I have been developing AMP Booking for the last 5 years but just in the last year I made the company official. Making a business plan for my company has helped me organizes the company’s goals and financial plan. After braking down each part of the business it made me realize if I make goals and a plan to reach these goals I have a better chance in reaching each goal. There is a large return on booking and promoting concerts in Chicago but the hard part is trying to get people to believe in me and my company can put on great shows. With such a large market just having a little peace of it will be pleating to get the company up and running. This course helped me understand what people want in a business and how to get people what they need. I know many of venues in Chicago that need help with booking concerts and finding talent. But they have to believe I will bring them what they want. If this is done right both people win but if it is done wrong there can be some big loses.
They’re where not many challenges that I had to overcome to complete this detailed business plan. The reason for this is because I do research on venues and bands all the time in the city. Also the company has been up and running for about 6 months and I know what works and does not work and what we need. The larges change is breaking into this lager market with no backing. I feel by breaking each part of the business has helped. The larges challenge in doing research for the company is finding out what the computation is paying bands and venues. There is no public record of what bands get paid and what venues take for a shows. There are industry standers but when starting you can’t tack a gamble on an artist. Also there is know set way of doing this kind of business just an idea that can be built on.
This program has helped me understand a lot about the entertainment business and where it is going in the future. The course that has helped me develop my business the best is Storytelling and Brand Development. Before this course I did not understand the impotents of developing the Brand of a business and the storyline. This is where I cam up with my slogan and what I want my brand to represent. AMP Booking is a personal and detailed booking company that puts everything it cans into each concert. I want people to know when they see the AMP Booking logo on a show poster they know it will be a great show and they will have a great time. The other courses the made me think a lot about where the industry is going in the future is Mobile Marketing and Commerce. This course made me understand a lot of print ads are died and the new thing is mobile marketing, but the mobile marketing has to be personal and not just junk mail on your phone. Also now I know that Japan has way better mobile technology then the U.S. and that mobile marking has just started in the U.S.
Overall I loved the EBMS and I have enjoyed every part of each course. It has been a lot of work but is has made me understand what I want to do in this industry and how to get there. I feel the most important part of this program is that it sets you up to run your own business when it is all over. Even if you don’t start a business you know have the skills to understand how a business works and tools to make the best of it. To be honest I tell people about this program all the time because it has put me in a great position to work in this industry for a long time. It might not be under my company but I will be happy to work in the industry I love.
Mobile marketing and commerce is on the rise in the United Sates but is way behind most of the other countries. This means there is room for companies’ mobile marketing campaign to grow in the U.S.Japan as the most advised cell phone companies in the world and NTT Docomo is at the top. This company has some of the most advised cell phones that not only update your social networks but also pay for things at vending machines, which can be used with QR Code and the phones also us fingerprint/face recognition system for the protection of personal data. Cell phones are become more personal each day. If your friends cell phone rings and they are not around would you pick it up? The changes are you will not pick it up because of how personal the cell phone as become. Even most spouses do not pick up each other cell phones.
After doing a survey about how people use there cell phones I really now understand the most of the U.S. own a cell phones. Out of 13 people that took the survey 100% of them own cell phones in an age range of 21-43 years of age and 54% where woman. I feel if I had a few older people take the survey I would have seen them not having a cell phone. But this is not always true because when I am on the train to and from work everyone is on cell phone or iPod. I am seeing older people 50-70 years of age using cell phones and even iPhones. This will continue to increase because the older people are now embracing new technology. In my opinion I feel sometimes they go after the most advised phone on the market and have a hard time using it.
Who is the primary user of your cell phone? What do you look for in a cell phone?
A lot the people that took the survey said they are the only ones that us their phone. Not one person said they share their phone with someone else. Most people said they just need reliability, functionality and durability phone. Some are looking for more things like small size, easy to operate, camera, access to the Internet. The comment that was said the most is for their phone to work every time they pick it up and have service.
How often do you change or upgrade your cell phone? And why?
Most of the people that took the survey said they are in 2-year contact and that they cannot get out of unless they pay a fee. Most of the time the reason they want to change phones is just for better technology which means they must wait until their contract is up to get it. There where a few people they said they really don’t need to change cell phone that often.
What would you like your cell phone or mobile device to do that it does not currently do?
