Journal,+magazine+articles+(annotated)

I found information written by Heather McDonald, she is a very credible source here is her profile:

Experience:
Heather has worked in the music industry since her teen years. She started out sitting behind a record store counter, first as an employee and then as the manager of a small, independent record store. At the store, Heather worked closely with both major and indie labels on new release promotion and worked on in-store performances from artists across all genres. Heather left the record store to move to Glasgow, Scotland, where she worked at indie label Shoeshine Records. There, Heather got to do a little of everything: dealing with manufacturing and distribution, securing international licensing agreements, artist management, tour booking, show promotion and album promotion. Heather now works as a freelance writer and does PR for various bands and labels. She also co-owns Strivers Media, where she co-runs a mini-management project for indie musicians. She is currently involved in the set up of a label designed to give Caribbean based musicians access to US and European markets.

Here is the Aritcle She wrote that was found on: []

Notes taken from the article:
 * In the most simplest terms the music promoter job is publicize a concert
 * Music promoters work with the bands, agents, clubs, and the concert venues so that the show can take place.
 * The music promoter needs to make sure that there are no problems with the band,agents, concert, club, etc
 * The promoters job is different from a radio plugger or a PR agent
 * Pay for the promoters depends on many different things:
 * The agreed contract with the band or their agent
 * How popular the artists are with the promoter they are working with( fan base)
 * Promoters make money off the proceeds(profit) generated by a show. So promoters can have two kinds of deals with the bands
 * Pay the band a set fee, no matter how many people buy the tickets
 * A door split deal: this means that the band is giving up the chance to be paid a set fee for their performance. Instead they will share in the proceeds from the ticket sales with the promoter
 * Both of these deals promoters and the bands can lose money on
 * It is a good idea for a band promoter to have a contract that clearly states whether or not the promoter has/will provide accommodation, setting up the backline, soundcheck tests, how long the band will preform, what the band will get for a rider, and how the profits will be spilt
 * Promoters who work with mega stars tend to make more money because they can sell out huge venues
 * For must concerts, a promoter needs to at least pay
 * Venue rental
 * Advertising (posters, newspaper/magazine advertisments, etc)
 * Backline rentals
 * Accommodation for the band
 * Rider
 * Payment for the band

I found another article written by Heather McDonald. Here bio is on the top of this page. Here is the URL []
 * The music promoter needs to find the balance between gig promotion and the income of the ticket sales so they can make a profit
 * These costs do not apply to every show, and the deals made for payment are also different.
 * **Booking the Venue-**
 * The very fist step and usually the largest cost. Some venues may let the promoter to have the space for free, and others will may cut a deal if they book their shows exclusively in their venue. The promoter can reduce venue booking costs in some ways by booking on an "off: night. Off Nights are nights that are slower than usually like Monday. But this kinda of booking is very risky
 * **Paying The Band-** this information was already covered
 * **A****dvertising Costs-**
 * This costs of this can be really high or low. Advertising can include anything from printing posters, putting ads in the papers.
 * **Rider-**
 * The rider is usually the promoters least favorite person. The rider obtains things for the dressing room such as food and beverages. The rider will usually contain specific information, such "the promoter will provide four hot vegetarian meals and assorted beverages."
 * **Equipment Rental-**
 * If Musicians need certain gear for their show that they cannot travel with, the promoter will need to rent it. The promoter can take this rental out of the cut the band is getting, but this needs to be stated in the contract.
 * **Accommodation Costs:**
 * The cost of this depends on what level the promoter is working on in shows, big or small. Sometimes the Promoter will need to provide accomodation for the band. Promoters will usually pay for their accommodation at a hotel and then charge the band for the money, but this is arguable if its not stated in the contract.
 * **Ticket Printing:**
 * Music promoters have to pay to print tickets for large shows
 * **Sound Engineer:**
 * If the venue does not have their own sound engineer, nor does the band, the promoter will have to hire one.

