For the first time since 1977, Bumbershoot will run three days instead of four. "We knew that moving forward we were going to need a new business model for Bumbershoot," says festival producer Heather Smith about the annual arts fair's move to cut Friday from its Labor Day weekend schedule. "It's our goal to keep the festival going and make sure that it is within a framework that allows it to continue to exist."

One Reel—the nonprofit agency that has managed the event since 1994—announced on February 8 that it would be dropping its historically lackluster Fridays in order to "consolidate every single programming dollar into three days instead of four for maximum impact."

Smith says the three key factors driving this decision were Friday's poor attendance record, an increase in production expenses, and the rising costs of artist guarantees—the fees booking agents require in order to confirm an artist's appearance.

"The artist guarantees' component is huge, along with production," continues Smith. "We realized [that] it would be better to take all the time and resources and put them toward Saturday, Sunday, and Monday."

The local music community's reaction has been primarily supportive; most industry insiders acknowledge that Friday is notoriously slow, and scaling back seems pragmatic. "I do think it is a smart move on Bumbershoot's part, as Friday is an economic burden on the festival," says Capitol Hill Block Party promoter and local club owner Dave Meinert. "Axing Friday should allow them to make the other three days better." Bumbershoot Advisory Board member and Chop Suey booking agent Steven Severin echoes this sentiment. "Having Bumbershoot slim down to three days will mean less bands get to play, which in effect brings more prestige to the bands that do get picked."

Important as it may be for fiscal health, the change will cause fiercer competition among local bands due to fewer available time slots.

"We're going to try and put in as many slots as we can, but the reality is that there will be less," Smith acknowledges. "But Friday for clubs around town has always been a slower day because [of] Bumbershoot—and that means that Friday night [may be] kind of a big club day, which is going to be cool."

Cool, indeed, if it results in a push toward more edgy and outsider programming in the clubs on Labor Day weekend, or perhaps the promotion of underground events such as the Fucked by Fuck You festival that sprung up in Austin after many bands found it difficult to land coveted slots in the city's esteemed South by Southwest festival.

Others have had more neutral reactions to Bumbershoot's truncation—not because they don't care about the change, but because they feel the festival wasn't appealing to agents or the artists they represent to begin with.

"They make really shitty offers," confides one prominent national agent. "I think that they pay a lot less than other festivals around the country—my bands usually pass on their offers. I would say [One Reel programmers] offer 30 to 40 percent less than [what they should]."

Several local bands polled complained about production and payment, though they requested anonymity for fear of being blackballed by festival programmers. "The sound sucked and the stage management was sketchy, at best," complains a local veteran guitarist who has played Bumbershoot many times. "It's hard to find out where to park or load in. Also, load-ins are early and you wind up waiting around quite a while to play, but they rarely provide much hospitality for local bands. Pepsi and stale tortilla chips don't exactly fuel a dude up for a rock show."

Restrictions prohibiting bands from playing around town before and after a Bumbershoot show are reflective of typical festival standards, but it's a caveat that many find frustrating in light of the low pay. "One hundred dollars is not enough to warrant the gig restriction rule and lack of catering," says another artist. "But they have bands over a barrel and they know it."

Other artists are more concerned about the diminishing presence of local talent. "The Northwest music community is one of the strongest in the country and this is our flagship festival," says Sky Cries Mary guitarist Bill Bernhard. "It's nice to pay $25 to see a plethora of bands from all over, but not at the expense of local musicians who deserve the large audiences Bumbershoot guarantees."

hlevin@thestranger.com