Not dropping called and better reception is the number one answer for this question. Some of them said they want the iPhone but they don’t what to switch to AT&T because the reception is not good. Only a few said they wanted to physical changes down to their phones like bigger screen, bigger keys and full keyboard. Water damage is something that happens to cell phones all the time. I feel if they would make most cell phones waterproof this would help a lot with having customers complaining and coming into the store to get it fixed.
Do you still have a home phone? If yes, which do you use more, your home or cell phone? If no, how long have you used a cell phone as your main phone?
Out of 13 people only 4 people have a home phone/landline. Most of them have not had a home phone for 3+ years and they don’t see any reason to have one. Having a home phone is not seen that often anymore and I don’t see them coming back anytime soon. The only use for landlines these days are for business use only, but this is starting to fade as well.
How you do feel about mobile advertising overall?
On this question I received all kinds of different answers. Some said if they are paying for a phone I expect to see no ads, the ads are just annoying and they are ignored most of the time. Over all most people do not like getting advertisement on there phone and some referee it to be like getting a telemarketing call. So what does this mean for the future of mobile marketing campaigns if people do not really like this kind of advertisement? Companies are going to have to find ways to make mobile marketing more personal so people don’t feel like they are being harassed
What games, if any, do you play on your cell phone? Which games would you like to be able to play on your cell phone?
With a lot of games out on the market I was thinking that a lot more people would be playing games on their phones but I was wrong. From the survey only 6 people are playing games on their phone and most are just playing the games that came with the phone. Keeping this in mind I don’t feel that playing games on cell phones are really going to increase of the next few years.
What do you primarily use your mobile device for? Ex: calls, text messages, check emails etc.
Out of all the things that phones can do these days everyone said they text message more then anything. Right behind that was making calls and then emails. The smarter phones get the more they will be able to do and I feel using your phone to get on the internet will be at the top ofthe list of things people primarily use their mobile device for.
Are you comfortable with your personal information being broadcast over short distances in exchange for the added convenience or for exclusive content?
Everyone said “no” they do not feel comfortable with their personal information being broadcast over short distances. I feel the same way and I think when new technology comes out with fingerprint/face recognition it will help keep peoples minds at rest about this.
Did you feel mobile ads will replace traditional ads? Why or why not?
One of the people that took this survey said it best. “We are comparing apples and oranges. Mobile ads will not replace traditional ads. Mobile ads are finally being recognized as another medium for advertising. Mobile ads will not replace traditional ads because traditional ads still have a way of drawing us in, relating to us, making us bond with other people (as corny as it may sound, think of the Superbowl. People have parties to watch the Superbowl and look forward to what kind of commercials will entertain us, amuse us, and disappoint us. That's how it bonds people) Mobiles ads are still quite impersonal. That's the main reason why traditional ads won't be replaced by mobile ads. Traditional ads have it’s own place in advertising and so do mobile ads. Each exist in the advertising world in its own right.”I feel this sum up the answers for what most people said in regards to this question and I do agree with the statement.
What service or features on your phone do you think should be free?
Text and unlimited data should be built into every plan. Over all people did not say anything should be free just built into the plan for a flat rate. I feel cell phone companies will not do this because they make a lot off of customers going over minutes and data.
Why did you choose your provider? What are your reasons for staying with them?
The reason the most people picked the provider is because it has national coverage, signal clarity, features, and customer service. I found out that most people are only using AT&T because it has the iPhone. Once the iPhone goes to a new provider a lot of people will me moving to the new provider as well. I have also noticed that more people are having problems with AT&T dropping calls.
Do you update your Facebook with your mobile phone?
About half of the people who took the survey said they do update their Facebook with their mobile phone. The reason I asked this question is because I noticed a lot more people doing this. Just wanted to see how many are.
Over all I feel mobile marketing will continue to grow but the only way it will be affective is by finding ways to connect with the costumers on a personal level. With new technology coming put each month it should be easier to connect with the right people without intruding in to their personal lives. I plan to us mobile marketing in my business but I will be getting a third party to run the campaign under my supervision. The company that I will be using is Mozes which helps me: By providing a self-service web platform to create, deliver and analyze the effectiveness of mobile marketing campaigns; by providing strategic services that help our marketing partners to execute their mobile engagement strategy; and by providing in-venue services for live events, conferences and tours (Mozes.com, 2009). I feel by letting a company like handle my mobile marketing goals will help my overall marketing plan.
