A new venue in England points to a promising, but different future for live music.
On August 11, a new venue opened in Newcastle, England. The Virgin Money Unity Arena is a 2,500-capacity concert space unlike any other. It’s the world’s first socially-distant venue, and it features 500 concert pods where fans can gather to see their favorite musician perform.
That’s right. People can see live music in large groups again. The performance looks the same as always, with bright lights and loud amplifiers, but the crowd is socially-distancing by design. Some believed such a feat was impossible, or that people wouldn’t be interested, but the Virgin Money Unity Arena’s first show was a total sell-out, and more are happening soon.
Virgin Money Unity Arena has shows planned throughout August and September, but the question remains: What will we do in winter? Countries in the northern hemisphere have two to three months before consumers won’t be willing to stand outside for live music. What happens then? Will more creative venues like the one in Newcastle emerge, or will live music be placed on a seasonal hold? Will people fight for shows, even if science tells us gathering in large groups is bad?
In this Music Biz News update, host James Shotwell discusses the venue and what it may tell us about the future of live music. He also looks ahead and questions whether or not similar spaces will exist when winter inevitably arrives.
As the spread of coronavirus continues to prevent concerts, music professionals are scrambling to find creative ways to resurrect the live music experience.
Virtually nobody has been to a concert in over eight weeks. Think about that for a second. The last two months were probably the only time in the previous century when the vast majority of the world was unable to experience live music. The coronavirus has brought the concert industry to a standstill, and there is no vaccine in sight.
You may have read a few headlines regarding the future of live music. Some experts believe music festivals and arena shows won’t return until the summer of 2021, while others claim it could be 2022 before live music is back in full swing. No one knows what the future holds, but that isn’t stopping music professionals from all walks of life from finding creative short-term solutions to COVID-19’s stranglehold on live entertainment.
Starting this week in America, concerts will begin again. A venue in Arkansas will host one of the first “socially distanced” concerts on May 18, but the gig itself will not resemble any pre-COVID events. From temperature checks at the door to “fan pod” seating, dozens of new rules and regulations are being implemented to keep consumers and employees safe. Will these rules be the new normal? No one knows. Any performance right now is an experiment, and many more tests will follow as the world slowly begins to reopen.
In this episode of Music Biz, host James Shotwell explores the ongoing impact of coronavirus on live music. He explores emerging trends, newly implemented rules, and even the proposed ‘concert suits’ some professionals believe will become part of this ‘new normal’ we are coming to terms with as the pandemic carries on. It’s a lot of information to digest, but James does his best to keep things simple. Enjoy:
Despite more artists touring than ever before, total ticket sales and revenue for live music is down compared to the same period in 2018.
Are the cost of concerts too high for consumers, or are there not enough megastars touring right now? Are people growing tired of live music, or has the number of tours happening at any moment time overwhelmed audiences? We don’t have any answers, but these questions need to be addressed.
Pollstar released data regarding the top 100 tours of the year so far, and the results show a steep decline in sales compared to the same period in 2018. The stats show that Sir Elton John had the global highest-grossing act in the first-half of 2019, generating $82.6m across 56 shows. The British singer/songwriter, currently on his farewell tour as biopic Rocketman graces movie theaters, brought in more than P!nk (No.2 with $81.8m), Justin Timberlake (No.3 with $75.5m), Metallica (No.4 with $69.7m) and Fleetwood Mac (No.5 with $67.7m).
Those figures are impressive, and they represent countless sold out shows in large arenas, but they pale in comparison to sales from last year. According to Pollstar’s data from the first-half of 2018, the Top 100 global tours turned over $2.81bn in gross sales. In the same period this year, however, this worldwide figure for the Top 100 tours stood at $2.06bn – falling by 26.8%, or $752m, year-on-year.
That three-quarter of a billion-dollar decline is setting off alarms throughout the industry, and raising a lot of questions about what could explain such a change.
Not surprising, total ticket sales for 2019 so far are down as well. Data from 2018 reveals 31.29 million tickets sold in the first six months of the year, but in 2019, that number is down to 22.28 million. That’s a 28% change.
The one area of ticketing that increased this year? Ticket prices.
Calculations by Music Business Worldwide suggest that the average ticket price of the world’s Top 100 shows was $92.42 in H1 2019 – up from the $89.85 average price posted in the first half of last year.
Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen On Broadway ($506.39 average)
Lady Gaga ($269.94)
Aerosmith ($205.02)
Bruno Mars ($193.76)
Andrea Bocelli ($176.41)
George Strait ($173.74)
Gwen Stefani ($170.24)
Eagles ($157.86)
BTS ($146.62)
Fleetwood Mac ($143.58)
The possible explanations for these changes are numerous. More artists touring could mean less income for top-tier talent, but the number of festivals and tours for talent at all levels that have struggled to fill venues says otherwise. The increasing cost of tickets for good seats, coupled with the continuing reign ticketing bots, may also explain the change, but there is not enough data to support that idea at this time.
With streaming revenue remaining stagnant, artists are depending on tour revenue to keep their careers afloat. That may, in part, explain rising ticket prices, but if the cost of admission alienates consumers then artists will be in more trouble than they are right now.
