More and more local communities are developing mini-SXSW's. Here's Nashville's.
Next Big Nashville: "Q&A with NBN creator and producer Jason Moon Wilkins: Q: What is the purpose of the event? A: 'The inaugural NBN was conceived and executed in three and a half weeks in 2006 as a way to celebrate what was a banner year for Nashville's rock/pop/indie community. It was originally meant to be just a one-night party, but it quickly grew into a three-day festival that drew nearly three thousand people. Obviously, this year has expanded exponentially, which is a reflection of how dynamic Nashville's music scene is at the moment. The basic reasoning behind it was that it seemed like we needed an event like this and the artists, the industry and the city as a whole have overwhelmingly agreed with that assessment. It's a truly exciting time to be a part of the music community in Nashville and to be living in such a vibrant and growing city. More than anything else, I wanted to build an event that echoed that excitement. Nashville is evolving and expanding beyond its former image into something more cosmopolitan and eclectic but still decidedly southern and I wanted to create a musical reflection of that.'
Is this a showcase/industry event or a public festival?
A: "It's both. It's an easy 'one stop shop' for any out-of-town or in-town industry professional interested in what is happening in Nashville's music scene at the moment. It's also a chance to showcase the growing community of industry professionals who work outside the Music Row mainstream but whose work helps tie Nashville to the international arena. And it's an opportunity for Nashville music fans to see their favorite acts play together in a festive and communal atmosphere and hopefully to be introduced to their new favorite band along the way.""
Showing posts with label music promotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music promotion. Show all posts
Friday, August 10, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The economics of a folk festival
Folk festivals spin off profit for both artists and venues -- Vancouver Sun, 7/13/07: "Though Canadian folk festivals are grassroots affairs where lots of patrons reflect the ideals of the 1960s, they nevertheless generate big dollars.
The Edmonton Folk Festival, largest in Western Canada, attracts 85,000 people for a box office of $1.4 million. It has sold out all its tickets in 11 of the last 13 years. The smaller Winnipeg Folk Festival draws 60,000, but 40 per cent of the audience comes from the United States, resulting in an economic spinoff to the area of about $20 million.
The three-day Vancouver Folk Music Festival, which begins today, attracts people from all over B.C. and the U.S. (Americans make up 30 per cent of the audience), and even some from Europe and Australia. Smaller than events in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary, last year's Vancouver festival operated on a budget of $1.2 million, attracted 30,000 people and took in $551,000 at the box office.
Dancing at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Dancing at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Peter Battistoni/Vancouver Sun
One lucrative side business at folk festivals is on-site CD sales. Festival patrons prefer buying recordings directly from the artist or the artist's label on-site because more of their money goes to the music's creator. These sales won't show up on SoundScan or Billboard, but they nevertheless add up. At last summer's 17 western Canadian folk festivals -- which include events in Vancouver, Victoria, Salmon Arm, Duncan, Comox, Mission and Harrison Hot Springs -- CD sales amounted to $754,594.
At the 2001 Edmonton festival, the Waifs from Australia sold 1,000 CDs in a single weekend, a figure matched by Xavier Rudd one year at the Calgary Folk Festival.
CD sales at last year's Vancouver Folk Festival totalled about 15,000. A top artist can sell as many as 700 CDs in a single weekend at the Vancouver festival....
VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 30,000
Box office: $551,000
CALGARY FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 48,000
Box office: just under $1 million
EDMONTON FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 85,000
Box office: $1.4 million
Winnipeg Folk Festival
Attendance: 60,000
Box office: $1.3 million
The Edmonton Folk Festival, largest in Western Canada, attracts 85,000 people for a box office of $1.4 million. It has sold out all its tickets in 11 of the last 13 years. The smaller Winnipeg Folk Festival draws 60,000, but 40 per cent of the audience comes from the United States, resulting in an economic spinoff to the area of about $20 million.
The three-day Vancouver Folk Music Festival, which begins today, attracts people from all over B.C. and the U.S. (Americans make up 30 per cent of the audience), and even some from Europe and Australia. Smaller than events in Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary, last year's Vancouver festival operated on a budget of $1.2 million, attracted 30,000 people and took in $551,000 at the box office.
Dancing at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Dancing at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Peter Battistoni/Vancouver Sun
One lucrative side business at folk festivals is on-site CD sales. Festival patrons prefer buying recordings directly from the artist or the artist's label on-site because more of their money goes to the music's creator. These sales won't show up on SoundScan or Billboard, but they nevertheless add up. At last summer's 17 western Canadian folk festivals -- which include events in Vancouver, Victoria, Salmon Arm, Duncan, Comox, Mission and Harrison Hot Springs -- CD sales amounted to $754,594.
At the 2001 Edmonton festival, the Waifs from Australia sold 1,000 CDs in a single weekend, a figure matched by Xavier Rudd one year at the Calgary Folk Festival.
CD sales at last year's Vancouver Folk Festival totalled about 15,000. A top artist can sell as many as 700 CDs in a single weekend at the Vancouver festival....
VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 30,000
Box office: $551,000
CALGARY FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 48,000
Box office: just under $1 million
EDMONTON FOLK FESTIVAL
Attendance: 85,000
Box office: $1.4 million
Winnipeg Folk Festival
Attendance: 60,000
Box office: $1.3 million
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Huge arenas no longer is demand as music venues
7/01/07 - The Enquirer - Huge venues are vanishing: "Live Nation, which posted more than $3.5 billion in revenues last year, bills itself as 'the world's largest live music company.' It owns or operates 131 venues. Increasingly, amphitheaters sitting mainly on interstate exits and beltways outside of cities, find themselves in areas that have become prime real estate. Live Nation is selling off amphitheaters where established stars such as Buffett and Chesney may be the only guaranteed sellouts.
Just last week, Live Nation ended a management deal with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater near Kansas City, Mo., plunging that outdoor venue's future into uncertainty.
While it divests of amphitheaters and other aspects of its business - including its Broadway Across America series that comes to the Aronoff Center for the Arts - Live Nation is beefing up its live music promotion and focusing on smaller venues. The company recently acquired the House of Blues chain of 10 clubs for $350 million.
Smaller performing venues are more attractive to artists as well as presenters, says [Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of the concert trade magazine Pollstar], because all seats are reserved. In 1994, touring groups including the Rolling Stones shifted to 'tiered pricing,' charging a premium for the best seats. But in the amphitheater world, the largest capacity is the lawn, which are the cheapest tickets.
'The artists will tend to demand that the presenters pay them a lot for that lawn capacity, whether they sell it or not,' Bongiovanni says. 'But if you only have 6,000 reserved seats, it's a safer bet. And artists generally like to play venues they can fill. No one likes to play to an empty or half-empty facility.'"
Just last week, Live Nation ended a management deal with the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater near Kansas City, Mo., plunging that outdoor venue's future into uncertainty.
While it divests of amphitheaters and other aspects of its business - including its Broadway Across America series that comes to the Aronoff Center for the Arts - Live Nation is beefing up its live music promotion and focusing on smaller venues. The company recently acquired the House of Blues chain of 10 clubs for $350 million.
