LESSONS FROM COACHELLA

Coachella fever thundered through Southern California last weekend like a speeding train. And not just in So-Cal, all over the country. Every media outlet imaginable covered the star-studded 3-day music festival outside of Palm Springs, where tickets sell-out in minutes, and if you didn’t attend, you somehow felt left out. So what lessons can we take away from what Goldenvoice has built? Here are three:

1. Trust – In the Lefsetz Letter’s recent Coachella post, Bob’s first point is the most important, “it’s a matter of trust”. You can say this about any “product”. If you make something great, and can find an audience, that audience will trust that the next thing you bring them is at least worth trying. Goldenvoice has built trust as both superior event producers and music/art curators. Building trust takes vision and guts. Charlie Jones,  one of the C’s in C3 Presents, and producers of  Lollapalooza and  ACL festivals talks about “taking a hickey”. He means losing money the first few times at the wheel. C3  believes in building a great product (acts and experience).  That’s the reason why they can sell their events out without announcing a line-up.

2. Tenacity – You can’t give-up. Coachella lost money for years. In fact, there probably wouldn’t be a Coachella if it weren’t for AEG Live coming in at the right time with financing and support. Yet Paul, Skip, and Rick had the vision and guts to push on without knowing what the outcome would be… and have been rewarded for it. It is good to second guess yourself, but don’t stop at your first hurdle. Being awesome isn’t easy.

3. Over Deliver – How do you go beyond your fan/consumer/guest’s expectations? Coachella takes place on the same field in Indio every April, and each year those polo grounds are turned into a sound, visual and social experience unlike any other. I’m not talking about having a Ferris wheel, VIP area, or RFID wristbands (although that can be part of it). That’s easy. It is the whole experience; the art installations, carnival games, the unique venue lighting, the polo field itself, arts and crafts vendors, local food and drinks, the music, how fans are communicated to, staff…basically every touch point needs to “wow”. Are you exceeding expectations?

Next weekend is round two in Indio. See what lessons you can take away to make your next product WOW.

DODGE DART REGISTRY

Honestly, based on an article comparing Dodge Dart sales to Honda’s Civic, the advertising might not be working…but thought you would be interested in the Dodge Dart Registry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK_DOJa99oo. 

The concept is Kickstarter meets a wedding registry, where family members, friends, etc, fund a piece of the car till it’s paid for.  In theory, this should work well with high school and college students…although I haven’t seen any data to back that up.  Regardless, Goldenvoice has been doing a layaway plan for Coachella and Stage Coach Festivals and believe they do well with it.  

So what do you think about crowd sourcing live event tickets?  Will it work?

ASPEN RECAP

Since you still haven’t seen a recap of Aspen Live 2012 yet (you can always read Lefsetz‘s take now http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2012/12), I figure we can combine the Pollstar and Aspen reports. 

Are you going to be @ Pollstar?  This is not the year to miss as the keynote speaker is marketing guru and Aspen Live alum Seth Godin. 

Also, I’ll be moderating the “Nurturing Mid-Level Festivals” panel at 11am on Thursday, February 7^th. Please join us as we explore how these festivals have competed and thrived while others have faltered.

 

 

WISDOM FROM SETH

In the last newsletter, I mentioned that marketing guru Seth Godin would be giving the Keynote at Pollstar’s conference early next year (Advertising Age named him Marketer of the Decade). Thought his post today was worth sharing with you.   

Feet on the street

The complement to the brilliant strategy is the thankless work of lower-leverage detail.

An organization with feet on the street and alert and regular attention to detail can build more trust and develop better relationships than one than hits and runs.

• Contact every user who stops using your service and find out why.
• Create a newsletter for every journalist who covers your space, and deliver it every three weeks, even when you’re not asking for anything. Just to keep them in the loop.
• Eagerly pay attention to people who mention you online and engage with them in a way that they prefer to be engaged.
• Sponsor industry events and actually show up.
• Write a thank you note every single day, to someone who doesn’t expect one.
• Build your permission asset by 1% every day. Every day, 1% more people are eager and happy to hear from you.
• Write a blog every day, not to sell, but to teach.
• Connect people in your industry, because you enjoy it.
• Host community meetings in your store.
• Put a lemonade stand in front of your business and let the local kids donate the money to whatever charity they like.
• Hand out free samples every chance you have.
• Keep in touch with people who used to work with you and continue to help them get great gigs and new business, even years later.
• Put together an honest buyer’s guide, pointing out in which instances your competitor’s products are a better choice.
• Run classes for your customers.
• Run classes for your competitors.
• Build a recruiting pipeline that is in place more than a year before you need to hire someone.