Festival performances can change your career, but they can also be a waste of money. Marketing, or lack thereof, makes all the difference.
Every musician dreams of headlining a major music festival. The idea of performing for tens of thousands gathered to hear songs you developed is a career peak many artists spend a lifetime chasing. There is never a guarantee any amount of good songs and hard work will be enough, but that is no reason to not try in the first place.
For those musicians on the come up, festival performances often look very different from the one describe in the preceding paragraph. Most young artists lucky enough to land a festival time slot perform while the sun is high in the sky and the crowd is scattered. Some artists perform to only a handful of people, despite appearing at a festival whose headliners see a sea of people when they take the same stage hours later. It seems festival crowds, like every other audience in entertainment, are fickle.
But don’t fret! There are many things young musicians can do to maximize their return for performing at music festivals. What time a group or artist performs matters far less than how they promote the event, how they engage with festival attendees, and what they day in the weeks following the event. Don’t believe us? Just watch the video below.
On this episode of Music Biz 101, host James Shotwell explains the importance of festival appearances and what artists can do to maximize the exposure they receive for festival performances.
The ‘end-to-end’ solution for live entertainment booking recently raised millions to further their cause.
Austin-based music promoter software company Prism has secured a new round of funding from angel investors. As DigitalMusicNews revealed, the business raised more than $2.2 million from a number of different investors, including Mario Fighali of Sparefoot, Bill Babel of Capital Factory, Kip McClanahan of Pershing, and Jay Jensen of Clasen Quality Coatings.
Prism promotes itself as an ‘end-to-end’ solution to the live music booking. According to the company website, that means offering calendar management, one-click integrations with ticketing platforms, offer generation, budgeting, forecasting, revenue tracking, settlement, task management systems, and financial reporting in one package. By combining all these workflows into one system, Prism hopes to offer a time-saving and efficient tool for live music management and promotion. You can view a quick overview of the platform below:
Some prominent adopters include Brooklyn Bowl (NY), Ad Hoc (NY), PopGun Presents (NY), MOKB Presents (IL), Noise Pop (SF), McMenamin’s (OR), and Laramir Lounge (CO).
The timing of Prism’s rise could not be better for the startup. A study from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) released in October 2018 predicts live music revenue will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.3% heading into 2022. This includes ticket sales and sponsorship. That means the total revenue for the live music industry should reach $31 billion over the next four years, with $24 billion being contributed by ticket sales.
It’s unclear if larger live event companies such as Live Nation will consider adapting Prism, but anything is possible. Larger companies tend to rely on older software because it’s easier to stick with what works than to train thousands of employees to use a new service. If Prism’s software is as easy to use as the company claims there is a chance they could change the live music industry as a whole in the years ahead.
Interested in trying Prism for your business? Click here and sign up today.
Reviews are a dime a dozen these days, but a great live review by an engaging author can still make the difference between a tour’s success or failure.
Ah, the concert review. It has been a staple of entertainment journalism longer than almost any other feature, appearing long before recorded music was even thought possible, and it will most likely outlast us all. Why? For starters, the financial risk in seeing virtually any show is much higher than consuming a single song, album, or movie. Most people will risk $10 on a new release, but far fewer people are willing to spend $30 (or in many cases, much more) to see a performance whose quality is uncertain.
Then there’s the YouTube problem. Just last week, I saw Kelly Clarkson tell a crowd of thousands at Van Andel Arena how much she appreciated their attendance by admitting, “I don’t know if I like anyone enough to leave my house. You could have watched this whole thing on YouTube from your couch, but you’re here, and that means something.”
There are thousands of hours of concert videos on YouTube. In the time it takes to read this article there will likely be hundreds, if not thousands more than when you started. A lot of the clips feature muddy sound and poor video quality, but there remains more than enough decent uploads to sustain those unwilling or unable to purchase tickets for themselves. Just look at this video from the latest Panic! At The Disco tour, which is currently making its way across North America:
The clip above may not duplicate the live experience, but for many, it’s good enough.
These reasons, as well as many others, explain why creating quality live reviews is so important in entertainment today. A compelling live review can determine whether or not a ticket is bought, which plays a role in whether or not artists can support themselves and continue to create.
The importance of criticism in regards to concerts is as much about the performers on stage as it is the production, the crowd, and the overall vibe of the event. Journalists can speak to all these elements on a technical level, but what really grabs today’s easily distracted reader is the critic’s own journey. The consumer of your material may never make it to the show in question themselves, and the reasons for that are numerous (schedule, cost, etc.). What they can do, however, is live vicariously through you.
In today’s entertainment writing culture, the key to crafting a great live review lies in learning how to tell a good story — your story. You should consider yourself, your feelings, and everything that goes into a night out on assignment as a vessel for others. Capture as many moments as possible, especially the tiny moments that others in the crowd might miss, and use them to make your story more engaging for the reader. Here are some questions to get you started:
What is the weather like?
Is it hot or cold inside the venue?
Do people look happy to be there?
When did the venue staff notice people lining up? (Don’t be afraid to ask!)
What are people in the crowd talking about?
What are people in the crowd wearing?
How much time between sets?