Smaller performing venues are more attractive to artists as well as presenters, says [Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of the concert trade magazine Pollstar], because all seats are reserved. In 1994, touring groups including the Rolling Stones shifted to 'tiered pricing,' charging a premium for the best seats. But in the amphitheater world, the largest capacity is the lawn, which are the cheapest tickets.
'The artists will tend to demand that the presenters pay them a lot for that lawn capacity, whether they sell it or not,' Bongiovanni says. 'But if you only have 6,000 reserved seats, it's a safer bet. And artists generally like to play venues they can fill. No one likes to play to an empty or half-empty facility.'"
More on environmentally friendly events
I'm a bit skeptical that the event industry is the second-largest contributor to carbon emissions in the world, but it's still a good thing to be environmentally friendly.
7/1/07 --Rock bands find new ways to go green: "'The event industry is the second-largest contributor to carbon emissions in the world, next to construction,' said Joseph Malki, vice president of business development for green events consultant Seven-Star Inc., which will be overseeing the environmental efforts of four of the Live Earth concerts taking place around the world July 7.
Adam Gardner, guitarist-vocalist for the Boston-spawned band Guster, became so interested in finding ways to reduce his band's carbon footprint that he and his wife, Lauren Sullivan, both Tufts University graduates, began Reverb, a nonprofit green tour-consulting organization, in 2004.
Reverb does everything from offering suggestions to providing full-service consultants who will coordinate backstage recycling and biodiesel refueling for trucks and buses, set up 'ecovillages' at venues, and more. The group has assisted the Chili Peppers, Lavigne and Jones in the past, and is working with the Fray and Mayer this summer."
7/1/07 --Rock bands find new ways to go green: "'The event industry is the second-largest contributor to carbon emissions in the world, next to construction,' said Joseph Malki, vice president of business development for green events consultant Seven-Star Inc., which will be overseeing the environmental efforts of four of the Live Earth concerts taking place around the world July 7.
Adam Gardner, guitarist-vocalist for the Boston-spawned band Guster, became so interested in finding ways to reduce his band's carbon footprint that he and his wife, Lauren Sullivan, both Tufts University graduates, began Reverb, a nonprofit green tour-consulting organization, in 2004.
Reverb does everything from offering suggestions to providing full-service consultants who will coordinate backstage recycling and biodiesel refueling for trucks and buses, set up 'ecovillages' at venues, and more. The group has assisted the Chili Peppers, Lavigne and Jones in the past, and is working with the Fray and Mayer this summer."
Friday, June 15, 2007
AEG's Plans for Denver
This article is about promoter Chuch Morris becoming the head of AEG Live's Rocky Mountain office. He left Live Nation to do this and brought several others with him. And before that, he ran his own promotion company.
One of the big local stories has been the venues that Live Nation and AEG have been booking. And the fact that AEG wants to put in yet another venue.
Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Other Business: "With a changing concert demographic that is skewing to midsize venues, AEG looks to build a 6,000-seat amphitheater with a retractable roof for year-round use.
'What they're doing is the future of our business,' Morris said. 'We'll only build a building that is mind-blowing and makes sense economically. If that doesn't happen, we won't be building. That's going to be one of my many challenges.'
AEG has built buildings and entertainment districts around the world, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles to the new Wembley Stadium in England.
'If the right location happens and the right finances happen,' Denver will get a new venue, Morris said. 'If I can't create something that's never been done before, we're not going to do it. If I can, I'd love to be part of it.'"
One of the big local stories has been the venues that Live Nation and AEG have been booking. And the fact that AEG wants to put in yet another venue.
Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Other Business: "With a changing concert demographic that is skewing to midsize venues, AEG looks to build a 6,000-seat amphitheater with a retractable roof for year-round use.
'What they're doing is the future of our business,' Morris said. 'We'll only build a building that is mind-blowing and makes sense economically. If that doesn't happen, we won't be building. That's going to be one of my many challenges.'
AEG has built buildings and entertainment districts around the world, from the Staples Center in Los Angeles to the new Wembley Stadium in England.
'If the right location happens and the right finances happen,' Denver will get a new venue, Morris said. 'If I can't create something that's never been done before, we're not going to do it. If I can, I'd love to be part of it.'"
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Music Festival Sponsor Promotions
This article reads like a press release, but does give some ideas of what sponsors do at festivals to maximize their investments/associations.
::UTalk Marketing, 6/12/07:: Analysis: Experiential Marketing at Music Festivals: "Music festivals are hot property for FMCG and telephony brands. You’ve got access to an audience of thousands of predominately youthful and early-adoptive consumers with a high-disposable income.
The other bonus is they’re in a relaxed and fun frame of mind meaning they’re all the more receptive to brand trial.
Get a brand in their hands, get consumers to associate it with a good and pleasant experience and chances are they’ll try it again following the event. It’s not rocket science.
So who’s getting busy at festivals? What are they doing and why?
At O2 Wireless London Festival this weekend the principal sponsor will be erecting a bubble structure, working with experiencial agency, Sledge.
It’s designed to treat O2 customers to an experience above and beyond the main festival environment. The area will only be accessible via a text message barcode mechanic, available only to O2 customers. Comfortable tiered seating areas and deckchairs will give a great view of the stage.
Once within the bubble structure, customers will be treated to a fully stocked bar, DJ’s and live acts playing on rotation and seating areas where lucky O2 customers could enjoy the hi-tech, exclusive environment and entertainment.
External minibubble structures will offer consumers further entertainment in the form of starring in a pop video and free CD giveaways with consumers’ photos being used to create the cover insert.
The O2 VIP area, located directly behind the main stage, will offer selected guests a stylish and tranquil area to see and be seen....
In a bid to associate themselves with the greatest legends in rock music, Ray-Ban are presenting ‘Never Hide’, an area offering a VIP retreat from the main stage action.
There’s a lounge to chill out in, a garden and a Studio where a photographer and professional stylist will help festivalgoers recreate their own iconic rock picture
The brand is also offering 150 people attending to exchange their old sunglasses for new pair of Ray-Bans.
Meanwhile at the same festival the Fender Experience is giving the public a chance to get up close to the worlds most famous and recognised guitars.
There’ll be tutors on hand for beginners to get them playing their first chords on the electric guitar!
Games company, Ubisoft will be at Wireless and Creamfields this year with a new and unique gaming truck hosting 2 x 68 plasma screens....
As the ‘Official Beer of Live Nation’, Tuborg will be presenting stage 3 at the 02 Wireless Festival London, showcasing a wide range of musical talent.
The brand is also taking advantage of social networking by taking photos of festival-goers and posting them at myspace.com/Tuborguk.
Tuborg has also set up a dedicated website to promote their association with music events this summer, tuborgmusic.co.uk
Broadband, telephone and media company, Tiscali, will be webcasting acts from the main stage of the show in Hyde Park as the official internet partner for the O2 Wireless Festival.
Visitors will be able to view the exclusive webcast content on the official Tiscali festival microsite tiscali.co.uk/wireless over the course of the festival and exclusive edited sessions will be made available after the event.
The brand will also be hosting an exclusive Sessions Tent backstage in the festival's VIP area....