I found an interview with concert Promoter Joe Fletcher who in Decemember of 2004 was ranked 41 in the world. Here are the notes i took from it, and the URL []
 * Joe Fletcher owns his own promotion company named Joe Fletcher Presents
 * They are based in New England and they produce over 100 live events per year
 * Some of the artists Joe represents are (check this information since this interview is old)
 * Motley Crue,
 * Rascal Flatts,
 * B.B. King,
 * Hilary Duff,
 * Kelly Clarkson,
 * Korn
 * Lynyrd Skynyrd,
 * 50 Cent, Eminem,
 * Le Ann Rimes,
 * Black Eyed Peas,
 * Jimmy Cliff,
 * Tori Amos,
 * Snoop Dogg,
 * Ludicris,
 * Clay Aiken,
 * Alison Krauss,
 * Ani Di Franco
 * During the interview the questioner person asked Joe if
 * __ Q __ - You produce concerts in Colorado, Oregon, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine and Florida. I remember in the old days a promoter would pretty much promote concerts in one area only. Has that all changed too?**
 * Joe responded with
 * __ A __ - Well, you know I don't know that it's all changed. I think promoters still typically have a region. Even with Live Nation buying up a lot of big promoters, you still have those individual offices overseeing their respective territories, but with people like AEG and Live Nation doing national tours, there's no reason why promoters can't go into any market they want to. Eighty-five per cent of our business is still New England. We do a ton of shows in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and then we'll do the occasional one in New York...Connecticut. When we've had an opportunity we've dipped into Florida, Oregon, Washington state. All kinds of places. It just really depends on what the opportunity**
 * Live Nation is buying alot of the big promoters, so Joe is still independently run.
 * Joe during the interview advises to no go into the business: **"you could, but I would advise against it. It's tough these days with gas prices and the economy's not that great. It's tough."**
 * During the interview Joe is asked to talk about his profit margins and how hard it is to make money:
 * __ Q __ - Between artist's demands and the talent agencies, your profit margin has to be pretty slim. Can you still make a buck to make it all worthwhile for you?

__ A __ - I think it's getting harder and harder. There's sort of a disconnect between what you see on CNN and what you hear the President say about how good the economy is. The average American, when they go to the gas pump and it's costing them $60 to fill up their car when it used to cost them $30, people are feeling the pinch in their pocketbooks. People are nervous, and because they're nervous they're husbanding their cash, they're staying close to home and they're not blowing money on things they consider extravagant. A concert ticket is kind of a frill. It's not something you have to do. You have to buy milk. You have to feed your kids. They don't have to buy a concert ticket. I think the concert business is suffering because of that.**
 * Joe is saying that the business is dying to due the economy. People are only spending money on things that they NEED and not WANT. A concert ticket is a WANT not a NEED, so people are not buying them like they used to.
 * Again during the interview Joe is asked who he sees being number one promoter in the future:
 * __ Q __ - Who's number one?

__ A __ - Live Nation, who used to be Clear Channel. Live Nation is number one. AEG is number two. House Of Blues is number three. And, Live Nation just bought House Of Blues, so they just keep getting bigger and bigger.**
 * (my thoughts on what he said) Joe is saying that Live Nation is stealing the number 1 spot because they bought House Of Blues