Did the performers engage the audience? If so, how?
What moments from this show will you remember in six months?
What would you change, if anything, to improve the night?
How did you feel during the show?
Were your expectations met?
Where were your expectations?
2019 is shaping up to be a banner year for live entertainment. Legendary acts are returning to the stage for a final run, new artists are trying to fill large venues, and there appear to be more festivals than ever before. Everyone who is anyone is trying to get a piece of consumers’ live entertainment budget. The reality is, only a few will succeed, and critics can play an active role in determining who comes out on top.
The following post is a guest piece from one of our favorite industry lifers, Christopher Bianchi. Heed his advice.
When I started off playing in my friends basement, the thought of “tracking our music sales” was something that had literally never crossed our minds back then…Although it should have and I’m glad now of having grasped the concept many years later of how important it is to not only TRACK how many units you’ve sold but also to REPORT THEM with the proper outlets so they count.
Why?- There is the obvious- so the band or artist knows how many units they have sold. Then things stem further based on the situation such as: the booking agent or concert tour package. This is a way the agents and promoters all over have knowledge of your band and how it’s truly selling. From there they know how to appropriately place and book your size rooms, tours, festivals and events. That stems onward further into Record Labels. As an unsigned band- the label will see the proven sales numbers as a strong reason to invest in a partnership with your band. They can see that you’ve put in the work, time and effort to make noise and can now step in to help take things next level. This is also how you chart on Billboard with your first week and total sales.
Stemming even further from this- Endorsement and Partnerships will want to see hard proven sales numbers as a way to base there investment into that particular band or artist.
How?- This is surprisingly enough an outlet that goes unnoticed so very often with all sizes of bands. How to properly track and also register the sales you make?
You are going to need a few things in order to do so:
1. A Barcode for that particular album, single or EP. (These can be purchased often for a few dollars from numerous websites online. You purchase and register the title to that barcode- all done right on the website such as: speedy barcodes.com. From there you are on your way. They will send you a download of the barcode that you will use for registering via soundscan as well as adding to the official album back of the artwork when printing. You will use this barcode number to input the album with Atvenu.
2. Register the barcode to Nielson Soundscan. This is a VERY IMPORTANT part of the process. Soundscan are the title tracking company responsible for keeping all the numbers on file for sales. You must go to “Register A New Title” and input all of the information of your release. Album, EP, or Single. Add the release date and the barcode number with the rest of your information. Then hit submit. It takes a few days to register into the official system.
3. Atvenu– This is the platform that the artist uses to enter in all show and concert data such as: Date, Venue, Amount of Albums Sold, Cost. From here this is where on after each event you will submit the number of physical sales. The app runs a simple $10 per touring month for any artist which is WELL WORTH the investment to PROPERLY track your album sales. You simply add the album, barcode number and at the end of each show you have a line where the venue rep will sign (From any iPad,phone,etc)
Then you are able to submit easily that nights sales. The app then tracks all numbers and reports to Nielson Soundscan on your behalf every week.
Why not just report to Soundscan myself you ask?… Great question. That is because the Nielson system only accepts sales from certain special accredited sources. You must be a professional Record Label or something of the like in order to submit sales yourself. It also costs A LOT of money yearly. In order to do so independently, you must submit sales through a platform.
When it comes to digital release- these sales are automatically reported to soundscan via CD Baby, etc. However, to ensure especially in the physical department- It’s always the best bet to hand register each title.
Now PULLING official Soundscan reports are a whole different thing but luckily digital sales report to you monthly and physicals will be tracked through again the atvenu app!
Good luck and keep rocking!!
Christopher Bianchi is an Artist Manager at Mercenary Management who has been involved with the business side of music since he was just 14. Now in his late twenties, Chris lives with his wife, Kayla, in Ohio and spends his days helping artists of all sizes reach the next level(s) in their careers.
The following post was created by Jeremy Boyum, bass player for Shadow Of Whales. We were planning to publish a guide like this for some time now, and lucky for us the team at Muddy Paw PR was able to find a talented and well-spoken artists to help bring it to life. Enjoy.
It was getting late. At this point, I was going to get maybe three hours of sleep before I had to wake up, bring my son to school and run off to work and do this all over again. It was cold – okay it was only like 30 degrees, but that’s cold for Texas okay?! – And I wanted to go home. But I couldn’t go home, because if I quit now, I could be missing out on that one person who would become the next Shadow of Whales super fan. Maybe we would have an awesome conversation about the state of the industry or maybe their favorite band was Relient K too. Maybe they would join the street team and come up with innovative ways to help us promote. Maybe I would run into the president of Sony and he would be so impressed that we got on a national radio campaign! I couldn’t give up, not until the job was done.
If you’re in a band and you’re really serious about growing your audience, one of the biggest things you can do (aside from writing good music) is PROMOTE YOUR SHOW! Legitimately promoting your show with hard work and smart work can be time-consuming and very challenging, not to mention you’re sacrificing some of your money and blood, sweat and tears to make it happen. BUT, if your dream is to play your music in stadiums and arenas one day, you’re not going to get there by just being in existence. You have to spread the word!
