Martin Cloonan (University of Glasgow)

1
Martin Cloonan (University of Glasgow)

• Creating Live Music
• An Industrial Perspective
• www.gla.ac.uk/departments/livemusicproject/

2
The Project

• The Promotion of Live Music in the UK a
  Historical, Cultural and Institutional Analysis
• www.gla.ac.uk/departments/livemusicproject/
• Personnel
• Progress

3
Live Music

• Live Music and Popular Music Studies
• Economic Importance
• C.Is as economic driver, Music as part of C.Is,
  Live Music more valuable than recorded, Live
  needs organising gt
• The Promoter
• Live Music as part of the C.Is

4
The Promoter

• What is a promoter?
• History
• Risk takers?
• Different types

5
Defining Promoters

• the term promoter is widely used in the music
  industry to describe the person or company
  responsible for the physical organisation and
  presentation of a concert or festival (Laing
  (2003 561)
• Responsible for hiring venues, arranging stages,
  sorting out public address systems and lighting,
  employing caterers and security personnel,
  advertising the show and coordinating the sale of
  tickets (Negus 1992 130)
• for ensuring the safety of both the public and
  the artist during the course of the gig and for
  conforming with licensing regulations (Music
  Managers Forum 2003 23)
• financially responsible for an event (Kemp et
  al 2008 xiii)

6
History

• 1955 Showbiz impresarios .. it was an old
  boys club and Harold Davison, Lou Grade, and Tito
  Burns were managers and agents and promoters all
  at the same time in the old-fashioned way (Boyd
  2008)
• 1960s New entrepreneurial class
• Student Unions - The music business was built on
  social secs, and thats where they learned about
  profit and loss, and how to deal with agents, it
  was a fantastic training ground (Jenner 2008)
• Newly aware musicians what youre really
  seeing the big picture was the capture of huge
  swaths of the towering heights of the music
  business by middle class performers (Boyd 2008)

7
More History

• 1970s mid1990s Dominance of Recording
• 1990s Napster and downloading
• 2009 Era of the gig?
• that live music experience that you cant
  replicate is what people are buying into. And
  thats whats built the industry, thats why its
  so big (Mackie 2008)
• selling a unique experience (Kemp et al 2009
  1-19)

8
Evolution

• promoters moved from being a shady individual
  who knew the bands, going back to the 50s and
  60s . So theres a kind of process, and I think
  you can see how promotion has changed, become
  more structured, more organized, more
  professionalized, and much much more profit
  orientated, as you would expect from the
  companies becoming bigger, late capitalism,
  service industries (Williamson 2008)

9
Risk?

• Promoters take nearly all of the financial risk
  in organizing a tour or concert, usually
  guaranteeing artists a minimum income from
  events. Their role includes costing events and
  tours, and booking venues (Competition
  Commission 2007 13)
• yes, it is a financial gamble, and sometimes
  its a white knuckle ride when theres a lot of
  money on the line, and youre looking at it, and
  youre looking at how many tickets youve sold,
  and you know what the fee is, and youre going,
  oh no! (Hobson 2008)
• obviously theres going to be the financial
  element of, I really must break even, otherwise
  Im pretty fucked (McLean 2008)
• I suppose its a bit like gambling, its a bit
  like addiction. You have one gig in 30 that
  actually does well enough for you to go out and .
  . . I think the best one, I went out and bought
  a bicycle for my son (Deadman 2008)

10
Buzz

• And then its a great buzz when the venues phone
  you up, or you go online, and they say, it sold
  out in 7 minutes, the first Tom Waits, you know,
  and its just, like, wow . . . So thats a high!
  Thats a really good thing, um. But your work
  doesnt stop there. Then youve got to do what
  youre paid for . . . What youre paid for is
  two things. One, youre taking the risk, right?
  Cos you are the only person who is underwriting
  the show, youre risking it all. But two, at the
  end you have to produce the show too you have to
  come through with your promise (Mackie 2008)

11
Minimising Risk

• Its all about what well do next time you
  plan ahead its always like, OK, well play
  this this time, and then next time when we come
  back . . . So youre always thinking next time
  (Mackie 2008)
• a lot of them wouldnt phone me for Def Leppard,
  because I wouldnt answer the call . . . I
  wouldnt want them, you know?.. People know Im
  not good at promoting heavy rock or hard rock..
  Its just something Im not good at They tend to
  come to me with more singer/songwriter stuff, and
  weve built up a reputation of that sort of thing
  over the years and Im good at placing it,
  finding the right sort of venues (ibid)
• Pay to play, ticket deals etc

