UW-Madison has a large footprint on the culture and population of Madison. If I could kick off Sofar Sounds Madison and recruit passionate students in a similar way, I could likely scale the city quicker than other smaller cities. In January 2020, I enlisted a colleague to help with initial public outreach, and we selected multiple organizations and student organizations to market Sofar Sounds - both our shows and our volunteer opportunities. I received about 10 applications for volunteers from students and other locals. Due to spending most of February on-site with the healthcare organization I helped bring live on Epic at the start of the month, I planned to interview and my team in March and April.

Champaign was within driving distance of multiple larger cities, like Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis, that lightened the logistical burden of finding available or touring artists to invite to a show. Madison did not bear the same luxury, but thankfully, this did not mire my ability to form unique lineups. Given the structure of the Sofar Sounds website, artists were able to apply to play a Madison show before the city was established. When I started the city, I had a backlog of over 150 artists and 20 venues. While daunting, these volumes were an exciting blessing to start strong.

When evaluating artists and venues, I actually am evaluating the attendee experience. I scrutinize the venue for the following:

• Personality of the location - does it conflict with the brand of Sofar Sounds?
• Floor space and layout - how will we maximize attendance while creating a cramped atmosphere?
• Lighting and decor - would this environment be comfortable and appealing for 40-70 strangers to share at once?

I was thankful to see two venue applicants that I had in mind when I first dreamt of Madison shows: August and The Graduate Hotel. Both were sleek, open venues that had an identity, but allowed for a rush of different personalities to fill the space. I met the owners of August two days before Madison's quarantine order came out; I mapped out the general flow of walking patterns (finding a seat for the show, navigating to the bathroom, interacting with both August's and the artist's merchandise, setting up each act's equipment), and the owner offered to leverage his hired videographer and graphic designer to share the media footage from the show. In the same email thread where he confirmed his designer would attend, I confirmed the show was cancelled indefinitely.

Artist applicants are encouraged to submit a mix of live and recorded footage when they apply. There are plenty of talented applicants, but I prioritize booking artists by asking the following:

• How strong of a storyteller is the performing act? Do they have the potential to captivate an audience, even in an eclectic lineup?
• What is their touring schedule, and is there an optimal window where they will be local?
• What genre do they identify with, and how may different guests perceive their work?
• How badly do I want to get to know and hear more from the performer? Can their craft resonate with a variety of people?

No Sofar show should feel like there is a headliner, and no act should feel like the previous one. Coordinating a mix of genres that take into account hometown, availability, and general recognition results in a puzzle to optimize. I typically reached out to artists expressing interest in booking, and I would share each show date, explaining that the availability of other acts would impact when they would actually be booked. I created a video compilation of music videos by the nine performers I either had booked or was in the process of finalizing for the first three shows.