I fully recognize that there are already articles that talk about this subject. My goal is to shake loose some of those creative juices that work so well in your musicianship to really take your promotion game to the next level. You ready?
ONLINE PROMOTION
Most articles talk about promoting your concert online, so I’m going to just do a quick walkthrough to recap:
FACEBOOK EVENTS/ADS
When most of your audience is still just your friends and family this is pretty vital. Unless you want to play to an empty room, you need to let your friends know what’s good!
I would definitely suggest experimenting with ads if you haven’t already. As unfortunate as it is that Facebook screwed musicians with their algorithm, you just don’t have much of a choice. If you are really against Facebook, then you are going to have to work extra hard to make sure your friends know about your show. After you send out Facebook invites send EVERYONE you invited personal text or Facebook messages, or give them a call. (Calling or text messages are better) The more personal you are the better, especially with your friends.
TWITTER
Believe it or not, Twitter is a really great way to get the word out about your show. Especially if you’re opening for a major touring band. You can gain a lot of new followers by tracking the artist you’re playing with, engaging/retweeting their tweets and engaging with their fans so that you can tell them “hey, guess what, we’re actually playing with that band.” (Pro-tip: look up Twitter advanced search)
If you’re playing a festival, most of them have trackable hashtags that they use to broadcast the message. They coincidentally also use Facebook events and a lot of people engage with it. You can post on those event pages… Just saying, be a part of the conversation and make some friends.
ONLINE EVENT CALENDARS
Most cities have them. DO512.com for instance in Austin, in addition to the Austin Chronicle and local newspapers with calendars. It’s also very important to utilize Bands in Town and Songkick. Bands in Town ports to a lot of popular social media and you can link your bands Spotify account to Songkick. Meaning, if someone’s listening to your band on Spotify they can also see if you’re playing a show in their area.
Make sure you’re doing the work online, it’s really important. If it feels meaningless just think about the fact that your band’s name is in more places on the internet which means people searching keywords on Google are more likely to find you. (This is especially useful if you’re at a stage where you don’t have a website or large following on social media) There are also often spam *cough* I mean “other” sites that track things like this so when you do this work it’s more often than not being duplicated on to other sites without you having to do anything extra.
GRASSROOTS PROMOTION
Flyers
Nowadays flyers are actually a pretty big advantage because it’s not something bands are doing as often. I think that might have to do with social media making people lazy. Social media was never meant to replace anything that people do on a day to day basis to promote their business. Social media is meant to be an EXTENSION of a business/band/brand. At the end of the day you still have to be out there and on your grind both online and offline.
Flyers are also a huge turnoff for a lot of bands because:
If you’re not good at design, don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be amazing, hand draw something if you really have to and then bring it to a local print shop and have them make copies. The money will be worth it if you stay consistent. Just make sure your band’s name is on the flyer and easily readable. The most important thing about handing out flyers, especially in the beginning, isn’t necessarily promoting your event. It’s promoting your brand. The more people see and hear your brand’s name the better. If it’s surrounded by your kick-ass concerts or the new single you put out then it makes it look even better.
If you want flyers that are both within your budget and also really high-quality, I ALWAYS get my bands promotional material printed at www.bandposterprinting.com. They’re the best! They are super affordable for what you get and what you get is awesome. Not to mention they have fantastic customer service. I don’t even care that they’re on the other side of the country from us, they’re still cheaper than FedEx/Kinkos and PostNet!
It can be bad if someone doesn’t take the flyer or they insult you. The other day one of our street teamers was handing a flyer to someone and he said “no, I don’t want your flyer. But I can help you.” He then snatched the rest of the flyers she was holding in her hand and threw them in a nearby garbage disposal. Needless to say she was pretty upset, so was I, what a jerk! No one wants to be rejected and that can make it hard to stay motivated. BUT;
On the other hand, that very same night we met so many awesome and very nice people that connected with us on social media, and several of them ended up coming to the show we were promoting. What’s more is the venue saw us promoting and we gained a lot of respect points from them. You never know what’s going to happen but if you don’t try then you’ll never know.
So where do you hand out your flyers now that they’ve been printed?
Do some research online, or ask around for what bands are playing in your area. Even if they’re semi-large local acts, you can attend the concert and in between bands playing, introduce yourself to people in the audience, have a short conversation with them, mention YOUR band and the fact that you’re playing in the area soon. With major touring bands coming through town, they’ll always have a lot of promotion and there will usually be a crowd waiting outside before doors even open. Use this to your advantage. They can’t go anywhere so walk up and introduce yourself to every single person in line and tell them about your event. In addition to promoting at other concerts look for heavily populated areas near where you’re playing. In Austin, a lot of our venues are on 6th street. On Saturdays after 10pm, they barricade the streets surrounding 6th because there are SO many people there getting drunk at all of the bars that the sidewalks just can’t hold them. (Pro-tip: alcohol makes people more willing to accept your flyers more often than not. Not that you won’t get rejected but your chances of acceptance are certainly higher.)
