New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[Mooneyraker]

These are a case in point.  Muse was promoted by SJM Concerts.  A company I work for.  Rod Stewart was promoted by Cuffe and Taylor who are a division of Live Nation.  Both other companies I work for.  Problem it is back to front to say - what gigs would you like to see unless you are going to promote them yourselves.  

Now I can bore you all with the cost and the deals in live music.  How much you can earn and how much you lose.  Its heavily weighted in favour of the artist, the promoter takes the risk.  I honestly don't think you should take the risk.  

Get a plan together.  Where are you going to put the stage.  How many seat are available.  How much parking is available for the trucks and buses (ashton gate is shit for this).  Where are you putting the concessions.  What about dressing rooms and offices?  Work this out and have a proposal to go to a promoter with.  You don't go promoters saying - hey we've asked and the small section of answers have said they want Coldplay and Beyonce.  So can we have them please.

Also look at the competition.  Yes there is a growing amount of Stadium gigs.  But Ashton gate gets used.  Cardiff Millenium gets used.  Swansea gets used.  Southampton cricket ground gets used.  London several venues.  Milton Keynes.  Coventry.  There's plenty of places to chose from.

It needs to be thought through.  They need advising and I just hope they are getting some good advice.    

Nailed it with this post.

And the part in bold is why alarm bells are ringing.

[Nemo]

One similar sized venue with a recent example would be the Lionel Richie gig at Taunton Cricket Ground this summer, which I don't think sold very well. Think tickets were very expensive mind.

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

Yeah I genuinely don't think its rocket science, you get the stadium to an acceptable level and then tell the music promotional companies like Live Nation that we're available in between x and y dates (usually June every year I should suspect) and they can use the ground.

[Mooneyraker]

One similar sized venue with a recent example would be the Lionel Richie gig at Taunton Cricket Ground, which I don't think sold very well. Think tickets were very expensive mind.

Yeah, assuming those seats were on sale, which looks to be the case with folks sat at the very back, that's not great.



And I would say that, looking at the promoters website, that is probably because a gig of that scale was at the upper echelon of their expertise level.

https://www.senbla.com/

[ChalkyWhiteIsGod]

Yeah, assuming those seats were on sale, which looks to be the case with folks sat at the very back, that's not great.



And I would say that, looking at the promoters website, that is probably because a gig of that scale was at the upper echelon of their expertise level.

https://www.senbla.com/

I saw Oasis at Hampshire cricket ground and they didn't sell seats, it was just general admission, so its possibly just a choice. I don't think that is a terrible attendance at all. Cricket pitches are fucking massive.

[Nick Bamosomi]

I have never known so many people people in my life be so fucking miserable in one place. There is so much to get angry over at the club but not sure it's worth it for a potential concert is it?

It's madness

You took the words right out my mouth

[Nemo]

You took the words right out my mouth

It must have been while you were k... ah, no, he definitely wouldn't be doing a gig at the CG now.

[Nick Bamosomi]

It must have been while you were k... ah, no, he definitely wouldn't be doing a gig at the CG now.

Very good, I realised as I was typing it but didn’t expect a response quite that quickly.

[Bob1978]

Rather my point. I HATE being down on the club, despite what some may think, but I'm absolutely shocked that anyone who has seen their approach to literally every other aspect of the business thinks that they are going to suddenly turn into Irving Azoff for this concert initiative!

However, things like the baffling lack of away shirt stock (again) means that they are simply leaving money on the table.
This, on the other hand, could be a major financial headache if it isn't done right. And they don't do things right!

Harsh - things aren’t too bad on the pitch? Secured loads of sponsorship deals? Bought the ground with the trust? Integrated the women’s team? Improving the youth set up? So What aren’t they doing right?

[Mooneyraker]

Harsh - things aren’t too bad on the pitch? Secured loads of sponsorship deals? Bought the ground with the trust? Integrated the women’s team? Improving the youth set up? So What aren’t they doing right?

Yes, sorry that was a tad unclear and unfair. I meant the extracurricular stuff. Broadly "football" is going great at the moment and long may that continue. I'm loving Flynn as a manager..

I meant more that when they step out of their comfort zone it tends to be a bit 'village fete'. The Lotto being an example. That pic of Aberdeen makes for a sad epitaph.

And to be clear, concerts at the CG could work, as discussed, if set up right. But I don't see the start of a successful process as being a form asking people what music they like.

[Legends-Lounge]

I’ve never been to any of the CG concerts, which i’m led to believe lost money? That said the crowd capacity is circa 15k give or take. So allowing for a stage set up and using a segment of the pitch for that and some for a mosh pit/standing area the attendance isn’t going to be much different. So who are the club looking to attract with 10-15k paying customers?

[Batch]

Sounds really good in principle, but as LL says I'm sure the last 'can't lose money' concerts lost money.

But if it's done right then no problem. Hopefully the club ask saxondale, he's bound to know someone.

If we are making profit off the beer sales for gawds sake don't let the drs kiosk team do it!

Isn't the lead singer from The Killers holed up locally having a confidence crisis over his music. Get him signed up before he recovers

[Legends-Lounge]

Sounds really good in principle, but as LL says I'm sure the last 'can't lose money' concerts lost money.

But if it's done right then no problem. Hopefully the club ask saxondale, he's bound to know someone.

If we are making profit off the beer sales for gawds sake don't let the drs kiosk team do it!

Isn't the lead singer from The Killers holed up locally having a confidence crisis over his music. Get him signed up before he recovers

What position is he going to play? 😁

And how shyte are the acoustics likely to be?

[RobertT]

Harsh - things aren’t too bad on the pitch? Secured loads of sponsorship deals? Bought the ground with the trust? Integrated the women’s team? Improving the youth set up? So What aren’t they doing right?

I mean, yeah, being in the bottom Division for three straight seasons is just peachy.  

What specific long term improvements have been made to the Youth set-up - this is a genuine question because the AB minutes keep hinting at it, but thus far the only actual infrastructure item seems to have been some scaffolding loaned to us to make videos of training.  I am actually intrigued, because it's an area that does not come cheap, but could be something quite strategic if they did it right.  Hiring a couple of staff is merely a basic starting point, they could all be poached, leave or become beyond our budget.  They do not set up the Academy in a way, say, Crewe invest in.

Womens - seems good thus far.

Ground - they did the square root of fuck all to invest in that, Eady takes all the plaudits and the Trust for pushing the concept.  Clem was a very lucky boy.

Sponsorship - big tick, agreed.

There is a long list of things they've made a mess of (including on the pitch as it happens) - I am sure last seasons decision to throw the bath water out alongside an entire maternity ward when it came to player recruitment wasn't a cheap fuck up.  The long list of own goals when it comes to trying to look Open and Transparent, the shambles of due dillegence (missing the fact they would need to fork out nearly 3m to clear a debenture that was on record for the public to see), the fact they shut the shop every time Aud is within 200 yards and so on.

You missed a couple of good ones though - Corporate Hospitality (previous chap did a great job turning that around, shame the facilities are so limited) and Season Ticket sales - some of the PR may now look a little dodgy in terms of truth, but they shifted an exceptional volume given our past history.

[DiV]

I’m not sure it’s specifically for our youth team but obviously Foundation Park is there and they’ve just built a new indoor venue next to it - The Nigel Eady training facility I believe