None of this is sufficient. Your product and your strategy have to be brilliant. But a lot of it is necessary. Hearts and minds…

Coachella Cruise News

So, you should also get a follow-up on the Coachella Cruise.  Word from Goldenvoice is that the on-sale was strong and it should sell-out.  Keep looking outside your comfort zone.  You are bound to find new ways to make money. 

Irving  Speaking At Billboard

Billboard has announced their Keynote speaker for this year’s Billboard Touring Conference as well and it is none other than Irving Azoff.  Ray Waddell is also bringing in the trio who produce Coachella Skip Paige, Bill Fold and Paul Tollett to discuss, fans, bands and more.  The event will take place in New York November 7-8.  Find out more here http://www.billboardevents.com/touring

Happy Hunting!

COACHELLA AND POLLSTAR

Coachella Goes Sailing

Goldenvoice is taking their festival to sea with two cruises featuring 20-acts sailing from Ft. Lauderdalel.  They go on sale this Saturday so don’t miss out.  Should be a great time.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/arts/music/coachella-festival-will-go-to-sea-on-cruise-ship-in-december.html

 

Pollstar Scores

The North American Concert Promoter’s Association has done it again.  In 2012 it was Moneyball.  For 2013 the group is sponsoring marketing guru Seth Godin for Pollstar’s annual conference. http://www.pollstarpro.com/live2013/subCheck.asp  Seth spoke at The Aspen Live Conference in 2004 and he was simply amazing.  You won’t want to miss this year’s event…or Aspen Live either for that matter.  Our dates are December 13-16 http://www.aspenlive.com.   

Hope to see you all soon!

2 CENTS ON LEFSETZ/CONCERT STUFF

The idea of the last LiveWorks Newsletter https://liveworksnews.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/innovation-wins-every-time/ was to point out how innovators like C3, Goldenvoice/AEG Live, Superfly/Ashley Capps/Coran Capshaw, CAA, William Morris, Madison House…and Kevin Lyman have changed the landscape of the U.S. Concert Business through their festival development…and challenges the rest of us to try to live-up to their example.  So when I first saw a few jumping on Kid Rock’s bandwagon to tear Kevin down (in my mind Rock was the only one who should have been dissing and even he admits that he likes Kevin), my blood pressure started rising fast (those of you who know me have seen that before).  But then…Lefsetz http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ started posting the flood (only way to describe it) of support for Kevin Lyman.

It was heartwarming to see so many bands, managers, agents, promoters, sponsors, fans…everyone say WE LOVE KEVIN… AND THIS IS WHY vs. ARTHUR FOGEL IS A LIAR (which we still saw too much of).  Here are some facts to chew on…

1) The U2 tour is doing very well whether you like their new album or not.  They are an amazing live band, always do groundbreaking production,  and unless you are in the box office counting the drop every-night, you shouldn’t be commenting on other’s ticket sales (unless you are Bob Lefsetz as he is our business’s commentator and conscious…and the reason we have these dialogues in the first place).

2) A new trend the business is seeing, and adapting to as much as possible is seating preferences.  P1 seats continue to sell in this economy.  So do P3’s and beyond.  P2’s not so much.  What you might see in a stadium concert is a show that is 98% sold-out and still has an empty section that looks like it is down-front. Just because the promoter/building/band wants to fill it in, doesn’t mean the show didn’t make money, and most of the capacity sold.  Maybe I’m totally wrong, but if you don’t know for sure, don’t call someone a liar!

3) Like the Festival Producers listed above,Arthur Fogel has changed our industry.  Bono and Madonna think he is the rock star!  He basically owns the top of the box score artists.  If you are talking shit about
Arthur, you are just jealous or pissed!  Me, I would rather do business with him than not. 

4) In case you haven’t noticed over the past couple of days, The Lefsetz Letter has us all talking.  Managers, agents, promoters, lawyers, business managers, label people, sponsors, fans, even rock stars (although I’m not sure if Madonna knows that Bob actually types on a computer and doesn’t write with a pen…but even she is talking about his fishing tackle).  Ok, so he doesn’t always get the facts perfect…but I don’t think that’s the point.  Bob, like the rest of us wants to see change for the positive.  Sometimes he needs to say things in a certain way to piss people off and get them talking (he never told me that but I’m guessing it is the case). 

With the way the world sits right now, our business should be pulling together instead of knocking each other down.  We should be encouraging Kevin Lyman and those like him to continue to innovate and create new vehicles.  It was awesome the way everyone wrote to Bob to tell “Kevin stories”.  We should all encourage and take part in the fun debate that happens as part of the Lefsetz Letter.  We should do the same for anyone who is trying to make a difference!