If you’re younger and held under parental guidelines that keep you from driving downtown (or if you don’t yet have the ability to drive downtown yourself) hand these flyers out at your school. When I was in high school I played in a band called iTEM84 and we would make four flyers on one page, make as many copies as we felt we needed, then cut them in to four quarters and gave some to our friends to help us hand them out. We’d hand them to everybody roaming the halls between classes, put them in lockers, on bulletins, on cars in the parking lot and any other place I was allowed to post them up. Much like people waiting outside concerts, these students have nowhere to go and often times nothing to do, so why wouldn’t they want go to your concert or at least check out your band’s music?
Posters/Stickers
Again, these don’t have to be super fancy, just do your best to make your name very recognizable. When you print posters and put them around town, try your best to post them in blocks of four (Either in a line or a square/rectangle) unless the space only allots for one. This might not yield immediate results but it’s really important to stay consistent. Imagine the first, second, third or fourth time you see something you might just pass it by. But you see it a fifth time and finally decide, you know what I keep seeing this logo/name everywhere, I need to check this out.
Also, this always looks good to the promoters and venues. Even if your show at this point ends up not having a super great turnout, they’ll see that you put the work into it and be a lot more willing to give you another show than if you were to sit on your hands and pray.
Street Team
Handing out flyers can be hard but the good thing is that you don’t have to do it alone. Ideally if you’re in a band you would be doing it together, but even if you’re not, you can always ask a couple of your most dedicated fans to go with you and share in both the pain and the excitement. Remember those friends you were inviting on Facebook? Ask the ones who truly believe in what you’re doing to help you out one night. Give them a free shirt or free ticket entry for helping out. What this does in addition to helping you promote is it gives them more stake in your success and they’ll end up sharing you more to their friends as a result because they feel like they are more a part of what you’re doing.
GET CREATIVE!
Work on your pitch when handing out flyers, see what works and what doesn’t work. Work on your poster design and grow your street team. Have group events with them when promoting and go out to eat/hang out with them. Think of ways you can utilize these people as billboards for your cause, especially if they’re the ones offering to do so. Think about it, is it more effective to see one guy in plain clothes handing out flyers for his next show? Or would there be more impact if there were ten people all wearing the same shirt, handing out the same flyer talking about how great this one band is? There’s tons of room to explore here!
Keep thinking of different ways you can attract people’s attention. For one show we recently promoted, we took a page out of the Warped Tour/Festival handbook. Often at Warped, you’ll see bands with handmade pole-signs that have their band’s name, the stage their playing and the set time. In similar fashion we made a 17×8.5×11 styrofoam box with battery-powered LEDs and a PVC pipe. We covered it with paper that had our ‘Shadow of Whales’ logo on it and the show information. We carried this thing around 6th street and downtown Austin while it was flooded with people and as we walked around we would see people not only look up at the sign but then read it OUT LOUD! We had people yell at us from rooftop bars and ASK us to tell them what it was about.
Former Taylor Swift manager, Rick Barker says “if you want to sell 500,000 albums, you need to meet 500,000 people.” I know we’re talking about promoting your concerts but the concept here is the same. If you want to have more people at your show, you need to meet and share your music with more people. The only way to do that is to get out there and grind it out. You don’t need to make this a massive success on day one. 500,000 people is a LOT of people to take on all at once. But maybe you could meet 10 people in one day, maybe 50? As Warren Buffet says “No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant.” Take small steps and implement new strategies as you master learned ones. Start with mastering online promoting, then master posters, then stickers, then flyers, then street team. Before you know it you’ll have a whole crowd of people at your shows that you just met through promoting. If you stay consistent, stay coachable, and work hard, I guarantee you it will be worth it in the long run. Most importantly, do not EVER give up!
With a passion for creating music and spreading hope through friendships comes Austin five-piece, Shadow of Whales. (For Fans Of: The Killers, Franz Ferdinand). They are all songwriters, they all love music, and more importantly, they all love people. Their debut self-titled EP charted on CMJ‘s Top 200 and has seen regular rotation at Starbucks Coffee across the United States and Canada. They have performed at several festivals including the Vans Warped Tour (San Antonio), Heart of Texas Rockfest, and South By So What?! Festival, and have shared the stage with names such as Courage My Love, Mayday Parade, Circa Survive, Jonny Craig. They just released their new single, “Roots” which you can listen to HERE, and are currently running a Patreon, offering fans exclusive tracks, merch, discounts and more. Grab your download of “Roots” HERE.
Hello, everyone! We are thrilled to learn that you found time in your busy schedule to spend a few minutes browsing our blog. There has been a rising demand for interviews as of late, and today we hope to satisfy those readers with an in-depth conversation on the topics of talent buying and concert promotion.
This blog exists to promote the future of the entertainment industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your entertainment-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Before we get to the interview we have in store for today I must first issue an apology. We started this blog with the mission to highlight all corners of the music business, but in recent weeks those efforts have skewed heavily towards the digital/blog side of the industry. We love every feature we’ve done, but in the interest of keeping things fresh we’ve gone out of our way to try and ensure November is one of the most diverse months we’ve had on our blog to date. Those efforts started several days ago, and now we’re happy to take them one step further by sharing an interview with someone who I’m relatively sure has never been much of a blogger. Ready? Let’s begin…
If you live in New England and enjoy live music you more than likely owe Richard Collier, founder of Keynote Company, a thousand thank you notes. For the better part of the last year Richard and his team of promotion gurus have been putting on shows in Boston, Providence, and beyond. All that effort has helped develop a budding concert empire that continues to grow in leaps and bounds with each passing year. Richard has been the mastermind behind these efforts since day one, and late last week we convinced the nationally recognized talent buyer to share his insight on the music business with our readers. You can learn about his life, the development of Keynote Company, and where Richard believes the industry is headed in the years to come, below.
