.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} Though many young bands may think touring means big parties and fine dining, Patrick Fleming says he and the other members of his band, Poison Control Center, spend more time in the van calculating how much money they need to get to the next town. Fleming, 27, considers himself lucky that every time his band has been on tour it has made money, but he also believes it could have ascended the music industry ladder faster than it has in the past 10 years if the members had received some advice along the way.

That’s why he donated his time and knowledge to less experienced musicians as a panelist at the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition and the Metro Arts Alliance’s first session of Music University.

Fleming is one of several musicians, booking agents, promoters and other local music industry experts who have come together to provide free information sessions on how to book gigs, promote shows, protect original music, release an album and much more. The series began Oct. 23 with a session called “Getting Gigs and Touring” and will likely continue on a bimonthly basis with the next event on December 5.

The series is an extension of what Fritz Junker, former director of the music coalition, helped start with a few sporadic lectures in the past. Jill Haverkamp, along with a few coalition leaders and Jana Anderson of the Metro Arts Alliance, decided to transform it into a more formal series last summer.

“We kind of just did one here and there, and so we wanted to do something more reoccurring, so that it would help spread the word about it,” Haverkamp said. “The main drive behind it is, ‘We think you can make a music living in Des Moines, and we want to provide musicians here with the tools and knowledge to do that.'” The program also is an extension of the few music festivals the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition has helped start and will allow the coalition to offer more in-depth discussions on single topics.

For organizers and panelists, one of the biggest surprises has been the diversity in ages, experience and music styles of the 40 people who attended the first session as well as the level of support the music community has given towards this effort.

“Anything I can do to help share my experiences is great, because it’s building a great community and music scene in Des Moines,” Fleming said. “It takes people not thinking about themselves. … As the whole scene gets better people will recognize Des Moines, Ames and Iowa in general as a place to be reckoned with for music.”

JC Wilson, owner of House of Bricks, who was a panelist in the first session, also sees the program as a benefit to his business, because it could help many more aspiring local musicians, which in turn could attract more people to the shows he hosts. “It helps drive the music scene,” he said.

Plus, those involved say it can help musicians know how to better approach booking agents and venue owners to get a show. “One thing they stressed a lot (in the first session) is you need to be promoting your shows and getting people here,” Haverkamp said, “so it spurs people more to promote their shows so they get asked back to that venue.”

The Music University concept is different from many other programs in other cities because it’s free and is a consistent series, Haverkamp said. Because the cost of putting the event together and printing promotional materials is minimal, the music coalition wanted to make it open and accessible to the public at no cost. In the future, it will seek grant money to cover the cost of bringing in outside speakers.

Wilson hopes that the collaborative spirit shown by the music community for this effort will help keep the program going, noting that when Junker left the city a couple years ago, the lectures stopped. “We need this machine of a local live music coalition to work with the Des Moines Music Commission and just keep pushing each other at regular meetings,” he said.