She really likes the music of singer-songwriter John Mayer. She loves singing to her daughter.
At first, Stick 'em Up! worked almost exclusively with touring musicians who came to the Pioneer Valley.
"How could they know about Thorne's in Northampton, or the bus stops in Amherst?" Jaime asks. "I kept the rates low because, well, I knew their budgets. If you could call them that."
Then the word-of-mouth started. Yoga instructors started calling. Guitar teachers followed. As did international study programs. Ditto for The Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts. The Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, Everywoman's Center, East Street Dance among others, including, an annual gathering for ferret owners.
Musicians and their management didn't stop. B.B. King, Ferron, Ani DiFranco, Sweet Honey in the Rock and the Warped Tour are among Stick 'em Up's past and present clients.
The deal is rather simple. The customer makes up the flier. Jaime or one of her two college student employees will pick them up at a local copy center.
A one-time posting of 75 posters in Northampton or Amherst costs $25. Stick 'em Up! also offers a once-a-week college package: 175 posters cost $55. There is a scale if more postering is required.
"Often, someone sees a poster for prenatal yoga classes and thinks, 'That's interesting,'" Jaime says. "The second time, they actually take a tab, intend to make the call for the yoga to tai chi class. Put the tab in their jeans. The jeans get washed. They grab another tab and finally make the call."
Jaime says Stick 'em Up! tries to poster responsibly, makes its best effort to rarely cover another poster.
"I understand how some people think this is litter, an eyesore," she says. "But we try to tear down posters flapping in the wind or throw away two or three inches of posters. We want to advertise our clients, but we want to be good citizens, too."
Since it's start, Stick 'em Up! has expanded to public relations. Guidance and assistance in putting together press kits. Booking interviews on radio. Sending out electronic press releases. And Jaime's latest idea: finding hotel tour sponsorship for touring musicians. "What can I say?" Jaime says. "I've been there. Done that. I want to make a living. But I also want to help people get the word out ... excuse me."
Without having to advertise, Jaime's daughter is making it clear she wants attention. Tom Shea can be reached at tshea@union-news.com
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