As a longtime resident of Boston, I’ve known about Richard’s work for a number of years. We’ve spoken briefly in the past, but this interview was the first chance I had to really learn about the man who makes so many great events happen. If you would like to learn more about Richard beyond what is contained in this post, please make it a point to follow Keynote Company on Twitter. Additional questions and comments can be left at the end of this post.
H: Hello, Richard. How are you this afternoon?
R: Hello, James. I’m doing quite well right now. Keeping busy per usual!
H: It’s great to have you with us. I’ve been wanting to feature you on our site for a while, but scheduling got a little messy at the end of summer. Things cooled off a bit and here we are. Has October treated you well?
R: I appreciate you having me! October was a pretty solid month. Honestly we had a pretty rough summer so it was a nice turnaround month. We had a lot of great shows, but a lot of them under-performed and were high finance shows this summer. July was the toughest month we’ve had financially in my seven years of booking. That being said we are back on pace now though heading into the end of the year and 2015.
H: When would you say is the busiest time of year for you? I’ve heard from other people in your position that the fall is usually pretty hectic.
R: It’s tough to say. I mean tours are definitely more frequent in spring/summer from my viewpoint. Every high school band is off and wants to get out on the road so usually I’m bombarded with “Hey were x band from x town just seeking x.” It’s tough because I want to help everyone, but the realistic viewpoint is I can’t with where we are at. We are seeking nationals with a respectable draw and locals that are looking to build the scene.
H: You and I have known each other through industry connections for a bit, but truth be told I don’t really know much about your history. Where do you think your interest in music comes from? Were your parents big on live music?
R: My parents weren’t really big on music. My dad likes classic rock and my mom had a musician friend Matty B that I would listen to, but it wasn’t like a major influence to pushing me by any means. I guess some of my early memories with music would be watching TRL on MTV after school back when they played music. I would listen to N Sync, Jay Z, and Limp Bizkit a lot… so I had a pretty eclectic taste. I just loved everything regardless of genre so I guess that’s where it would start for me. My interest in live music came from school. To be honest I was pretty much a loser in school and I didn’t really have friends. A group by the name of Another Option (still going as War Games now – check them out) started playing out locally in the vfw/legion/school and I started getting into live music. It was also around the time of Myspace so I met a lot of people online. I just would start making a lot of friends and what would later be connections by seeing bands like A Loss For Words, Vanna, Therefore I Am, Four Year Strong, etc… all the bands that MA is proud of today.
H: What was the first concert you can remember attending? Any details you can give us from that experience would be appreciated.
R: I honestly don’t know what my first show was which really bums me out sometimes considering what I do haha. I think it was my mom’s friend Matty B at like some local place, but if not it had to be Another Option in a hall probably. I will say whatever first local show I went to I don’t remember much, but it definitely got me interested.
H: I’m sure you had no idea when you attended that first concert where your life would eventually lead, but I am curious when your interest in the business side of the music industry began. Can you recall what was happening in your life at that time?
R: I mean definitely didn’t expect for my life to be what it is today from being that loser back in middle & high school. I always had an interest from day one that something would happen in music, but I didn’t believe I’d book bands I cherished and people that I see on TV and the radio. It’s just wild. The business side was definitely started in college though. I was approached by my friend Alex Mazzuchelli about helping his booking company. I was always into the booking part, but never knew how to really start so I give him the credit for pushing me. We collaborated on an Eyes Set To Kill show at The Living Room that did fairly well, but I think it lost a few hundred bucks or at the least wasn’t well in the green. So that was my first sign that a quality lineup didn’t equate success. Following that my first personal show was Vanna’s first RI show. We soldout the Riverside legion with the bands I saw in high school – Orchestrate The Incident, Follow The Flies, Outrage (now Raindance), In Response To You, and Dour Cursiva in those halls in all over the southcoast of Massachusetts We even had to sneak people in. I was hooked and there was no looking back!
H: I know you attended Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island. What did you study there, and how involved were you in the music community at that time?
R: I studied Sports/Entertainment/Event Management there. I was very involved in the music community and would be at The Living Room 2-3 times a week. It was a bummer because I’d always see all these awesome shows in high school going there, but I didn’t really have friends to go with so I’d miss out. I’d walk to most of the shows and start meeting more people and making friends there. I honestly think the RI scene hasn’t had as strong mid level shows as The Living Room days and wonder if it ever will. I saw so many great shows there that I just don’t see any venue filling what they did. The other part of attending so many of those was doing papers in the wee hours of the night/morning and waking up at 7/9 AM and losing sleep. All completely worth it though.
H: Did you finish college?
R: I did finish college. I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree.