12
Enthusiasts

• I never wanted to be (a promoter) unless it was
  something I wanted to put on But by and large,
  most of the gigs Ive put on over the years have
  made a profit. Ive always paid people fairly,
  and thats another reason Id never make it as a
  promoter. If you pay everyone reasonable money
  for what theyre doing, the chances of making a
  big profit decrease (Williamson 2008)
• The great character was that they were free, and
  they were a social thing, you know, the
  performers played for free, we got the equipment
  for free, we did what we did for free those are
  the only gigs I ever really enjoyed doing, were
  the free ones, because you didnt have to worry
  about the budget, you didnt have to worry about
  whether people had bought the tickets. You didnt
  have to worry about anything except turning up on
  the day Ive always found when you do things for
  free theyre some of the nicest events because it
  takes a lot of pressure off. Altruism is a much
  underrated and undervalued, ironically
  undervalued, motivation. And I think altruistic
  motivations are often the best (Jenner 2008)

13
Employees

• People, whore, Harvey Goldsmith or whoever, who
  are booking the Stones into Don Valley Stadium
  he doesnt do it because he likes to hear the
  Stones play he does it because he can earn
  loads of dosh out of it. Surprise, surprise!
  (Deadman 2008)
• Live Nation
• 360 Degrees

14
Creative Promoters?

• Shaping the Live Experience
• Motivations, audiences, artists

15
Motivations

• I was going out and not hearing the music I
  wanted to hear, and I thought, well, the way to
  do that is to go out and play the music the music
  I wanted to hear, because theres probably some
  other people who want to hear this. And oddly
  enough, I was right! (Hobson 2008)
• the ethos of it was, um, very much to do
  something that wasnt like a normal gig. So we
  didnt want to do it in a licensed premises that
  puts gigs on. So it was great because we were
  able to create a space where people could do
  what they wanted, and it worked so well, it was a
  really brilliant thing. It was the kind of thing
  you couldnt plan if you set out (Electric
  Blanket 2008)
• As a promoter, I put on shows that have
  interesting bands that I like. I dont seek to
  make any money out of it I put on gigs, you
  know, that I would want to go to and that I think
  other people go to.. . Ill put on a show that I
  think people are going to enjoy that I actually
  care about, otherwise I wouldnt spend five hours
  walking around the streets in the pissing rain
  sticking up pieces of paper on walls (ibid)

16
Audiences

• Like a dinner party?
• people come to the gig, leave with a good
  feeling, as if they've been entertained, and that
  people cared about what they've heard and the
  place they've heard it in (Morton 2008)
• we were doing things in terms of atmosphere, in
  terms of the kind of audience we drew, the kind
  of groups that we booked, that no one else was
  doing (Boyd 2008)
• .. as a promoter I just like a venue, you know,
  where they leave you alone, and have decent
  facilities, i.e. a PA that works, and that sort
  of thing, and reasonably priced drinks (Razor
  2008)
• Well, its like, its like a good firework
  display, I always think of, you know. First of
  all, dont get lots of shitty little cheap
  fireworks, get a few really spectacular ones.
  Its like anything, you kind of, you get the
  order, you build it up, youve got to think of
  the climax and the dramatic, sort of thing
  (Deadman 2008)

17
If your names not down

• its tactical. So its either rewards or its
  people in the business or its kind of
  compardres. Obviously youve got to try and keep
  it small - sometimes you succeed. But on the
  other hand, you know almost in advance that if
  you have a very small guestlist its going to be
  a poorly attended gig, you know, if nobody wants
  to scrounge in on the guestlist (Deadman 2008)
• And I suppose also theres certain people,
  thinking tactically, that you want in your club,
  say like Phil Oakey from Human League is someone
  who sometimes pops down, so hes someone who
  always goes on the guestlist. So if youve got
  someone whos basically, youre playing their
  records. I mean, thats one of the criteria, if
  Im playing someones records, they get in for
  free (Razor 2008)

18
Getting it wrong/right

• Because youve let everybody down. Youve let
  the people that bought tickets down because the
  atmosphere wont be that good because its only a
  quarter full. Youve really let the band down
  because you could have worked a bit harder so
  that they could have had a better gig, because
  their careers are depending on it (Mackie 2008)
• if youre purely live music, you are just
  selling something totally on the artist, sort of
  thing, so its right, theres this band whove
  got a profile, youre advertising that.. so
  people whove heard of that band will come,
  whereas as a club/live music promoter, Im
  selling my night as an experience (Razor 2008)

