Moderator: Patrick Stansfield Patrick Stansfield & Associates
Peter Aiken Aiken Promotions
Butch Allen Ugly American Services
Art Cisneros Neil Diamond road manager
Steve Kidd Mudvayne tour manager
John Meglen AEG Live / Concerts West
Rick Merrill Gibson Amphitheatre
David Shadoan Sound Image
Bobby Schneider Accurate Staging
Bill Rahmy Red Hot Chili Peppers tour manager

Maybe the sound engineers in the room could have “flown” two of the panelists, making room for the other eight. Patrick Stansfield definitely had enough people to call upon at the cramped table.

The topic may have been what gives production managers peace of mind, but the discussion evolved into several subcategories, including the need for a good travel agent, what the market value of a good sound system is, and the quandary of a low bid versus loyalty.

For Neil Diamond road manager Art Cisneros, peace of mind comes from knowing a travel agent is available 24/7. He said he was uncomfortable with hiring one travel agent because she was only available from 9 to 5, and would not provide her cell phone number. Instead, Cisneros went with an agent who provided him with not only her cell number but that of her boyfriend’s, so he knew she would be able to help at a moment’s notice.

That decision proved beneficial when several dates were postponed due to illness, and he was forced to make that 3 a.m. phone call.

Sound systems need to be worth their salt, but not all young bands can afford the higher-end systems and/or the customer service that is associated with the top-end sound companies. Panelists discussed
the eternal search for the happy medium.

However, a good sound company will sometimes underbid in hopes of establishing a future relationship with an act. Next time around, the company may raise its bid but the relationship is there.

That made the discussion less peaceful. From the audience, veteran tour manager Stuart Ross proposed a very real, very difficult scenario: suppose a production manager has a relationship with one sound company, but then another, equally established one comes along and matches the bid or betters it?

John Meglen pointed out that the question does not only apply to production managers but business in general. In his opinion, though, the relationship would likely trump.

What if a production manager with an established relationship with a sound company is introduced to an act with a different loyalty? In that case, the artist wins, Bobby Schneider said.

Stansfield proposed another ugly scenario – the dreaded low bid sent directly to the manager or, even worse, the business manager. Customer service goes out the window and in its stead is a vendor that is cheap but bad.

From the audience, Upstaging’s Robin Shaw added that a better service provider would stay after hours to help with other production needs whereas a low-bid vendor might clock out when the whistle blows, stay in the bus and read a book. It is then contingent upon the production manager to explain to the business manager what is penny-wise but pound foolish.

The moderator agreed, citing “Stansfield’s Rule No. 1” for production managers: Never take responsibility without authority. Rule No. 2, the corollary to the first, is to be prepared to threaten to quit and to know the exact moment when the threat is withdrawn so that it never actually happens.

With some prompting, Stansfield offered up his Rule No. 5: “The performance is continuous 24 hours a day; at specified intervals we open the doors to the audience so they can see what’s going on.”