H: This is a question that comes up in almost every interview we do. It would be possible to argue that your career today is not a direct result of your time in college. A lot of what you have accomplished is owed to your own drive and hard work. That said, do you still feel college was worth your money and time? Why or why not? Would you suggest others hoping to enter the entertainment business pursue a college education?
R: HAH. Absolutely not from the college itself standpoint and that’s nothing against JWU persay – it is a great institution, but for what I do they definitely didn’t get me much in terms of career parth. I will say that dorming in Providence allowed me to be engulfed into the music scene and making connections which would help me later on. That being said I have 100k in loans that luckily are split between me and my parents, but it sucks flat out. I could have went to community college for free, but it has that stigma that it’s “not as good” or whatever. Yes, I learned things in college that goes without saying, but nothing like my own experience taught me. I’m really passionate in what I’ve told people about industry vs college. You can get great grades and learn all sorts of stuff by the books in college. That’s well and good, but when “shit hits the fan” day of the event you need to adapt. It takes a lot of patience and a certain mindset to run events successfully. That’s not to say myself or anyone in this industry isn’t without making mistakes – we all have and will as nobody is perfect at what they do. I’ve done some pretty stupid stuff over the years haha, but I feel I’m definitely very good at what I do. You constantly learn just like anything else. It’s a high stress environment that’s for sure. You’d be better off learning time management than certain things in a class. I strongly encourage people not to attend a high cost private institute if they are looking to get into the music business. Start at the ground level and work your butt off like you never have to showcase your worth in whatever position you can get – even if not directly related to what you want – referrals like anyone will help. Network with every single person possible – you never know who will help you in life and don’t count anyone out because it could bite ya later. One of my best connections in this industry who always offers great advice – Mathew Barletta – was in a small band that I booked several times in a pool hall to tiny shows. We went from a random booking to solid friends that can always relate industry talk. So never ever count out someone because you never know what the relationship can develop to. I answer every single message / e-mail I get even if I can’t help just because that’s who I am. If you want to go to college (which you should) get a degree at a community college and save yourself the money. The other thing is especially for a while the music business isn’t going to be lucrative. You’re going to likely scrap by and not want fat loans to pay off. So that’s my thoughts on all that… def a big subject for me.
H: Keynote Company started in 2007, which would have been during your time in college. Did you intern, work, or otherwise train with another booking company/group prior to launching your own venture?
R: As I stated previously I worked with Alex on a show, but it wasn’t formal interning or anything. I honestly have never worked for anyone else I just observed and knew what to do and who to do it with. I basically behind the scenes studied what worked and didn’t and would learn my own lessons. That’s why I was saying in the previous answer like – books can teach you one thing – you learn so much more by doing it on your own.
H: I really like the name Keynote Company, but for the life of me I don’t know why you chose it for your business. Can you tell us the origin story behind this name?
R: It’s funny because I don’t think really many people know what the name means. Originally with Alex we were X-Mothaz booking. I have NO clue why he chose that ridiculously bad name. I think we were just joking around and were like well whatever it’s just for fun. When I knew that Vanna show was hyping up and it was what I wanted in life I knew I needed a more serious name. Basically everyone assumes the company is Keynote and company is attached as a formality like a company. The name is suppose to be separated – Key (right fit / top notch) Note (music) Company (meaning the company of friends). So essentially it’s a behind the scenes meaning is the right fit top notch music booking with good company. It’s a little trick so I never really explain it that much. Basically though the name was just suppose to reflect that it’s not just about booking shows. It’s about trying to book the best shows with the right company and making them feel like a community.
H: How big is the Keynote Company? I know you’re the leader, but how many people work with you for promotion/marketing/etc.?
R: Honestly right now it’s basically just me although I do have friends that help out. Over the years my best friend Derick Swiader was booking with me, but he left this year to pursue other endeavors in life. I’ve had countless people help me, but the most mainstays that are worth namedropping are my other best friends Nichole Bishop, Erin Rice, Lauren Sullivan, my brother Jason Collier, and definitely my dad and mom have helped a ton as well. Also right now I take a lot of great advice from various promoters in other markets – most specifically Jake Zimmerman, Anthony Cabrera, and Sage Keber.
H: Are you looking to expand your team? I’m sure a few of our New England readers might want to join your efforts.
R: I take pride it my company as like it’s my personal baby. I do want to expand, but the relationship would have to be strong and the person would have to bring a lot to the table. I’m always open to networking and collaborating, but I don’t see myself officially adding anyone to the team anytime soon. I would love for someone to have enough to offer to the company though and change my mind absolutely.
H: Without going too in depth, can you walk us through your typical day at work?
R: I would just say there is no typical day. That’s the beauty of it I can wake up and have a ton of great emails or a ton of spam. Everything can go right or mostly everything can go wrong til I fix it and adapt. I love it. It beats waking up in an office 9-5 and a routine schedule. My owning my own company I can work when and if I want. I don’t have to answer your e-mail right away or I can sit and read them as they come in. It’s a beautiful thing to have that freedom. That being said I still end up working 60-80 hours a week on average.
H: Is Keynote your full time job? If so, how long has that been the case?
