Thursday, February 3
Round Table - "According to Jim"
Jim Lewi, LiveWorks

A highly successful new event implemented at the 2005 Concert Industry Consortium was a group of round tables, covering a wide range of topics and facilitated by some of the most highly respected people in their fields. Running the gamut of industry concerns from how to structure a deal to purchasing tour insurance to staying sober on the road, conference guests could stop at one discussion or visit them all for a taste of what’s happening in today’s concert business.

Jim Lewi has made no bones about how he felt his morning and afternoon round tables went: really well. He later e-mailed a point-by-point bulletin of the ideas covered by participants in his sessions, and Pollstar detailed Lewi’s day in our February 28th issue.

Lewi, who organizes the Aspen Live Conference, has been focused on the concert business’ inability to market itself. He believes the biz needs better promotion, as in television and print marketing. The discussions soon ventured into other ways to improve the experience.

For instance, Diarmuid Quinn, executive VP of marketing at Warner Bros. Records, suggested a “Club Med” model for ticket pricing, where one price included parking, food, beverage and other “all-inclusive” features. Other ideas included giving repeat attendees a VIP status, maybe even giving them a card that could be swiped upon ingress, providing them discounts or special amenities.

The discussion generated ideas for television ads. According to Lewi, the concert biz has not done a stellar job of “marketing the experience,” and it would help to remind consumers how cool live music is.

Television ad ideas included a scene of a family going to a concert and, along the way, they encounter artists on the event staff – Mary J. Blige as the parking lot attendant, Toby Keith as a security guard, etc.

Another idea mimicked Visa’s famous “priceless” ads, showing a dad taking his daughter to her first concert, listing the various charges required, and ending with the point that the experience is worth the price.