::UTalk Marketing, 6/12/07:: Analysis: Experiential Marketing at Music Festivals: "Music festivals are hot property for FMCG and telephony brands. You’ve got access to an audience of thousands of predominately youthful and early-adoptive consumers with a high-disposable income.
The other bonus is they’re in a relaxed and fun frame of mind meaning they’re all the more receptive to brand trial.
Get a brand in their hands, get consumers to associate it with a good and pleasant experience and chances are they’ll try it again following the event. It’s not rocket science.
So who’s getting busy at festivals? What are they doing and why?
At O2 Wireless London Festival this weekend the principal sponsor will be erecting a bubble structure, working with experiencial agency, Sledge.
It’s designed to treat O2 customers to an experience above and beyond the main festival environment. The area will only be accessible via a text message barcode mechanic, available only to O2 customers. Comfortable tiered seating areas and deckchairs will give a great view of the stage.
Once within the bubble structure, customers will be treated to a fully stocked bar, DJ’s and live acts playing on rotation and seating areas where lucky O2 customers could enjoy the hi-tech, exclusive environment and entertainment.
External minibubble structures will offer consumers further entertainment in the form of starring in a pop video and free CD giveaways with consumers’ photos being used to create the cover insert.
The O2 VIP area, located directly behind the main stage, will offer selected guests a stylish and tranquil area to see and be seen....
In a bid to associate themselves with the greatest legends in rock music, Ray-Ban are presenting ‘Never Hide’, an area offering a VIP retreat from the main stage action.
There’s a lounge to chill out in, a garden and a Studio where a photographer and professional stylist will help festivalgoers recreate their own iconic rock picture
The brand is also offering 150 people attending to exchange their old sunglasses for new pair of Ray-Bans.
Meanwhile at the same festival the Fender Experience is giving the public a chance to get up close to the worlds most famous and recognised guitars.
There’ll be tutors on hand for beginners to get them playing their first chords on the electric guitar!
Games company, Ubisoft will be at Wireless and Creamfields this year with a new and unique gaming truck hosting 2 x 68 plasma screens....
As the ‘Official Beer of Live Nation’, Tuborg will be presenting stage 3 at the 02 Wireless Festival London, showcasing a wide range of musical talent.
The brand is also taking advantage of social networking by taking photos of festival-goers and posting them at myspace.com/Tuborguk.
Tuborg has also set up a dedicated website to promote their association with music events this summer, tuborgmusic.co.uk
Broadband, telephone and media company, Tiscali, will be webcasting acts from the main stage of the show in Hyde Park as the official internet partner for the O2 Wireless Festival.
Visitors will be able to view the exclusive webcast content on the official Tiscali festival microsite tiscali.co.uk/wireless over the course of the festival and exclusive edited sessions will be made available after the event.
The brand will also be hosting an exclusive Sessions Tent backstage in the festival's VIP area....
Bumbershoot and AEG
I thought I posted this when it first came out, but looking through my blog, I couldn't find it. At any rate, here it is. AEG has been moving into the festival biz, most recently getting involved with the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks.
Bumbershoot hopes new partnership will bring big headliners: Local News: The Seattle Times, 2/20/07: "One Reel, the non-profit arts organization that produces Bumbershoot, has announced a five-year deal with national concert promoter AEG Live, hoping it will bring more headline acts to the annual arts festival at the Seattle Center.
Under the agreement, AEG will share the financial risk (and profit) of booking music headliners, help secure sponsors and become an underwriter of the three-day fall festival. It is unclear what effect, if any, the new relationship will have on ticket prices....
Bumbershoot will remain independent and is not merging with or being 'bought out' by AEG, nor will AEG be billed as a title sponsor — as in 'AEG presents,' Scoleri said.
'One Reel is still going to book Bumbershoot,' said Scoleri.
As the concert business has consolidated, it has become more difficult for annual festivals to compete for major rock acts. In the past, Bumbershoot has booked artists on the way up or established acts without a recent popular album. One Reel also enjoyed extra booking clout when it presented the Summer Nights concert series. But that series was sidetracked last year when a lawsuit prevented it from being held at Gas Works Park and there are no plans to hold the concerts in Seattle this summer.
With a promoter such as AEG sharing the financial risk — and the profit — major pop music acts may become more available....
Bumbershoot turned a profit last year of $200,000, even after shortening the festival from four days to three. It drew about about 40,000 people a day, according to estimates. In 2005, because of bad weather, the festival lost close to $300,000.
Bumbershoot hopes new partnership will bring big headliners: Local News: The Seattle Times, 2/20/07: "One Reel, the non-profit arts organization that produces Bumbershoot, has announced a five-year deal with national concert promoter AEG Live, hoping it will bring more headline acts to the annual arts festival at the Seattle Center.
Under the agreement, AEG will share the financial risk (and profit) of booking music headliners, help secure sponsors and become an underwriter of the three-day fall festival. It is unclear what effect, if any, the new relationship will have on ticket prices....
Bumbershoot will remain independent and is not merging with or being 'bought out' by AEG, nor will AEG be billed as a title sponsor — as in 'AEG presents,' Scoleri said.
'One Reel is still going to book Bumbershoot,' said Scoleri.
As the concert business has consolidated, it has become more difficult for annual festivals to compete for major rock acts. In the past, Bumbershoot has booked artists on the way up or established acts without a recent popular album. One Reel also enjoyed extra booking clout when it presented the Summer Nights concert series. But that series was sidetracked last year when a lawsuit prevented it from being held at Gas Works Park and there are no plans to hold the concerts in Seattle this summer.
With a promoter such as AEG sharing the financial risk — and the profit — major pop music acts may become more available....
Bumbershoot turned a profit last year of $200,000, even after shortening the festival from four days to three. It drew about about 40,000 people a day, according to estimates. In 2005, because of bad weather, the festival lost close to $300,000.
Radio at Bonnaroo
A good article on the radio set-up at Bonnaroo. It might give other festivals some ideas. Read the entire article, because I have only quoted parts of it here.
Nashville Scene, 6/14/07 - Radio Daze: "...roughly 30 Bonnaroo acts will record three-song sets and give interviews that will be broadcast throughout the weekend to about 30 of the country’s biggest rock stations, including KFOG (San Francisco), DAVE FM (Atlanta) and WXRT (Chicago), and in Nashville, on WRLT Lightning 100. It’s all part of Bonnaroo’s unique approach to radio outreach, designed by Asheville, N.C., music marketing company Music Allies....
Imagine a reality show called Build a Studio. That’s how carpenter David Gehrke describes the task ahead of him—building the recording and radio studios essentially from scratch. 'Every year they throw changes in,' says Gehrke, drummer for The Bees (U.S.) and co-owner of Niko’s bar in East Nashville. 'This year, I’m doing a proper control-room window. I’m really polishing a turd...trying to make a room that is in no way, shape or form acoustically fit for recording, trying to make it sound, look and feel good.'...
According to Gehrke, the setup is just as much a boon for the artists and radio stations as it is for Bonnaroo. “When you’re on the road pushing a record, you usually have to do a bunch of radio interviews, and it’s exhausting. Here, in 20 minutes, they can do one interview that’ll go to the biggest stations all over the country, then they can go watch the other bands. The artists love us. And the stations have access to all these artists in one space, and can reap the benefits of each others’ questions.'...