R: Yes it is my full time job and always has been. I started in December of 2006 and my first show was February of 2007. So were closing on just about 8 years although I host my anniversary as February to the first show. It’s crazy to think about and I still have people that talk about the early days. Let’s hope they do down the road when were even older!
H: Do you have any advice to offer show promoters and talent buyers about maximizing profits and ensuring they stay profitable?
R: Work work work. There’s the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like I mentioned earlier this past July was incredibly discouraging. I never expected to just take hit after hit after hit. I lost almost 70% of my life savings in one month. It was really eye opening, but as down as I got I knew I wouldn’t quit. It just goes to show you can work super hard and think everything is gravy and a show can just not perform. Unfortunately that month it happened several times on some of the biggest finance shows I’ve had.
H: How far out do you typically book? I know shows sometimes come up at the last minute, but generally speaking how far ahead are you planning? For instance, it’s October now. Are you booking for 2015?
R: Yupp I have 3 shows on the books for May 2015. One is already fully confirmed. Typically I’m 2-3 months out which is the standard for most average booking. I’m not getting One Direction so I’m not getting stuff a year out haha. Maybe someday… but I was pretty stoked on confirming a May date… in October.
H: What would you say is the most difficult part of your job? How about the most rewarding?
R: Definitely the stress and time. As a single person business owner doing 20 shows a month is tough. I definitely will say thanks to my family and friends for dealing with me. I’m not always the easiest, but I think most see what I have to do to make myself succeed. The most rewarding is the finished product really. Watching a show go off without a hitch or when the headliner hits the stage to a packed/soldout show. Or when 20 kids watch an unknown touring band play for the first time and just give them the attention. Sometimes it isn’t about the big shows. Those little things count too. So definitely that and also the same thing I got into it for. I see friendships form and relationships. I see people meet people literally saved their lives. The fact that what I do literally saves lives and changes them in such a positive manner is worth so much more than any dollar. I feel like I’m making a difference and that’s really a powerful feeling.
H: Keynote company has been around for close to a decade at this point. What are your longterm goals for the company? Do you think you will ever have a venue of your own, or would you prefer to stay in the booking/promotion realm?
R: My longterm goals are just the simple “bigger and better”. I’m not content with just booing 500 people shows. It’s been my goal to book Lupos / Palladium downstairs and pack it, but it hasn’t happened yet. It’s on the near horizon and was suppose to happen several times this year, but things feel through. I want to sellout Gilette Stadium or the Dunk one day. Anything is possible if you work hard enough. I don’t doubt that someday it could happen. It’s a bit ambitious and crazy right now… but hey that’s what entrepreneurs get super successful are anyways. I would like to own my own venue someday potentially too, but I rather diversify and book several different markets. Maybe when and if I do have a staff of people someday I’d open my own though. That’s been something I’ve though about a lot before too.
H: What would you say is the biggest misconception about what you do?
R: Easily that I’m just cashing in on talent. It’s so far from the truth. Do I make decent money right now? Yes there’s no denying that. But it’s no different than I would (and likely way less) if I used my college degree to pursue a job. It took me 7 years to make significant money really. I was always profiting yearly from the get go, but I’ve invested a lot back into building the company up. People get a false idea when I work the door and have a fat wad of cash. Just because it’s in my hand or pocket doesn’t mean it stays there. The expenses on shows are a lot higher than most people realize. Promoters aren’t all rich or we’d have fancy houses and cars haha.
H: I know you work with talent from essentially every genre of music. Is one genre typically more difficult to book/promote than others in New England?
R: For once I don’t have that lengthy an answer. I think anything can succeed, but I would feel like country is a weaker genre in the Northeast. Metal and hardcore are more prevalent in MA because they are known for that.
H: What are the biggest challenges facing Keynote Company in the year ahead?
R: That’s a tough one. I think I’m at the stage of branching out from under 500 people to shows that draw 1000 or 2000. It’s definitely going to be nerve-wracking shelling out that money for the artists and venues that bring that crowd in. Yeah… that’s going to be the biggest challenge. Learning how to effectively do those types of shows.
H: I know we talked about the company’s plans, but what about you? Do you have any addition goals you’re hoping to achieve in the next year or so?
R: Not really. I’d like to have some time to travel and maybe attend Fest in Florida this year, but my schedule is tight around traveling definitely.
H: What advice would you offer to those reading this who are currently considering the pursuit of a career in your line of work?
R: As I said before it’s just about hard work and networking. Learn from your mistakes and don’t get too discourage by them because we all make them. Don’t put the word quit in your vocabulary or if it is make sure it’s just out of frustration. You’ll go through hard times, but just strive and adapt to get the success you want.
H: Where is Richard Collier five years from now?
R: Hopefully as a household name in booking on the east coast. I’m not ever going to be Livenation or Bowery because of their financials, but I definitely think we’ll be making a statement and providing quality shows.
H: That’s all I have, Richard. Thank you for your time. Do you have any closing thoughts you would like to share?
R: I appreciate you reaching out to me for the interview. I hope everyone that reads this gets some more insight to what me and my company are about. You can find us at www.keynotecompany.net and keynotecompany on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and Youtube. We hope to hear from you as we love meeting new people!
