Big time

There are fewer ‘big acts’ in music out there these days. The Internet has freed the airwaves and given our ears access to a much larger pool of talent. So what we have now is a greater number of acts connecting with smaller audiences. I’d say the music market has definitely become ‘differentiated’. Fine with me ..I’ve gotten weary of going to the LA Coliseum. For concert promoters however, this means a lot of empty seats. Last year headliners such as Rihanna and the Jonas Brothers canceled stadium gigs due to lower than expected ticket sales. So, big concert promoters such as Nederlander responded by raising ticket prices to make up for the difference. Online start-up ‘ScoreBig’ responded by discounting tickets to fill the empty seats. I think that’s brilliant! Definitely a more compelling reason to see a show. Like the record industry, I think the old-style concert venue is doomed. Artists are aware of this. I see them playing in places like the House of Blues more often now. And as far as promotion is concerned ..I see artists taking that bull by the horns as well and posting events over the Internet. Make friends with any of them on myspace or facebook and you’ll see what I mean.