These segments will also be broadcast on Radio Bonnaroo, which airs 24/7 to the campgrounds and surrounding area for the entire festival. 'We lease a local radio station [Manchester’s Fantasy 101.5] for five days and put a frequency on the air,' says [Music Allies CEO Sean] O’Connell. 'And we have speakers all throughout the campground. When you’re crawling into your tent at 5:30 in the morning after seeing the Flaming Lips do a late-night set, and that hot sun is starting to come up on the horizon, you may hear Brian Eno holding a note for 20 minutes. We want this to be part of your dreamscape. Nobody has the luxury to program a radio station like that.'"
Nashville Scene, 6/14/07 - Radio Daze: "...roughly 30 Bonnaroo acts will record three-song sets and give interviews that will be broadcast throughout the weekend to about 30 of the country’s biggest rock stations, including KFOG (San Francisco), DAVE FM (Atlanta) and WXRT (Chicago), and in Nashville, on WRLT Lightning 100. It’s all part of Bonnaroo’s unique approach to radio outreach, designed by Asheville, N.C., music marketing company Music Allies....
Imagine a reality show called Build a Studio. That’s how carpenter David Gehrke describes the task ahead of him—building the recording and radio studios essentially from scratch. 'Every year they throw changes in,' says Gehrke, drummer for The Bees (U.S.) and co-owner of Niko’s bar in East Nashville. 'This year, I’m doing a proper control-room window. I’m really polishing a turd...trying to make a room that is in no way, shape or form acoustically fit for recording, trying to make it sound, look and feel good.'...
According to Gehrke, the setup is just as much a boon for the artists and radio stations as it is for Bonnaroo. “When you’re on the road pushing a record, you usually have to do a bunch of radio interviews, and it’s exhausting. Here, in 20 minutes, they can do one interview that’ll go to the biggest stations all over the country, then they can go watch the other bands. The artists love us. And the stations have access to all these artists in one space, and can reap the benefits of each others’ questions.'...
These segments will also be broadcast on Radio Bonnaroo, which airs 24/7 to the campgrounds and surrounding area for the entire festival. 'We lease a local radio station [Manchester’s Fantasy 101.5] for five days and put a frequency on the air,' says [Music Allies CEO Sean] O’Connell. 'And we have speakers all throughout the campground. When you’re crawling into your tent at 5:30 in the morning after seeing the Flaming Lips do a late-night set, and that hot sun is starting to come up on the horizon, you may hear Brian Eno holding a note for 20 minutes. We want this to be part of your dreamscape. Nobody has the luxury to program a radio station like that.'"
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Family Dog in Denver
The Family Dog was famous for bringing so many 1960s acts to Denver (many of the collectable posters from that era were for shows there) and for giving Barry Fey, Denver's most famous rock promoter, his start.
My college roommate worked at the Family Dog and I used to go there. The only two shows I can remember were the Doors and Canned Heat (the night they got busted for the Denver police).
Denver's Family Dog had roots in, like, the Summer of Love RockyMountain News, 6/8/07: "It was 40 years ago on June 7, 1967, that Fey flew to San Francisco to meet with the Family Dog folks in what would mark the genesis of The Family Dog concert venue here at 1601 W. Evans Ave.
Fey was looking for a place to feature original music when he contacted Bob Cohen with the Family Dog. Cohen liked the tape of local band Eighth Penny Matter so much that he flew from San Francisco to Denver during the Summer of Love.
'That's how the Family Dog was born,' Fey said. 'That was the most important day in Colorado music history.'
Denver's Family Dog opened with Big Brother and the Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin. Others who graced the stage were Blue Cheer, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, The Doors and Buffalo Springfield.
The club, which never made any money, in part because tickets were $3.50, eventually morphed into The Dog until it closed with the return of Joplin in June 1968. 'The week before we closed Bobby Kennedy was shot,' Fey said."
My college roommate worked at the Family Dog and I used to go there. The only two shows I can remember were the Doors and Canned Heat (the night they got busted for the Denver police).
Denver's Family Dog had roots in, like, the Summer of Love RockyMountain News, 6/8/07: "It was 40 years ago on June 7, 1967, that Fey flew to San Francisco to meet with the Family Dog folks in what would mark the genesis of The Family Dog concert venue here at 1601 W. Evans Ave.
Fey was looking for a place to feature original music when he contacted Bob Cohen with the Family Dog. Cohen liked the tape of local band Eighth Penny Matter so much that he flew from San Francisco to Denver during the Summer of Love.
'That's how the Family Dog was born,' Fey said. 'That was the most important day in Colorado music history.'
Denver's Family Dog opened with Big Brother and the Holding Company, featuring Janis Joplin. Others who graced the stage were Blue Cheer, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Grateful Dead, The Doors and Buffalo Springfield.
The club, which never made any money, in part because tickets were $3.50, eventually morphed into The Dog until it closed with the return of Joplin in June 1968. 'The week before we closed Bobby Kennedy was shot,' Fey said."
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Festival VIP passes
This article mentions that there are a group of affluent music fans who want to attend festivals, but want to minimize the hassles involved. Offer them good parking, clean bathrooms, a nice place to stay, a VIP bar, and they will pay for those extras.
Older, wealthier fans go VIP at music festivals - Music - MSNBC.com, 6/12/07: "... access to a real bathroom, enjoy free and discounted food and drinks and then he’ll be driven to a hotel 30 miles away from the festival site in Tennessee....
Bonnaroo draws 80,000 people to a farm in rural Manchester, 65 miles south of Nashville, but not all of them want to sweat through four days of music under sometimes inclement weather, crammed into the crowded tent city....
At Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, private cabanas on the shore of Lake Michigan cost more than $32,500 for a party of 30. Air-conditioned viewing stands were available for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo artists will perform a private show for VIP guests on opening night Thursday."
Older, wealthier fans go VIP at music festivals - Music - MSNBC.com, 6/12/07: "... access to a real bathroom, enjoy free and discounted food and drinks and then he’ll be driven to a hotel 30 miles away from the festival site in Tennessee....
Bonnaroo draws 80,000 people to a farm in rural Manchester, 65 miles south of Nashville, but not all of them want to sweat through four days of music under sometimes inclement weather, crammed into the crowded tent city....
At Lollapalooza in Chicago’s Grant Park, private cabanas on the shore of Lake Michigan cost more than $32,500 for a party of 30. Air-conditioned viewing stands were available for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo artists will perform a private show for VIP guests on opening night Thursday."
Monday, June 11, 2007
The experimental music scene in different countries
A discussion of experimental music and jazz in Philadelphia, France, and the rest of Europe.
The Paris Experiment :: Music :: Philadelphia City Paper, 6/7/07: "[Jack] Wright finds a similarity in the explosion of young, enthusiastic improvisers in France, playing anywhere they can, from established venues to house shows, similar to what's happening now in Philadelphia, with one important exception — the makeup of the audience. 'The audiences that I experienced there were pretty much mixed, with children and older people. It wasn't a 'scene' audience like we have in Philadelphia. There was always a lot of curiosity because this music was completely new for these people.'"
