Moderator: Matt Hickey High Road Touring
John Moore The Bowery Presents
Jake Szufnarowski Rocks Off
Brad Saks Metropolitan Talent Presents
Mark Schulman Nokia Theatre at Times Square
Paulo Suarez The Knitting Factory

The six panelists were introduced as “The Kings of New York” and in the club world, that wouldn’t necessarily be hyperbole. But rather than duking it out to book the hottest new bands, Matt Hickey, John Moore, Jake Szufnarowski, Brad Saks, Mark Schulman and Paulo Suarez were here to talk about “history” and what it means for artists, clubs and fans.

So what is “history,” exactly?

“You have to work with both the artist and agent to get to their core audience. When they come back three or four times, that’s history,” according to Schulman.

That can be easier said than done in New York City, where competition is fierce and several rooms of roughly the same size often vie for the same artists. And according to Moore, “New York is a weird island where no one wants to care about history much.”

But what happens when a key player, say a talent buyer or promoter, moves from one venue or company to another? Does that history stay with the venue or move with the individual?

In a sense, that question is answered in the panel’s title. Nobody pays to see the promoter. But whether an artist is loyal to a particular room will be a moot point if the act blows up to a level where the venue simply isn’t an appropriate play – or conversely, if an act can benefit from packing a smaller room.

By working in tandem, promoters and venues can help an emerging artist grow an audience by creating
a buzz that comes with a packed room and a line around the corner. The next time the act comes around, it is more likely to “graduate” to the larger room on that success.

That’s one way to create a win/win/win scenario: It’s good for the performer, good for the promoter and good for the venues.

It’s certainly an example of how venues play a crucial role in artist development, and a room can develop history with an emerging artist and its core audience with return engagements over time. But at some point, the panelists generally agreed, the act of “letting an artist go” to another venue can have benefits for everyone.

Szufnarowski, an independent promoter with NYC’s Hot Rocks, pointed out that he doesn’t necessarily like to see the same bands playing the same venues. “It feels like the same show.” But he added that agents with fresh ideas for those venues can help maintain an artist’s history with repeat plays.

But moving an artist with an established history can be tricky territory to negotiate, particularly
if an agent or promoter fails to communicate with a venue before going to another room, as Saks pointed out.

“We appreciate the decency of a call and ask if we can come up with another idea before just going
to Irving Plaza or some place else. You can lose history that way.” Moore put it another way: “If agents use venue play as an excuse, it makes me less inclined to help them the next time they come to me.”

Ultimately, while history is important, creativity in presenting shows is key. In that regard, the panelists generally agreed that independent promoters have an advantage over their corporate brethren. Szufnarowski made a suggestion that drew laughs.

“Live Nation should go out and hire a fun, creative, idea person who can rollerblade around the office and come up with these crazy ideas.