Reference:
Mozes.com. (2009) Retrieved November 16, 2009 from: http://www.mozes.com/go/music.
AMP Booking (AMPB), LLC, is a full-service Booking and Promotions Company based in Chicago, IL, which specializes in booking and promoting live entertainment. Chicago is overwhelmed with live concerts each month; As a result, AMP not only plans to make local concerts more successful with promotions, but also expand to make larger national concerts more successful.With the volume of live entertainment that takes place in Chicago each month, some details get overlooked. By professionally approaching each concert, AMP Booking makes it a point not to overlook any detail, regardless of size, for any concert. One of the larges factors in making local concerts more successful on the Chicago area is what are people willing to pay to see these concerts. I conducted a survey to get a better idea of what people are willing to pay. To see the results click the links below.
Research Objective- How much do people spend to see a local bands in Chicago and where do they buy tickets?
Sarah Finger Responsibilities at Live Nation - Marketing House of Blues Chicago Shows. - Ad plan for each show. - Work with artist agent on how to market the show. - Work with local radio on ticket giveaways. - Contact media about covering the show and doing reviews.
Sarah Finger Decision Making at Live Nation Where to spent the money in the Ad plan. - Radio - Print Ad - Online Ad - Mobile
Adam - Where is the future of show marketing going?
Sarah F. - More shows will be advertised online and we will pull back print ad’s because fewer people are reading newspaper.
More use of free online advertisement with FaceBook, Myspace and Twitter will be unitized.
Adam - What is your outlook on record labels?
Sarah F. - They are not dead yet and bands still need them to get their songs on the radio. I work with radio all the time when making my ad plan for a show. They do great ticket giveaways and plug the show. Entertainment Media Publishing and Distribution (PDF)
Living in Chicago there is so many people working in the entertainment business and the guy Matt sent me to is working with many well know artist in Chicago. Scott Shapiro form Shapiro, Vasilatos & Cotter, P.C. started small as an entertainment lawyer but has made a little name from himself because the level of artists he is working for has grown too. The artists have grown form local acts to national acts. Shapiro is from Chicago and after high school he attended University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa and majored in English and Journalism. After graduating in 1994 Shapiro attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago and graduated in 1997. After law school Shapiro he started practicing law in the Chicago area mostly for workers’ compensation defense. Scott’s dad was the one that introduced him to entertainment law. Scott said his dad had a band walk in his office off the street and said they needed help. His dad helped the band out and Scott just started getting involved with other bands after that.
Scott is one of the founders of Shapiro, Vasilatos & Cotter, P.C. in 2001 where they still focus on workers’ compensation defense as their present day path for the law firm. Shapiro still works as an entertainment lawyer for some bands. A few of the acts he is currently working with Umphrey's Mcgee and the newest band he is working with is Holding Mercury. Most of the his past and present involvement in entertainment law is focused on negotiation of contracts where he represented solo musicians, musical groups, producers, poets, actors, as well as entertainment promotion companies, and talent agents. One of the biggest mistakes young act make when it come to making an agreement with other people is not getting thinks in writing. When talking with Scott he forced this concept on this many of time. He requires everything that is in writing to be paced through him first to ensure everything is good.
Being a lawyer in the entertainment business can be changeling. I asked Mr. Shapiro what is his favorite/shining moment in practicing law in the entertainment field? He could not really give me one particular moment but his favor part about work with bands is to see them grow and become major player in the business. Not every band is able to make it to the level where they are make a living of just playing music. The weak ones will fade away and the strong groups will continue to make great music and impact the music industry. A good example of a band that is doing this is a band the Shapiro represents Umphrey's Mcgee. They started small in Chicago and have grown to a national act over the years.
Chicago has a great music seen and millions of music fans come here to see all kinds of music. Last night I saw Nine Inch Nails at the Agora Ballroom on the north side. About have way through the show Trent Reznor explained to the crowd when he did his first album he started off in Chicago. He told the crowd how great the music scene is in Chicago and how the people here are nice. This makes me feel great about what I am doing here and how to go about starting my own business. Trent also said, “don’t believe everything that someone says to you especially not record labels.” This ties in o the next question I asked Shapiro. What is a major legal liability/challenges in my business field as a Talent Buyer? “Get everything in writing no mater how small you think it is. This will save you down the road if something goes wrong.”