The Paris Experiment :: Music :: Philadelphia City Paper, 6/7/07: "[Jack] Wright finds a similarity in the explosion of young, enthusiastic improvisers in France, playing anywhere they can, from established venues to house shows, similar to what's happening now in Philadelphia, with one important exception — the makeup of the audience. 'The audiences that I experienced there were pretty much mixed, with children and older people. It wasn't a 'scene' audience like we have in Philadelphia. There was always a lot of curiosity because this music was completely new for these people.'"
Selling music venues for real estate value
Live Nation has been trying to sell off some of its music venues -- primarily the ones that are worth more as real estate than as a venue. But there have no offers for the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Indianapolis.
The beat goes on at Verizon center -- Indianapolis Business Journal, 6/9/07: Live Nation is interested in selling only for redevelopment, not to another promoter, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a trade publication covering the concert industry. Bongiovanni expects the company will be willing to wait to get its asking price, which local brokers say is about $100,000-per-acre too optimistic.
So far, Live Nation has sold an amphitheater in Nashville, Tenn., and is exploring the sale of others in Columbus, Ohio, and Tinley Park, Ill. In a phone message, a corporate spokesman said no transaction has taken place for Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville. A local CB Richard Ellis broker who is marketing the property did not return phone messages.
'Maybe they keep Indianapolis because they can’t find anybody to come up with the money,' Bongiovanni said.
The sale strategy is designed to generate cash for a company that has struggled since its 2005 separation from San Antonio-based Clear Channel. Another reason is a changing concert industry. These days, fewer acts sell enough tickets to justify shows at large venues such as Verizon, which has 6,000 reserved seats and room for up to 18,000 on the lawn.
Amphitheaters also provide only seasonal revenue and don’t offer the tiered, high price seating potential of enclosed venues. Smaller concert venues are in, and Live Nation is betting on that business. In Indianapolis, Live Nation manages shows at the Murat Centre and the Lawn at White River State Park."
The beat goes on at Verizon center -- Indianapolis Business Journal, 6/9/07: Live Nation is interested in selling only for redevelopment, not to another promoter, said Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of Pollstar, a trade publication covering the concert industry. Bongiovanni expects the company will be willing to wait to get its asking price, which local brokers say is about $100,000-per-acre too optimistic.
So far, Live Nation has sold an amphitheater in Nashville, Tenn., and is exploring the sale of others in Columbus, Ohio, and Tinley Park, Ill. In a phone message, a corporate spokesman said no transaction has taken place for Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville. A local CB Richard Ellis broker who is marketing the property did not return phone messages.
'Maybe they keep Indianapolis because they can’t find anybody to come up with the money,' Bongiovanni said.
The sale strategy is designed to generate cash for a company that has struggled since its 2005 separation from San Antonio-based Clear Channel. Another reason is a changing concert industry. These days, fewer acts sell enough tickets to justify shows at large venues such as Verizon, which has 6,000 reserved seats and room for up to 18,000 on the lawn.
Amphitheaters also provide only seasonal revenue and don’t offer the tiered, high price seating potential of enclosed venues. Smaller concert venues are in, and Live Nation is betting on that business. In Indianapolis, Live Nation manages shows at the Murat Centre and the Lawn at White River State Park."
Marc Ribot: The Care and Feeding of a Musical Margin
A detailed article about the need for subsidies for music clubs -- particularly jazz and new music clubs.
Marc Ribot: The Care and Feeding of a Musical Margin - All About Jazz, 7/7/07: "The market is failing as a means of funding downtown new music venues. The venues have either abandoned new music booking priorities (like Knitting Factory did at the end of the '90s), switched to being subsidized by musicians (like Tonic and the above mentioned new venues are doing now) or both. Musician benefit concerts and recordings, once a 'special' situation, are being normalized as a means of funding....
New music composers of the '40s through the early '60s didn't expect to make money through the live performance market; many taught to earn a living. John Cage's income wasn't based on packing a nightclub with door-fee paying, drink-buying customers; many of his history making premieres were attended by fewer people than attended an average gig at CBGB. He was supported mainly by commissions and performance fees, by grants from private and public foundations. In experimental jazz, things were much the same, although less generously funded; avant gardists through the '70s played a 'loft' scene not known for generating big bucks. Cecil Taylor worked as a dishwasher while developing his history-changing style. And when he was able to quit his day job, it was due to the backing of mostly European, subsidized festivals....
The idea behind European public arts subsidies, the reason why NYC jazz/new music artists for at least the last 40 years have played Paris, Cologne and Zurich many more times than they've played Hartford (and how many have ever played Des Moines?) is a doctrine called “the European cultural exception”, a set of government policies based on the concept that, even within a market economy, art/culture is to be treated differently from other commodities."
Marc Ribot: The Care and Feeding of a Musical Margin - All About Jazz, 7/7/07: "The market is failing as a means of funding downtown new music venues. The venues have either abandoned new music booking priorities (like Knitting Factory did at the end of the '90s), switched to being subsidized by musicians (like Tonic and the above mentioned new venues are doing now) or both. Musician benefit concerts and recordings, once a 'special' situation, are being normalized as a means of funding....
New music composers of the '40s through the early '60s didn't expect to make money through the live performance market; many taught to earn a living. John Cage's income wasn't based on packing a nightclub with door-fee paying, drink-buying customers; many of his history making premieres were attended by fewer people than attended an average gig at CBGB. He was supported mainly by commissions and performance fees, by grants from private and public foundations. In experimental jazz, things were much the same, although less generously funded; avant gardists through the '70s played a 'loft' scene not known for generating big bucks. Cecil Taylor worked as a dishwasher while developing his history-changing style. And when he was able to quit his day job, it was due to the backing of mostly European, subsidized festivals....
The idea behind European public arts subsidies, the reason why NYC jazz/new music artists for at least the last 40 years have played Paris, Cologne and Zurich many more times than they've played Hartford (and how many have ever played Des Moines?) is a doctrine called “the European cultural exception”, a set of government policies based on the concept that, even within a market economy, art/culture is to be treated differently from other commodities."
Sunday, June 10, 2007
The growth of mid-sized venues in NYC
Here's a bit of an overview of Bowery Presents, a promoter that has grown enough to take on Live Nation and AEG in NYC.
Bowery Presents - Concert Industry - Music - New York Times, 6/7/07: "It started with the 250-capacity Mercury Lounge on East Houston Street, which opened in 1994 for $250,000, some $35,000 of which came from the maxed-out credit cards of Michael Swier, one of the Bowery Presents partners. Four years later came the 575-capacity, $1 million Bowery Ballroom, and in 2004 the company began booking Webster Hall, which fits 1,400. Last year it acquired Northsix in Brooklyn, which will open in September as the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the 3,000-capacity former Exit dance club on West 56th Street, to reopen as a rock hall in October."
Bowery Presents - Concert Industry - Music - New York Times, 6/7/07: "It started with the 250-capacity Mercury Lounge on East Houston Street, which opened in 1994 for $250,000, some $35,000 of which came from the maxed-out credit cards of Michael Swier, one of the Bowery Presents partners. Four years later came the 575-capacity, $1 million Bowery Ballroom, and in 2004 the company began booking Webster Hall, which fits 1,400. Last year it acquired Northsix in Brooklyn, which will open in September as the Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the 3,000-capacity former Exit dance club on West 56th Street, to reopen as a rock hall in October."
