Did You Know? 2010 Was the Worst Decline EVER for the Concert Industry...

It's worse than you think. "2010... was the single largest year-over-year decline in the history of the live event business, straight up, in the 35 year history of Ticketmaster and I think anywhere else," said Ticketmaster CEO Nathan Hubbard in a weekend interview with Topspin head Ian Rogers.  "You have to take a step back and say, 'why? what is the fan telling us that isn't right about the business?'"        

Is this simply becoming a broken model?  Indeed, a look at Live Nation's financials shows the dramatic plunge, with 2008 also offering a catastrophic free-fall (left axis in millions). 

In the interview, Hubbard pointed to a number of sticky problems.  "We've got a fan experience problem, first and foremost. There are things about buying the ticket that suck.  There are things about going to the show that suck."   

But pricing may be the bigger - and primary - culprit.  "The compound annual growth rate for ticket prices has been 5-8 percent, since the beginning of time - so it's just continued to inch up, and the decline in recorded music sales accelerated that for sure," Hubbard continued.  "Price is still an issue for fans."

 What a great time for the entrepreneur! If the concert industry follows suit with the record industry, they will change only as a last result. The cool thing is, the public is waking up, and getting tired of being railroaded. As more and more people get tired of the insanely high prices, and stop attending concerts, new doors will open for the concert goers.

The entrepreneur , will see the value, and new and smaller venues that are more user friendly will open up and draw the unhappy concert goers. Don't think for a minute this is not going to happen. It already is! The smaller venue owners are going to have to change their way of thinking, and begin catering to the new breed of concert goers.If will happen sooner if we all band together and stop supporting the gougers.

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How much is the music industry really worth

How Much Is the Music Industry Really Worth? Try $168 Billion...

The recording industry has been fractionalized over the past decade. The touring sector suffered its worst decline ever last year. And music publishers are struggling to keep things flat.

So how is the broader music industry somehow worth $168 billion? The answer comes from a broader list of music-related sectors, including those tied to consumer electronics, radio advertising, and musical instruments.          

Take a look at this 2010 estimate from global trade group IFPI, which pegs the figure at $167.7 billion, with radio advertising squarely in the lead (larger graph here).  Recognize this business?  

 167.7 Billion? Really? When all of this is sorted out in facts, it's really not that hot for the record industry or radio. Globally , the record industry is down from 16 billion in 2009 to 6.4 billion in 2011. Radio is scrambling to hold onto its market share and is losing ground fast. Yes, the digital age is here and it's swallowing up all its competition.

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Question of the week: Street Team

What is a street team?

A street team is a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product.  'Street Teams' are promotional tools that have been adopted industry wide as a standard line item in marketing budgets by entertainment companies, record labels, the tech industry, corporate brand marketers, new media companies and direct marketers worldwide.

[edit]History

The now ubiquitous "street team" model was originally developed by urban record labels such as Loud Records, Jive, Bad Boy, Roc-A-Fella and Priority Records.  Rap labels found an affordable and highly effective bridge to their target audience that did not require the traditional outlets found in print, radio, television mediums and elusive large scale record distribution deals.

It was a modern version of a credible "cool" field marketer working for you with the ability to create hype for your artist (brand) through credible peer-to-peer interactions and viral word-of-mouth influence marketing.

This grassroots tactic was partly born in the mid-1990s from the larger monopolistic record distributors trying to shut out rap and smaller music labels of the day from radio and mass distribution due to the early stigma of "gangsta rap" and "punk" on those genres as a whole.

Street Teams were used by smaller independent record labels as a tool to circumvent the larger out-of-reach distributors and corporate owned record labels. Other independent label owners used street teams as a way to build equity in their stable of artists for the benefit of gaining a courtship by a larger music label or record distributor to merge or sell part or all the company. (see Loud Records sale late 1990s)

For the smaller labels trying to get in the door of the music business, the thinking was in part to build a loyal fan base in key markets first, get strong street hype and "street-cred" first, try to get on the local radio stations through hype/word-of-mouth, then go to the larger record distributors with a much stronger negotiating hand and a solid "sellable" commodity.

Through this method of building a solid fan base with disposable income first, the smaller label wielded greater power in their initial distribution negotiations for the benefit of their music artists and their profit margins. Distribution deals for an "unproven" new artist that came with a built-in fan base, generally received better upfront money deals than music artists had previously received without street teams sharing the music and spreading the word (viral marketing) nationwide.

[edit]Street Teamers

The position of street team representative was often filled by fans of an artist or young people looking for an introductory position in the music industry.  In many cases, an influential teen referred to as a neighborhood "tastemaker" was sought out or pinpointed by a record label to be used as a conduit to their respective neighborhood, due to their stronger influence over other teens that looked to them for "what's hot" or "what's the next hot thing".  The tastemaker was directed to create a team on the streets to make an unsigned music artist more popular through word-of-mouth and hype.

The concept for organized promotion teams in the music business can also be traced back to January 1975, when Starkey and Evans, two teenage KISS fans from Terre Haute, Indiana created the KISS ARMY as a group of fans determined to promote the KISS name.  Although this could be more attributed to fan clubs, fans worked together outside of their homes, to promote KISS to other kids at school or while hanging out.  This KISS army was quickly taken over by the band KISS itself and army recruits were offered limited edition merchandise and seating.

