Roundtable Sessions:
Rod Essig
"It's Not About the Money, Uhh. It's About The Money"

Barbara Hubbard & Duffy McSwiggin
"Newcomers Concert Industry School of Reality"

Jeffrey Bowen
"Protection Clauses Are A Two-Edged Sword"

Cecile Glunt, Jan Sikorski, Mary Ann Waters & Ken Ewing
"Taxation on Foreign Artists Touring the US"

Maria Brunner
"How To Market Without Radio"

Daren Libonati
"Entirely New Revenue Streams For Venues"

Erik Dyce
"Marketing Your Venue As A Tourist Attraction"

Barry Garber
"The Touring World Is Not Run From Just Los Angeles"

Greg Janese
"Corporate Events: Growing in Importance for Many Artists"

Michael Martin & David Kiely
"Green Touring Makes Dollars & Sense"

As the Day Two roundtables gain in popularity, we've been fortunate to assemble a diverse group of industry experts to lead discussions in important subjects that lend themselves to group participation.

This year's 10 roundtables were divided into three rooms for two sessions each and, as in years past, provided ample opportunity for those with mic fright to speak out more comfortably.

And there was something for everybody - from the concert industry neophyte to the grizzled veteran, there was a roundtable discussion to suit a wide range of professionals seeking answers to prickly problems.

It should surprise very few of us that a popular subject among industry professionals is money. So CAA Nashville's Rod Essig had a rapt audience for his session called - wait for it - "It's Not About the Money, Uhh. It's About the Money."

Essig opened his discussion with a mention of newcomer Taylor Swift, whom he said we would all be very familiar with soon. Her MySpace page has already amassed 9 million hits, and 6-year-olds want Taylor to play their birthday parties. The message: Country music has never been this big among the younger crowd, and that's thanks to its online presence.

Essig said his philosophy is to work very hard to advance the career of an artist, and to sign those who will be headlining eventually; it's not just about booking for commissions, he said. The best deal is the one that makes the most money for everyone, not just the agent.

But what's "the best deal" isn't something that's universally agreed on. John Valentino of Fantasma Productions told Essig he doesn't understand why he should have to cover meet-and-greets, which require insurance.

Promoter Glenn Smith weighed in, saying he was sued for something that happened backstage and that everyone needs to be looking out for each other when it comes to these type of events.

Ultimately, Essig said, it's important for everyone to have strong relationships to ensure everyone gets a good deal.

At the "Newcomers Concert Industry School Of Reality," newbies got a nuts-and-bolts view of the industry from veterans Barbara Hubbard of ACTS / Mother Hubbard's Scholarships and Duffy McSwiggin from Monterey Peninsula Artists / Paradigm, who answered questions about everything from concert insurance to ticket surcharges.

One of the most important things to learn, Hubbard explained, is how to pass on bands that you can't afford.

"If you don't have it, don't do it," she said. Hubbard also gave the newbies a taste of the profit break-down, throwing out a few examples of percentage splits.

The two also provided a look into the future of venues, and said that 6,000-seaters will be the way to go in coming years.

Another hot topic was "protection," which isn't the kind Tony Soprano offers, but one venues need to under-stand to make scheduling work, according to Pacers Sports & Enter-tainment's Jeffrey Bowen. In his "Protection Clauses Are A Two-Edged Sword" panel, Bowen explained the term - a legal clause in a contract usually associated with country music and family shows - definitely cuts both ways for venues.

Bowen used an arbitrary country act for an example: Say the act was booked two years out and then, as the date draws near, the venue puts a Hank Williams Jr. / John Mellencamp show on sale a couple weeks near the date. The conference call comes in from the first act's agency, claiming breach of contract.

Answer? Bocephus and Little Johnny Cougar is a rock `n' roll show. Duh.

Another area where legal entagle-ments can really ruin your day was the topic of "Taxation on Foreign Artists Touring the U.S.," with moderators Cecile Glunt and Mary Ann Waters from the IRS, The Agency Group's Jan Sikorski and Haber Corp.'s Ken Ewing.

They explained that the IRS has a little-known tax law that frees up capital for promoters and venues at the start of a tour (promoters traditionally deduct these touring costs before the launch).

And if the artist leaves the country and the promoter is not aware of the tax law, guess who's left holding the bill?

In one of the best-attended roundtables, Maria Brunner of Insight Management explained "How To Market Without Radio," focusing on e-cards, the popular online concert alerts that can be sent to potential concertgoers with artwork, incentives and even music.

Marketing departments can monitor the "open rate" of the cards, thereby assessing how successful the cards are. And, as RCA Records artist develop-ment exec Stuart Goldberg pointed out to the crowd, his company (and competitors, too, probably) has the artwork and tools for the e-cards available on RCA's Web site free of charge.

Daren Libonati of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas facilitated a group called "Entirely New Revenue Streams for Venues." He was an apt choice; though he has not discovered a new revenue stream, he has adopted a revenue stream normal-ly handed over to outside companies: Ticketing.

Libonati was amused by Ticket-master's elevated presence at the CIC. After partnering with Paciolan and taking back control of his ticket inventory, Libonati claims he discovered what could be possibly be the greatest new revenue stream for venues - the auction. Revenues went from $350,000 to $1 million within one year, he said.

"They want you to believe that you can't do your own ticketing," he told the table. "It's a Jedi mind trick. `These are not the droids you're looking for.' It's not true. You can do ticketing entirely in house and I'm going to show you how."

And speaking of venues, "Why do people go to events and not venues?" Eric Dyce, Denver's director of marketing for theatres and arenas, asked during his roundtable, "Marketing Your Venue As A Tourist Attraction."

Red Rocks Amphitheatre has been successful because it's a brand and a destination in and of itself. The shed's success has hinged on marketing as a tourist attraction through various efforts, including the sales of a coffee-table book about the history of the venue and a forthcoming collection of live CDs that will be sold through Starbucks.

By creating a brand awareness of your venue, Dyce said, you create a feeling and a buzz, with increased ticket sales as the end result.

Moderator Barry Garber of Canada-based International Management Consultants let the industry know that "The Touring World Is Not Run From Just Los Angeles." It's an exciting time to be in the music business, he told his audience, because "there is so much business to be done today."

According to Garber, networking is the key and Live Nation and AEG don't have to be the enemy - and they can help you as much as you can help them.

It's a good idea to be present whenever possible at far-away events, which can help make sure you are established with the people you're depending on.

It's also a fantastic time for corporate events, Monterey Peninsula Artists / Paradigm's Greg Janese said, expressing surprise more people weren't attending his table. Not only are corporate events on the rise, he said, but so are private parties.

It can be hard to know where to start with private parties, especially when it comes to issues like insurance, but he said to just be sure to bring in someone who does know.

Corporate events used to be seen as the end of the line for artists, Janese said, but now sometimes can be used to effectively subsidize tours. Artists need to know they have to make it happen, he said.

A couple of years ago when MusicMatter's Michael Martin had a "green tour" round-table, only a couple of people dropped by. This year, in the post- "Inconvenient Truth" era, Martin and David Kiely had between 30 and 40 people at each session.

Biodiesel is a popular green effort but, as the panelists pointed out, there's also carbon dioxide offsetting, recycling, organic cotton merchandise and organic food for FOH and backstage.

Stage lighting is still an issue but compact flourescents are encouraged for the backstage.