Saturday, May 26, 2007
How a jam festival got started in NJ
Drew Wajnert started out as music fan who decided he could improve upon the festival experience. One of his complaints was the lack of portable toilets. At his own events he has gone so far as to set aside some just for women and others just for mothers and kids.
Phanphest Takes A Leap Of FAITH on UpstageMagazine.com, 5/25/07"Phanphest Entertainment started out as a backyard tradition in late 2002 as Phan Phest 1.0; an intimate group of friends from The Gathering of the Vibes message boards were encouraged to gather on one acre of property for a barbeque, some keg beer, and some great music. Attendees were invited to camp out overnight on the property. Everybody had a great time, and the feedback encouraged the group of friends to do it again six months later but this time with two days of music.
Phan Phest 1.5 was held in May of 2003. Featuring two bands on both days, as well as many other acts, the backyard party maxed out the little acre with 62 tents. A larger, extended group of friends gathered for the event and were pleased with the results. But, it was pretty clear that the event had to move.
Friends helped make Phan Phest 2.0 happen in October of 2003, and realize the dream of a three-day music festival, so the event was moved to 2 acres. Thirteen bands played over 3 days on a stage that the company constructed.
The following May, Phanphest put together a festival featuring 22 bands over a 4 acres area. This was the show that truly launched the company and solidified its future. The festival was such a success that Phanphest began searching for a larger location to work with. They began producing indoor festivals and regular weekly shows in Asbury Park, NJ. Steadily, they were assembling a roster of acts dedicated to the Phanphest mission. Acts that will now be rewarded by a spot in Phanphest 3.0 this August.
Phanphest 3.0 will be held at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY. This was the location for The Gathering of the Vibes for the last several years. When that festival decided to move on, Phanphest eagerly moved their festival to the location.
'It's 200 plus acres of property,' said [promoter/creator Drew] Wajnert. "We're shooting for 3000 people. Our vision for it is to be family friendly. We're going to welcome Deadheads and Phishheads with kids who want to bring them to a safe environment. There's a great security solution that's already built in and they have existing facilities. This is the total package. It allows me to be the talent buyer and just focus on the production.'"
Phanphest Takes A Leap Of FAITH on UpstageMagazine.com, 5/25/07"Phanphest Entertainment started out as a backyard tradition in late 2002 as Phan Phest 1.0; an intimate group of friends from The Gathering of the Vibes message boards were encouraged to gather on one acre of property for a barbeque, some keg beer, and some great music. Attendees were invited to camp out overnight on the property. Everybody had a great time, and the feedback encouraged the group of friends to do it again six months later but this time with two days of music.
Phan Phest 1.5 was held in May of 2003. Featuring two bands on both days, as well as many other acts, the backyard party maxed out the little acre with 62 tents. A larger, extended group of friends gathered for the event and were pleased with the results. But, it was pretty clear that the event had to move.
Friends helped make Phan Phest 2.0 happen in October of 2003, and realize the dream of a three-day music festival, so the event was moved to 2 acres. Thirteen bands played over 3 days on a stage that the company constructed.
The following May, Phanphest put together a festival featuring 22 bands over a 4 acres area. This was the show that truly launched the company and solidified its future. The festival was such a success that Phanphest began searching for a larger location to work with. They began producing indoor festivals and regular weekly shows in Asbury Park, NJ. Steadily, they were assembling a roster of acts dedicated to the Phanphest mission. Acts that will now be rewarded by a spot in Phanphest 3.0 this August.
Phanphest 3.0 will be held at Indian Lookout Country Club in Mariaville, NY. This was the location for The Gathering of the Vibes for the last several years. When that festival decided to move on, Phanphest eagerly moved their festival to the location.
'It's 200 plus acres of property,' said [promoter/creator Drew] Wajnert. "We're shooting for 3000 people. Our vision for it is to be family friendly. We're going to welcome Deadheads and Phishheads with kids who want to bring them to a safe environment. There's a great security solution that's already built in and they have existing facilities. This is the total package. It allows me to be the talent buyer and just focus on the production.'"
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Creating a music promotion business from the ground up
How a college student went from club booker to full-time music promoter.
Promoter helps rock scene thrive - Chico Music Guide, 5/16/07: "Devil Kat Rock Productions founder Katie Perry has always been passionate about music, but it wasn't until she moved from Redding to Chico to attend college that she found her ardor for music promotion.
'I love rock 'n' roll,' Perry said. 'I honestly think I would be entirely lost if I didn't do this.'
Perry is a music promoter who promotes, stage-manages and books various music talents, both local and national, to perform in Chico and Redding. Since starting in 2002, she has had a full calendar of shows. On top of her 40-hour-a-week day job, she pumps out another 30 to 50 hours under her alter ego Devil Kat Rock Productions....
'Having shows is like rolling the dice, I really don't know how many people are going to come,' she said. 'Some people are going to talk shit and critique - telling me how I should do things - these people are generally the ones that don't get off their asses and do something.'"
Promoter helps rock scene thrive - Chico Music Guide, 5/16/07: "Devil Kat Rock Productions founder Katie Perry has always been passionate about music, but it wasn't until she moved from Redding to Chico to attend college that she found her ardor for music promotion.
'I love rock 'n' roll,' Perry said. 'I honestly think I would be entirely lost if I didn't do this.'
Perry is a music promoter who promotes, stage-manages and books various music talents, both local and national, to perform in Chico and Redding. Since starting in 2002, she has had a full calendar of shows. On top of her 40-hour-a-week day job, she pumps out another 30 to 50 hours under her alter ego Devil Kat Rock Productions....
'Having shows is like rolling the dice, I really don't know how many people are going to come,' she said. 'Some people are going to talk shit and critique - telling me how I should do things - these people are generally the ones that don't get off their asses and do something.'"
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Concert promotion using mobile phones
This article discusses how Fall Out Boy and other bands are using mobile phones to promote themselves and particularly to enhance the concert experience. The assumption is that teenagers want to get messages via phone rather than email.
While the idea of taping into cellphones at concerts makes sense since that's the best way to communicate with audiences during the event, some of the other ideas seem a bit too gimmicky and too youth-specific.
My feeling is that mobile promotions are good when they appeal to audiences' this-concert-is-really-about-me mentality (e.g., allowing them to post messages and photos to giant screens during the show), but don't add much when they are just used as a way to create faux intimacy between a band's promotional department and the fans who sign up. It kind of reminds me of those 900 numbers where you could listen to a photo message from your favorite star for a fee.
Rocky Mountain News, 5/5/07 - Bands SPK 2 GR8 fans:
"• One fan will have the opportunity to go backstage and meet the band via a text-messaging contest held live during the performance.
• The band is encouraging fans to take camera-phone photos during the show and upload them to a section of their Web site called "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs," text-message shorthand for "thanks for the memories" and also the title of their current single.
