16 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 25-MAY 1, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com Wave Street Studios is a perfect place for a party, a performance or even a talk show. Legally speaking, though, that party was never able to truly start without a bar in the venue, according to owner Rhett Smith. Now, there is a way forward. The City of Monterey’s Planning Commission on March 26 approved Wave Street Studios’ use permit that is linked to a new kind of liquor license, known as Type 90, which allows the sale of spirits as long as there is some kind of performance happening. For Smith, it means his dream of inviting the general public—not just private party guests—to experience the space he’s created is finally becoming a reality. “It allows me to attract an audience,” Smith explains. “Since 2008, we haven’t been able to serve food or drinks to the public without it being a private party.” The new type of California liquor license went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. According to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 12 Type 90 licenses have been issued so far, including one on April 12 that went to Pop & Hiss in Pacific Grove. Wave Street Studios’ application remains under review with the ABC as of the Weekly’s deadline. Pop & Hiss held a well-attended soft opening on Saturday, April 20 for its record store. It plans to have its bar and music venue in the rear of the store operational by summer. At Wave Street Studios, Smith parlayed the venue’s state-of-the-art video production capabilities into a YouTube channel called “Wave Street Live,” netting around $500,000 through subscription fees since 2008. Content featured on YouTube and wavestreetlive. com features mostly yoga, health and wellness videos. While this gave apprentices invaluable experience in media production, Smith would rather employ them. “The goal was to basically make it so that an intimate club setting could be shared with every web-enabled device on Earth,” Smith says. To satisfy musicians’ rights to the music they produce, Smith envisions a contract of co-ownership in which he offers them essentially a free recording—both audio and visual, with the live audience included. In return, people can subscribe to the channel and view it. However, if a media network wants to use it for profit, they must pay the artist, making Wave Street Studios a promotional vehicle with global reach. Smith eventually hopes to hold performances at Wave Street three times per week that could range from music shows, dances or comedy performances that the general public could attend (and would be able to order drinks, if they choose). He wants to empower promoters to showcase the best within specific genres—once per month to start, then ramping up to biweekly or weekly based on the success they have. “There’s no shortage of high-quality artists that tour through our area,” he says. Associate Editor Erik Chalhoub contributed to this report. Studio Audience Wave Street Studios is finally able to expand programming, enabled by a new type of liquor license. By Sloan Campi Rhett Smith of Wave Street Studios wants to showcase a range of musical genres including blues, jazz, Americana, reggae and world music like Indian and African. NEWS “It allows me to attract an audience.” DANIEL DREIFUSS WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS! 147 El Dorado St., Monterey, CA (831)241-6154 gatheringforwomen.org info@gatheringforwomen.org Come join our amazing team of dedicated volunteers at Gathering for Women! Visit our website at gatheringforwomen.org/volunteer or email volunteer@gatheringforwomen.org to learn more. A special thank you to our volunteers for the time and talent they share with us. Each moment you spend with our guests brightens their day and lifts their spirits.
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