19
Educating?

• I like to give people something they havent
  seen before, sort of thing when I book touring
  bands I try to book ones that have never played
  in Sheffield before, or the type of bands who
  wouldnt normally fit in at The Leadmill, or the
  Academy or Plug, or wherever.. we try to give
  the audience something different, something
  thats going to entertain them, and something
  theyre going to go away and talk about (Razor
  2008)
• I suppose its a bit like the, without sounding
  too pompous about it, its a bit like the
  Reith-ian principles of the BBC you know,
  education, enlightenment, and . . .entertainment,
  thats it. You want to entertain people, you
  want them, you want them to say, oh wow, Ive
  never seen that band before, they were great,
  check them out (ibid)
• I mean, my tactic often is to try and get people
  to listen to people they wouldnt normally listen
  to, or havent even heard.. Its a kind of
  educational that sounds a bit patronising. But
  you know, you try to introduce people to good
  roots music (Deadman 2008)
• I mean Im not some kind of elitist, I didnt
  want necessarily a niche audience, but I did want
  people there who knew and would really appreciate
  the music, and thats what I got. I was really
  happy about, and that actually mattered more to
  me than breaking even (McLean 2008)

20
How to treat musicians

• I think its important to make them feel welcome
  and wanted and part of everything.. well always
  cook for them (Hobson 2008)
• Theyll remember that they were well looked
  after I think if they're relaxed and there's
  minimum hassle, they're calmer. Whether they
  play better or not, I don't know, maybe some
  bands would be better totally hyped up and
  annoyed (Morton 2008)
• I always make sure that everybody leaves them
  alone for at least 30 minutes before they go on.
  Seal the room off, let them chill out and get
  ready for the performance. Theres plenty of
  time to talk to them afterwards, and afterwards
  theyll quite enjoy talking to you, so you can
  have a chat with them at soundcheck or teatime
  and then just leave them and then thats when
  they do their work, they put their minds to what
  songs theyre going to sing (Mackie 2008)

21
More hospitality

• its really important that these bands feel like
  theyve been looked after, and that theyve
  enjoyed their experience, so that theyll come
  back. Cos if they have a bad experience,
  theyll say, were not going back there again
  (Pearce 2008)
• Weve been requested all sorts of things, like,
  you know a mask. The name of band wanted a
  mask, cos they were collecting them on their way
  round, which we did, and they thought it was
  amazing. Weve been asked for a crossbow, arrows
  with flights, and five times drugs! laughs We
  didnt supply that, but, you know, its those
  little tiny details, and actually giving it to
  them. Like giving them their local paper, and
  their national paper, and a packet of fags, or,
  you know. At the end of the show, taking them a
  bottle of champagne, and saying, Oh, that was
  brilliant. Oh, we loved it (Pearce 2008)

22
Business Sense

• at the end of the day bands talk to other bands
  on the circuit, cos I quite often gets bands
  emailing me or calling me up and saying my
  friend in such and such a band did a gig for you
  last month can we come and play?, which is
  really nice. I think at the end of the day, its
  like any scene, its you know, its a bit
  cliquey, a bit incestuous and I think if you mess
  people around and youre not straight with them
  and you treat them badly, it gets out and I think
  it kind of comes back on you, so I think its
  important to look after bands (Razor 2008)
• giving them a better gig than they could do if
  they kind of arranged it themselves, you know, in
  terms of playing to a good audience and the gig
  being promoted properly and, you know, them
  getting looked after, and getting paid, at least
  to cover their costs, at the very least. Its
  about looking after the artist, cos I think at
  the end of the day, even if youve got no money,
  you can still provide hospitality, sort of thing.
  So, I think its important, because Ive played
  in bands myself and we used to do gigs youd
  spend 5 hours driving to Norwich and get there,
  and all there would be would be a few curly
  sandwiches and a family pack of supermarket own
  brand crisps and some warm lager to greet you
  (ibid)
• Artists royalties are drying up, and the
  managers incomes are drying up, so they phone
  them at that mansion in, whatever, in Essex, and
  say Get fucking out on the road, we need to
  make money! (Mackie 2008)

23
Creative Accounting?

• what the promoters have told bands isnt
  necessarily the truth. Because if you have a deal
  against costs, for example, youre getting paid
  80 of gross income less costs. If the promoter
  says theyve spent 2500 on flyposting, maybe
  they have maybe they havent, its always in
  their interests to up the costs, and theres just
  not enough time in the world for a tour manager
  to demand to sit and see receipts for everything.
  So Im sure again, what they tell the bands might
  be different from what their actual bottom line
  is (Williamson 2008)
• the tour manager needs to have a counter and be
  counting people on the door and be walking
  around. Then you can contest . . . Like, posters
  cost 30 quid, and they actually only cost three
  quid, and . . . security cost this, etc. And you
  know, you have to be on that kind of level (West
  2008)

24
Dirtiness and creativity

• It is a nasty back-stabbing business. . . oh,
  its a horrible business (Wilson 2008, emphasis
  Wilson)
• Key issue how firms, industries and society at
  large organise for creativity (Lorenzen 2009
  93)