What Does the 2011 Summer Concert Season Look Like?

The 2011 summer season starts out good for concertgoers, but not necessarily as well for the promoters.  Last year was a rough year for ticket sales.  This year several concert promoters are promising it will be more affordable to see your favorite band perform live.  This is also good news for the artists and venues because if the consumer does not go to concerts the seats are empty and they don’t make money.  Promoters are also hoping that if the consumer pays less for the ticket they may spend more on merchandise.  Of course there are some artists who charge high prices, especially for the seats up close, they will continue to sell out stadiums within hours of going on sale.   These ticket prices can go for as high as $275.00. 

So who is touring this summer?  First I have to mention my favorite band, U2.  For the most part U2 is finishing up a tour that started in 2009.  Last year U2 postponed their tour when Bono had emergency back surgery.  

It seems as though every year we get the usual 70’s/80’s bands touring and this year is no different.  Journey, Foreigner, Def Leppard, ZZ Top, Heart, Rod Stewart, Janet Jackson, Styx, Prince, Cheap Trick, Huey Lewis and the News, Poison, Howard Jones, Stevie Nicks, and Motley Crew are touring to name a few. 

Some other bands who are touring are Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Linkin Park, Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine, Coldplay, Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Santana, Black Eyed Peas, and Madonna.  These are the top acts of the season.  I’m sure more artists/bands will be touring as the season comes upon us.   The summer of 2011 seems to be a promising season for the concert industry and those who are hoping to see their favorite artist/band perform.  Hopefully most ticket prices will be affordable to the consumer as promised.

                                                                                                                                                              Perpetua, Matthew (2010). Cheaper Concerts Coming in 2011 Declining ticket sales lead to lower prices Retrieved on May 22, 2011 at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/cheaper-concerts-coming-in-2011-20101227

2nd Annual California Music Industry Summit

While searching the web for some news about what's happening in the concert industry for the summer of 2011, I came across the California Music Industry Summit.  The 2nd Annual California Music Industry Summit will be in Oakland, California June 10th - 11th.  Formally known as Soul Music by the Bay, this year the conference is more inclusive to all genres of music and entertainment.


The conference is two days of entertainment business education where the attendees will have the opportunity to learn and network with executives in entertainment law, music production, songwriting, publishing, studio engineers, radio station executives, record labels, social media and marketing, public relations, distribution, personal management, and much more.


The California Music Industry Summit will have live music events, thought provoking panels and expects to attract more than 600 music professionals and artists.  Joe Kennedy, President and CEO of Pandora will be a keynote speaker. Just a few of the additional speakers include American Idol Finalist La Toya London and Larry Batiste, Musical Director for the Grammy Awards, and Phil Tan, 3X-time Grammy Award Winner, Audio Engineer.  The California Music Industry summit prides itself with being the West Coast’s most informative and thorough music conference event.  


Artist Managers, Studio Engineers, Producers, Attorneys, Paralegals, Record & Music, Publishing Executives, Concert Promoters, Artists & Repertoire reps, Agents, Tour Managers,  Artists, Musicians, Students, and anyone seeking to get into the entertainment/music industry should attend.  I am fortunate to live close to Oakland, I will be there!

Concert Promotion

I’ve been interested in live music/concerts and what goes on behind the scenes since the early 80’s.  Honestly I think at that time I was more “star struck” than anything.  But it was in the 90’s that I really became interested in the actual production of a concert.  This is when I started to work part time for All Points Booking in Burlington, Vermont.  Since I usually got to the venue first thing in the morning when the stage was empty and the crew had not yet arrived, and left after the stage was empty again and the crew was ready to leave.   I was amazed at how much work and how many people it takes to make a 3 or 4-hour concert happen.

I found an article, Making Star Bucks, written a few years ago, before the economy started taking a turn for the worse, about Jay Strausser, the co-owner of All Points Booking and the person who hired me when the Artist Rider requested a runner or production assistant.  When I was reading the article I realized that it was Jay and this company, All Points Booking, that inspired me to want to work in concert promotion, production.  In the article Jay talks about concert promotion not being all fun and games, except when things going smoothly it is a great satisfaction.  He states, “It’s a great night when we’re working with an artist and I am passionate about their music and everything they are about.”  (Koornick, 2003)  Concert Promotion can be a difficult job and there are many factors to consider, like the venue, the location, the type of music and audience.  I believe you have to be passionate about music and have the ability to take chances. 

 

I've worked for several artists and the feeling of working with an artist you admire, giving them the opportunity to perform, and being part of making the show happen is an awesome feeling.  I loved the satisfaction of being part of something that makes people happy all around.

References:

http://www.vermontguides.com/2003/1-jan/allpoint.htm

Aerosmith Picture: http://www.songkick.com/artists/224919-aerosmith/images/1339471

U2 is still on the road with their 360° tour make up shows from last year when Bono had emergency back surgery.  The U2 360° Tour is a monstrous production with a “spaceship” like stage.  U2 360° has a traveling crew of 196 from 15 countries. In every venue around the world, the tour also recruits local labor to build and take down this enormous 360°production.  Usually this local labor is recruited from the local Promoter.  

I've followed U2 since 1983 and have been to 28 shows, most in the New England Area.  In the early days the stage production was a simple stage with a few video screens, the biggest prop was most likely Bono walking around waving a large Irish flag.  

In 1992, the Zoo TV Tour had an enormous production with 33 trucks, 100-foot high towers, video screens, and German cars hanging from the staging. Zoo TV was one of my favorite tours; I've seen every tour since 1983.  In 1992, Foxboro Stadium, Massachusetts, I had the opportunity to see the production of Zoo TV. Since I had a few friends who worked on the video and rigging crew, I was able to watch load in and load out. Just as the 360° "spaceship stage", it took 24 hours to build the stage and put it all together.

I've never worked for U2, although it is a dream of mine. I've worked other shows doing catering, hospitality, setting up the dressing rooms, a runner and production assistant. The production side of music/concert industry it is something I am very passionate about.  
It is amazing to see something like U2 360° or Zoo TV start out as an empty venue and become a monstrosity of video screens, steel, and equipment, along with what goes on behind the scenes like hospitality, sound boards, rolling cases, dressing rooms that look like someone’s living room, and people at work putting all this together for 2 to 3 hours of live music.  


With U2 its not only the music and massive production, it's the message they send out.  Put this all together and it's priceless.