• In some tour venues, fans will be able to send the photos directly to video screens on either side of the stage, a multimedia upgrade from the now-common practice of displaying audience text messages.
It's all part of a text messaging fan club campaign the group launched in late March. Fall Out Boy developed a set of five mobile trading cards that fans can only receive by signing up for the service and texting in updates on a regular basis. Each time fans text in a message, they receive one randomly selected card. Some are rarer than others, so the odds of getting the rarest card increase with the number of messages sent.
The trading cards are in the form of Tarot cards, designed around graphic themes from the band's new album, Infinity on High. Once downloaded, fans can use them for their phones' wallpaper images.
After joining the text-message fan club, fans will get updates on Fall Out Boy news such as when the band's next video will premiere, ticket alerts for local secret shows, updates about about the band members, and other information - all delivered directly to their mobile phones....
The group uses Mozes to manage its text-messaging efforts; the Palo Alto, Calif., company claims another 700 artists also use its service.
Mozes CEO Dorrian Porter said Fall Out Boy has signed up 'tens of thousands' of fans since the Tarot card promotion began, and recently had the fifth-most subscribers on the service, after Hinder, Korn, hellogoodbye and Boys Like Girls.
Mozes also runs the backstage pass contest at FOB tours. The company first tested the concept last fall with rockers The Plain White T's. For each show, roughly half of those attending responded to the content to get a backstage pass - a staggering response rate.
'It looked like a sea of teenagers pulling out their phones at once,' Porter said....
Concerts offer a variety of ways for bands and fans to interact using mobile phones. Artists already let fans choose which song they should play during their encore via text-message voting. Or they can remix a song played live that night into a custom ring tone available only to those who attended that specific show....
Kevin Lyman, the brains behind the [Vans Warped Tour] alternative rock festival, has already begun integrating wireless alerts into the tour - everything from announcing the day's lineup to giving a heads up on autograph sessions or exclusive backstage acoustic shows. Eventually, he hopes to send concert tickets directly to fans' mobile phones, scanning a bar code on the phone screen like a ticket to get in."
While the idea of taping into cellphones at concerts makes sense since that's the best way to communicate with audiences during the event, some of the other ideas seem a bit too gimmicky and too youth-specific.
My feeling is that mobile promotions are good when they appeal to audiences' this-concert-is-really-about-me mentality (e.g., allowing them to post messages and photos to giant screens during the show), but don't add much when they are just used as a way to create faux intimacy between a band's promotional department and the fans who sign up. It kind of reminds me of those 900 numbers where you could listen to a photo message from your favorite star for a fee.
Rocky Mountain News, 5/5/07 - Bands SPK 2 GR8 fans:
"• One fan will have the opportunity to go backstage and meet the band via a text-messaging contest held live during the performance.
• The band is encouraging fans to take camera-phone photos during the show and upload them to a section of their Web site called "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs," text-message shorthand for "thanks for the memories" and also the title of their current single.
• In some tour venues, fans will be able to send the photos directly to video screens on either side of the stage, a multimedia upgrade from the now-common practice of displaying audience text messages.
It's all part of a text messaging fan club campaign the group launched in late March. Fall Out Boy developed a set of five mobile trading cards that fans can only receive by signing up for the service and texting in updates on a regular basis. Each time fans text in a message, they receive one randomly selected card. Some are rarer than others, so the odds of getting the rarest card increase with the number of messages sent.
The trading cards are in the form of Tarot cards, designed around graphic themes from the band's new album, Infinity on High. Once downloaded, fans can use them for their phones' wallpaper images.
After joining the text-message fan club, fans will get updates on Fall Out Boy news such as when the band's next video will premiere, ticket alerts for local secret shows, updates about about the band members, and other information - all delivered directly to their mobile phones....
The group uses Mozes to manage its text-messaging efforts; the Palo Alto, Calif., company claims another 700 artists also use its service.
Mozes CEO Dorrian Porter said Fall Out Boy has signed up 'tens of thousands' of fans since the Tarot card promotion began, and recently had the fifth-most subscribers on the service, after Hinder, Korn, hellogoodbye and Boys Like Girls.
Mozes also runs the backstage pass contest at FOB tours. The company first tested the concept last fall with rockers The Plain White T's. For each show, roughly half of those attending responded to the content to get a backstage pass - a staggering response rate.
'It looked like a sea of teenagers pulling out their phones at once,' Porter said....
Concerts offer a variety of ways for bands and fans to interact using mobile phones. Artists already let fans choose which song they should play during their encore via text-message voting. Or they can remix a song played live that night into a custom ring tone available only to those who attended that specific show....
Kevin Lyman, the brains behind the [Vans Warped Tour] alternative rock festival, has already begun integrating wireless alerts into the tour - everything from announcing the day's lineup to giving a heads up on autograph sessions or exclusive backstage acoustic shows. Eventually, he hopes to send concert tickets directly to fans' mobile phones, scanning a bar code on the phone screen like a ticket to get in."
Alternative venues for indie music
Music venues have been closing in NYC, but shows in non-traditional locations are doing well.
New York Night Life - New York Times, 5/11/07: "'Anything is a venue,' said the promoter Todd Patrick, known professionally as Todd P. For six years he has made it his mission to program music in far-flung places, from divey bars in Greenpoint to Lutheran churches to private lofts. Now New York’s alt-location guru, he has recently expanded to work with bands on the verge of stardom (Animal Collective, which he booked in 2005) and even nationally known acts (Oneida, Trans Am) at large clubs like Studio B in Brooklyn, winning the attention of the music industry.
But Mr. Patrick’s hallmark remains the cheap, on-the-fly, do-it-yourself concert, promoted through his Web site (toddpnyc.com), his e-mail list (13,000 strong) and MySpace, blog and newspaper and magazine listings. Essentially a one-man band, Mr. Patrick, 31, has interns who work the door (ticket prices rarely go above $10) and stamp hands (he only does all-ages shows) while he helps set up.
'Because the idea is about D.I.Y., I like to show the strings,' he said. 'I want people to come to the show and see me build the P.A. system, see that there’s nothing glossy about what we’re doing. I think alternative venues are a great way of doing that. It just kind of throws it off. If a club is the quote-unquote appropriate place to see music, why do people have so much more fun in a warehouse?'...
Nearby, interns counted the door money; Mr. Patrick takes 10 percent before expenses (security, interns) and the rest goes to performers....
Along with low overhead other common traits of this scene include out-of-the way locations (a long walk from the subway is common), online promotion, candles instead of spotlights and a high tolerance for graffiti: GlassLands, where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed as part of a video shoot, has two rooms where anyone can scribble on the walls, markers and paint provided. Many places lack proper licensing; Mr. Patrick switches locations often to avoid the authorities. (Don Pedro is a legal establishment with a liquor license; the loft space was not.)"
New York Night Life - New York Times, 5/11/07: "'Anything is a venue,' said the promoter Todd Patrick, known professionally as Todd P. For six years he has made it his mission to program music in far-flung places, from divey bars in Greenpoint to Lutheran churches to private lofts. Now New York’s alt-location guru, he has recently expanded to work with bands on the verge of stardom (Animal Collective, which he booked in 2005) and even nationally known acts (Oneida, Trans Am) at large clubs like Studio B in Brooklyn, winning the attention of the music industry.