Usually unpaid, street teams for bands and artists are still often composed of teenagers who are rewarded with free band merchandise or show access in exchange for a variety of actions:

• placing stickers and posters in their communities
• bringing friends to the shows
• convincing friends to buy band merchandise
• phoning your local radio station to request their songs be played
• bringing vinyl and CDs to local DJs in the clubs where they work
• posting to band forums and bulletin boards online
• maintaining zines or websites dedicated to the band

In some cases, points are assigned to an individual for a particular action, and those points can be exchanged for tickets to shows, or for band merchandise. Some bands even produce special items just for street team members.

Please make comments and ask questions we will get back to you ASAP!




Source --- Wikipedia

x factor idol

An Update on Fox’s Hit Talent Shows

The top 13 took on big songs this week by having the men cover songs by Stevie Wonder and the girls songs by Whitney Houston. As I hoped in my last blog entry, the three standouts were Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, and Hollie Cavanagh.  Hallelujah!  Also, Billboard.com is officially reporting that Britney Spears is going to be the new judge on The X-Factor!  There is no end in sight for these reality/talent shows!
Let’s look at what happened on Idol this week.  My three favorites from this season shined brightly as expected.  Let’s first look at the girl who stole the night, Jessica Sanchez.  Fun fact about this girl- she is only 16 years old!  WHAT?!  Check out her version of Whitney Houston’s greatest hit, “I Will Always Love You”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ayYNAEs0few#!
She has a maturity about her when she sings that really makes this performance believable despite her youth.  People are blogging, tweeting, and facebooking about this girl and the general consensus seems to be putting her as the favorite to take it all this season.  We all know how I feel about this :)
Joshua Ledet didn’t fail to impress with his energetic performance of “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Trayt-40ytA#!
For me, Joshua performs and sings like a truly seasoned professional.  Randy Jackson pointed out one of my favorite qualities about him: “You can do up-tempos [and] you can do ballads.”  Versatility goes a long way on American Idol as we learned last year when the incredible Pia Toscano was voted off shockingly early.  Many think she pulled out an up-tempo too late and Americans had already made up their minds that she was stuck-in-a-ballad-rut.  This definitely isn’t the case for Joshua Ledet.  
The sweet and unassuming Hollie Cavangh once again displayed her vocal power with Whitney Houston’s “All the Man I Need”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO6SVwCLYRg&feature=player_embedded#!
Its hard to believe such a big voice can be coming from such a soft spoken girl.  I think America is going to find her sweet disposition very charming.  She will go far.
Sadly Jeremy Rosado was voted off this week.  Someone has go, and the judges felt like he was simply missing “swag” as Randy Jackson described it.  Fortunately for Jeremy he has an incredible talent and certainly a bright future ahead.
In other FOX-talent-show news- The X-Factor is taking on Britney Spears as one of their new judges for next season!  I have to say, this is a very interesting choice.  After all, she is notorious for popularizing a stereotype that pop-singers can’t really sing.  She has been the Queen of Lip Syncing for many years not only on television, but reportedly at her own concerts!  However, many would argue that vocals are a very small percentage of her brand.  She is a dancer, an entertainer, and an icon- does she really have to be a great singer?  Apparently not in order to judge the performances of others.  I’m rooting for her, but I think it will be hard to hear her critique someone for singing flat or out of their range when we all know what she is capable of live.  I suppose we can cross that bridge when we get there :)
-J. Burton

How do I get a booking agent?

Reality is real   

  When rain falls from the sky, and you're standing under the cloud, you're going to get wet...  If you eat too much you're going to get full.  If you don't pay your rent, you're going to get evicted.  If you're looking for a booking agent and you haven't done your due diligence, it's not going to happen.  Every Artist, new and old, is looking for a booking agent, if they don't already have one.  This is probably the most difficult part of the music business to grasp if you are new, and hardest thing to swallow, if you're new or an old timer.  So let's talk a little about why it is this way.

FROM THE AGENT'S POINT OF VIEW

   Most agents are thinking, simply: how can I make money off the Artist if no one knows who they are.  The answer more times than not is, I can't.  The vendor is thinking, how can I fill my venue with someone new if no one knows this Artist!  The answer more times than not is, I can't!  Thus goes the quagmire.  The Artist is thinking, how can I get anywhere if no one will give me a chance?  Thus the dilemma!

 

MY RIGHTS

  Right of entitlement - I'm owed something because of who I am, or what I do.  There is no right of entitlement in the music industry, only hard work followed by more hard work, followed by hard work!  When do I get the dessert?  Your passion, and love for your craft is your dessert.  If it's the fame and the fortune, and the money, you will starve for the rest of your life.  You will always hunger for more, and never be satisfied.  How do I know? Been there done that, and got the T- SHIRT!!

DUE DILIGENCE

  OK, I get it!  You want everyone to hear your music, and love it.  So do I, and you should!  I'm going to give you a list of things to do, and once you've done this, you might be ready to get a booking agent.

1, Learn your craft

2. Record a project

3. Play every venue you can

4. Build a fan base

5. Get a web site

6. Write a news letter

7. Write a blog

8. Use every form of media known to mankind

9. Network 'til you drop

10. Pray a lot

11. Help someone else

12. Build a team

   This is not an exhaustive list, however it's enough to get you started and increase your chances of being successful and getting that elusive booking agent.  If you're not willing to do all of the above, GOOD LUCK, YOU'LL NEED IT.  I believe this, the harder you work, the luckier you get!