Found more information: This article talks about how "concert Tours work [] (take notes on this)
 * Concert tours are only profitable if the performers are major artists and their is a large fan base. An example of this is Miley Cyrus who for first tour called "Best of Both Worlds" made 45.3 million and tickets sold out in minutes when available,
 * Concert Promoters need to think how well the artists fulfill these questions:
 * Do we have enough material ready to perform on a tour?
 * Can we handle the rigors of travel and the challenge of playing that material every night as if it's fresh and new?
 * Do we have a reason to tour now -- like a new CD to promote? Do we have copies of CDs to sell if we are on tour?
 * Are we getting enough club bookings and a strong enough response from fans to indicate that they will buy tickets to our concerts?
 * Can we get along well enough with each other to survive a tour together?
 * What do we want out of a tour -- greater exposure for the band, bigger paychecks for the band members or something else?
 * Concert Promoter negiotates the terms outlined in the AMF preformance contract. While the contract itself is usually short, covering payment, profit splits, dates and locations, the rider may be 10 pages or more. Here are some details covered in a rider:
 * Promoter's expenses
 * Ticket selling policies, including how complimentary tickets will be handled
 * Headline billing rights for signs and publicity
 * An equipment breakdown detailing what'll be rented by the promoter vs. provided by the band
 * A breakdown of local crew that'll need to be hired
 * Dressing rooms, security, catering and travel
 * Cancellation policies
 * The artists that bring in the most fans are:
 * The big-name stars that bring in the most fans are aging. The Rolling Stones and other **heritage acts** led the Top 10 grossing tours in 2006 and 2007. Out of the 20 acts, only Justin Timberlake and Christine Aguilera had yet to reach their 30th birthdays

This article talks about how concert tickets have been increasing in price. The author of this web site is very credible because **ALAN B. KRUEGER** is an Economics professor at the University of Princeton []
 * What is the source of the concert ticket inflammation is debatable. Many people blame different things.
 * Many people blame Clear Channel (which is now Live Nation) and their giant multimedia conglomerate.
 * After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 relaxed constraints on radio station ownership, Clear Channel took over 1,200 stations.
 * It also owns amphitheaters and billboards. C
 * Clear Channel entered the concert promotion industry by acquiring SFX Entertainment in 2000, and it now promotes two-thirds of all concerts, by dollar sales.
 * People are saying that Clear Channel has a monopoly over the business.

This article talks about ticket sales and concer promoters. In addition it also talks about the negative aspects of ticket sales []

This article takes several different Concert promoters views about the business. The article also gives insider information about getting a concert promotion job []

Read this article: I found this article on The New York Times Website so its very credible http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/business/06money.html?scp=9&sq=concert&st=nyt
 * Fans are loosing in the race to buy tickets
 * Scalpers and secondary websites are buying up all the tickets and re-selling them for much higher prices, or even face value
 * This happens only minutes after the tickets are ready for sale on Ticket Master.
 * Fans of concerts are complaining to government officials crying foul, they want this problem fixed
 * “All hell broke loose with Hannah Montana,” said Justin Allen, the chief deputy attorney general in Arkansas. “The tickets were gone in 12 minutes and when people turned around, they were selling at online sites for sometimes as much as 10 times the face value.”
 * Having popular concert tickets sell out so quickly hurts business: "The fact that tickets to popular events sell out so quickly — and that brokers and online resellers obtain them with such velocity — is clouding the business, many in the music industry say."
 * The concert promoter is still making money of the ticket, however, the fan is the one who is left out having to pay double or triple price of a ticket
 * Mr. Freeman says that concert Tickets are: "often released after the initial sale date once the stage configuration is known."
 * What does stage configuration mean?
 * Officials at Stubhub.com claim that THEY do not sell the tickets, but offer a place and means to do this. Stubhub.com also guartees that all the tickets are official and valid.
 * “What’s often mistaken about our marketplace,” Sean Pate, a spokesman for Stubhub, said in a statement, “is that we procure and price tickets when, to the contrary, we simply provide a secure and managed online marketplace for those who wish to sell tickets they possess.”
 * Dedicated fans should know that they shouldnt run to online brookers and resale sites to buy their tickets. If scalpers find out they have bought to many tickets they will drop their price down to face value to get rid of them. Another thing is that Artists sometimes do an extra show which will create extra tickets at face value for the fans that could not buy them.
 * Don't rush to buy from brokers or online sites because prices sometimes come down if resellers find they have acquired too many seats, Mr. Pate of Stubhub said. And sometimes, the artist decides to add an extra show, which can provide extra tickets — at face value — to satisfy demand.