But Mr. Patrick’s hallmark remains the cheap, on-the-fly, do-it-yourself concert, promoted through his Web site (toddpnyc.com), his e-mail list (13,000 strong) and MySpace, blog and newspaper and magazine listings. Essentially a one-man band, Mr. Patrick, 31, has interns who work the door (ticket prices rarely go above $10) and stamp hands (he only does all-ages shows) while he helps set up.
'Because the idea is about D.I.Y., I like to show the strings,' he said. 'I want people to come to the show and see me build the P.A. system, see that there’s nothing glossy about what we’re doing. I think alternative venues are a great way of doing that. It just kind of throws it off. If a club is the quote-unquote appropriate place to see music, why do people have so much more fun in a warehouse?'...
Nearby, interns counted the door money; Mr. Patrick takes 10 percent before expenses (security, interns) and the rest goes to performers....
Along with low overhead other common traits of this scene include out-of-the way locations (a long walk from the subway is common), online promotion, candles instead of spotlights and a high tolerance for graffiti: GlassLands, where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed as part of a video shoot, has two rooms where anyone can scribble on the walls, markers and paint provided. Many places lack proper licensing; Mr. Patrick switches locations often to avoid the authorities. (Don Pedro is a legal establishment with a liquor license; the loft space was not.)"
Friday, May 11, 2007
Coachella history
I just found this, though it came out a few weeks ago. The article gives a good overview of Coachella' history (read the entire article -- I've just included some excerpts). An on-going purpose of this blog is to show how festivals come together: what people have learned along the way in terms of successes and mistakes.
thedesertsun.com 4/27/07| Coachella evolves through the years: "Tollett, a soft-spoken native of the region who wears a trademark baseball cap, had been booking concerts since 1982. In 1993, he and his business partner, the late Rick Van Santern, booked Pearl Jam at Empire Polo Club because the Seattle band didn't want to perform in Los Angeles.
About 25,000 people showed up, but the polo field was so huge, Tollett said the crowd 'looked like 1,000.'
That's when he knew a big music event in Indio could be done. But, could it be successful with less popular bands? ...
In 1997, Tollett sketched some plans for the type of regional festival he'd like to stage.
He and Van Santern had worked the Lollapalooza festivals and knew the logistical problems of a traveling musical marathon. But they saw there was an audience for music that couldn't be heard on radio.
'There's actually a really big crowd of people who like small, different bands. Maybe if you put a bunch of them together, that might be a magnet for a lot of people,' Tollett said.
He began scouting locations, considering the Santa Fe Dam in East Los Angles before returning to Empire Polo Club.
'We were blown away how it was just calling our name to do a festival there,' he said of Empire....
They wanted to pattern their event after European festivals featuring simultaneous acts on multiple stages....
'We just went for it," Tollett said. "We didn't really have any business plan - just do a big show. I'm glad we did now.'
They booked bands they wanted to hear even if they weren't big record sellers or concert attractions like the acts at the recent Woodstock festival. The top bands over the two days were Tool and Rage Against the Machine and Beck and the Chemical Brothers.
'There were two different factors on (programming) - the European festival feel and the rave scene,' Tollett said.
'A lot of that had nothing to do with the Billboard charts. A couple of the bands were on radio, but the other 80 weren't, and I knew it was those 80 that were going to make the show really have a life in the future.'
... 20,000 people showed up the first day ...
'The show turned out so well - not draw-wise, but just how fun it was,' said Tollett. ...
Tollett later said Goldenvoice lost $800,000 that first year."
thedesertsun.com 4/27/07| Coachella evolves through the years: "Tollett, a soft-spoken native of the region who wears a trademark baseball cap, had been booking concerts since 1982. In 1993, he and his business partner, the late Rick Van Santern, booked Pearl Jam at Empire Polo Club because the Seattle band didn't want to perform in Los Angeles.
About 25,000 people showed up, but the polo field was so huge, Tollett said the crowd 'looked like 1,000.'
That's when he knew a big music event in Indio could be done. But, could it be successful with less popular bands? ...
In 1997, Tollett sketched some plans for the type of regional festival he'd like to stage.
He and Van Santern had worked the Lollapalooza festivals and knew the logistical problems of a traveling musical marathon. But they saw there was an audience for music that couldn't be heard on radio.
'There's actually a really big crowd of people who like small, different bands. Maybe if you put a bunch of them together, that might be a magnet for a lot of people,' Tollett said.
He began scouting locations, considering the Santa Fe Dam in East Los Angles before returning to Empire Polo Club.
'We were blown away how it was just calling our name to do a festival there,' he said of Empire....
They wanted to pattern their event after European festivals featuring simultaneous acts on multiple stages....
'We just went for it," Tollett said. "We didn't really have any business plan - just do a big show. I'm glad we did now.'
They booked bands they wanted to hear even if they weren't big record sellers or concert attractions like the acts at the recent Woodstock festival. The top bands over the two days were Tool and Rage Against the Machine and Beck and the Chemical Brothers.
'There were two different factors on (programming) - the European festival feel and the rave scene,' Tollett said.
'A lot of that had nothing to do with the Billboard charts. A couple of the bands were on radio, but the other 80 weren't, and I knew it was those 80 that were going to make the show really have a life in the future.'
... 20,000 people showed up the first day ...
'The show turned out so well - not draw-wise, but just how fun it was,' said Tollett. ...
Tollett later said Goldenvoice lost $800,000 that first year."
Monday, May 07, 2007
Just think what else the money could have been used for
In what amounts to a giant publicity stunt, Dr. Pepper is paying for a band to live in a glass bubble in NYC for three weeks while they record an album. We can watch them on-site, on the Internet, and on MTV.
Aside from the fact that I think all those involved (the band, the sponsor, and MTV) will look more desperate than cool, this plan strikes me as a huge waste of money which could have been used to promote music in many more effective ways.
Adweek Magazine In Print 5/7/2007- Dr Pepper Rocks Out With Big Idea From MEC: "NEW YORK A year in the making and carrying an estimated price tag of close to $20 million, Band in a Bubble, a new Dr Pepper reality show and special event created by WPP's Mediaedge:cia, shows just how far some media agencies and clients will go to cut through the clutter....
Dr Pepper is funding the entire project, which accounts for 22 percent of the $90 million the company spent on ads last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The company wouldn't comment on specific figures or say from which budget the money was taken."
Aside from the fact that I think all those involved (the band, the sponsor, and MTV) will look more desperate than cool, this plan strikes me as a huge waste of money which could have been used to promote music in many more effective ways.
Adweek Magazine In Print 5/7/2007- Dr Pepper Rocks Out With Big Idea From MEC: "NEW YORK A year in the making and carrying an estimated price tag of close to $20 million, Band in a Bubble, a new Dr Pepper reality show and special event created by WPP's Mediaedge:cia, shows just how far some media agencies and clients will go to cut through the clutter....
Dr Pepper is funding the entire project, which accounts for 22 percent of the $90 million the company spent on ads last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The company wouldn't comment on specific figures or say from which budget the money was taken."
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