Hope you have a great weekend…and sell tickets (instead of giving them away)!

Speak with you soon…

Jim

INNOVATION WINS EVERY TIME!

In a recent article in Advertising Age, Jack Heff writes  about a new product from SC Johnson that exceeded sales expectations by 400%…in a recession…with a really high price point for what it is…insect repellent.   The Off Clip-On Fan’s suggested retail price is $9…if you can find it as it is sold-out almost everywhere.  But Neff’s article says that Amazon (who does have it in-stock) “is charging $12.89 for a starter kit and $8.49 for refills…”  Can you imagine a fancy bug repellent dispenser selling in this economy while we can’t give our tickets away (it still costs too much to park, eat, drive, get a sitter, etc)???  Someone needs to turn us upside down and shake us!  We need to get the innovators from our business out there innovating!

We have seen what C3, Superfly, Goldenvoice/AEG Live, AC, Coran Capshaw, Kevin Lyman, CAA, and William Morris (among others) have been able to create in the past on the festival front.  It has built new businesses for many of our clients and changed the landscape of the U.S. concert business.  I know that many of you reading this wish you were in business with several if not all of those above.  I do!  So what’s next?  Where is the next Cirque?  How about ice shows?  Remember when they were the rage?  We need a good swift kick in the… innovation!

DINNER CLUB – NY

It seems that most cities are taking August off from Aspen Dinner Club Meetings (if you haven’t been to one yet, you really should go)…but not our die-hard New Yorkers!!!  You don’t have to be in the music or live businesses to come.  You just need to have a brain…and a little cash to chip-in.  Please forward to anyone you think should come.  RSVP is preferred as Gayle Miller has reserved a private room …email @ rockinhorse@mac.com.  Anyway, the information is below.  Have Fun!!!

Stitch was voted the Best Afterwork Bar by CitySearch.com, offers food & drink, & will give us a “happy hour” deal. 

Date:  Wed, Aug 5

Time:  7 pm – 9 pm ish

Location:  Stitch Bar & Lounge

                         247 West 37th Street (between 7th & 8th)

                         (212) 852-4826

 

 

 

                        http://www.stitchnyc.com/

Speak with you soon…

Jim

DINNER CLUB REPORT

Los Angeles, New York and Denver/Boulder took part in the first Aspen Dinner Club, March 5th.  The feedback has been great…with emails pouring in asking when we are planning the next one (“sorry I missed this one, won’t miss the next”, etc).  Indianapolis is going to a quarterly rotation, while Boston, Austin, Nashville, and “Central Coast of California” will be starting up in April.  This is really exciting!  Our next meeting is Thursday, April 2nd (with the possible exception of Central Coast).  If you would like to be an organizer in your city, please let me know jim@theagencygroupevents.com.

Our group in Los Angeles was a great mix of agents (CAA, Agency Group, WMA), promoters (AEG/Goldenvoice, Live Nation, Nederlander), a lawyer (Gene Salomon), insurance guys (Peter Tempkins & his partner), Internet entrepreneurs (Scott Perry), managers (Nettwerk, Bill Silva), and even a record company (Marc Friedenberg from Interscope).  Other than a crazy restaurant manager who complained to me twice that we “took-up his entire dinning room” (why anyone would complain about something like that in these times is just beyond me), the energy was electric.  Maybe you didn’t come out with a way of doubling your bottom line this year, but I bet you did walk away with two or three new contacts and at least one idea you didn’t have before.  And that’s the concept behind the club.  It will just keep growing.

For those of you who attended our first meeting, please try and bring at least one new member to the next.  Know that dinner club members don’t have to be from the Music or Live Entertainment businesses.  We welcome anyone from any business.  The concept is to network, share ideas, meet new people, innovate, and grow your business.  For example, I met Landon Sorgenstein from AEG.  He is their interactive and new media guru…and he knows his shit.  After asking him a few questions he had me up to speed.  That’s what I’m talking about!

Don’t miss out…join the Aspen Dinner Club.  Our next meeting is Thursday, April 2nd.  For more details, please keep reading our newsletter…and spreading the word.

Also wanted to let you know that our friend Barbara Rose has started-up her own management firm and bringing Natalie Cole on as her first client.  Barbara can be reached at: 

 

Speak with you soon…

Jim

 

Barbara Rose 

BARBARA ROSE ENTERTAINMENT

14320 Ventura Boulevard

Suite 450

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

phone:  818-981-5600

BR@BarbaraRoseEnt.com