After interviewing Scott Shapiro I am taking a new approach on how I do business with my company and band. I will be doing more contracts and agreements all in writing. Scott did give me some good advice on books to read by Moses Avalon and also to keep an eye out for any good networking event that have to do with entertainment law. I feel taking the advice that Mr. Shapiro gave me will help lead me to long career in the entertainment business and keep me safe as well.
“CNM is a collaboration of 9 Chicago area bands, determined to create a more cohesive and accessible local music scene.” “To bring together our individual strengths and talents to form a synergetic family united by common goals.”
Formed in late 2008, "CNM" started out as an attempt to open doors to the larger, more competitive venues in the city by combining the individual skill sets and resources of its members into an independent and artist-driven promotional unit. Through hard work and initiative, CNM members now focus on creating new opportunities for the local music scene both in venues, on the radio waves, and online. The founding 9 bands work tirelessly to build a foundation that will help support the local music scene for years to come. Based on vision, dedication and execution, this new model shows independent musicians everywhere that success is still possible in today’s music industry.
November 2008 CNM had a Launch Party at the Cubby Bear, where all nine bands performed. This event sold out and all the members of the CNM placed all revenue from the show back into the organization. They took this revenue and voted to put on a bigger followup performance that would get more Chicago artist involved. Out of this came the idea for the I AM Fest; Chicago’s largest independent arts and music festival. This festival is an all day event that showcases 25 local independent music acts as well as visual work from local Chicago artists, and will take place at the historic Congress Theater on June 13th, 2009.
I AM Fest Facts Independently funded and organized by CNM. Independently marketed by CNM. Online and print ads Independently managed by CNM members. All “I AM Fest” merchandise is designed and managed by CNM members. All “I AM Fest” sponsors are found by CNM members All bands are managed by CNM members.
After doing some research about Chicago Noise Machine and “I AM Fest” I wanted to help Chicago Noise Machine reach their goals and mission. I am not only the manager for one of the bands that is playing the festival (A Friend Called Fire), but also my company AMP Booking, LLC is a partner for this event. I helped with promotions and artist management for the festival. I am working with the CNM members on the production schedule and artists agreements for the festival.
I helped organize the following: Artist stage plot Each artist day schedule Counting in and out artist merchandise day of festival. Guest List
Managing a bands during a large event like “I AM Fest” is very important to the over all success of the event and artist career. Not knowing the market and preparing for the event can result in lost revenue and future opportunity. A manager needs to be organized and prepared for anything. They need to know how many CD and merchandise to have on hand and what is the best time slot for that artist. Keeping a close eye on all this will ensure the artist will get the most out of this event.
Live Nation formed in 2005 by a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications. Live Nation is the largest producer of live concerts in the world. With over 16,000 concerts held worldwide with 1,500 artists in 57 countries and selling 45-million concert ticket a year.Live Nation has become the new model and a major rival against record labels with the signing of megastars, such as Madonna and Jay-Z. Live Nation owns all entertainment venture, live shows, tours and future recordings for the next 10 years for these artists.
There are many key positions within the company that make Live Nation the largest producer of live concerts in the world. The main goal of the company is to supply the best live entertainment in the world to concertgoers. This all begins with the Live Nation Talent/Touring department, which is known for having the best talent buyers in the industries. Some of the skill that makes them the best is their proven track record, respected in the industry and experience in negotiations.
Being a talent buyer is a one of the hardest jobs in the industry. Why is this? When a tour is being routed around the United States and you are a talent buyer for House of Blues (a Live Nation company), you are not the only person in the city that is negotiating with that artist to book them at your venue. This is a very competitive business and companies will do anything to get that tour booked.Some venues will pay over market price to lock in the tour at their venue. This is why Live Nation must have the best talent buyer in the world. Just last month the VP of booking for the Midwest region at Live Nation, Michael Yerke was promoted to president of talent for House of Blues. Yerke will oversee the talent buyers for the 13 House of Blues venues across the United States. "Michael has a proven track record as one of the most respected and experienced talent bookers in our industry and I am confident he will successfully lead the booking team as we grow our HOB, club and theater businesses in 2009," in a statement by Ben Weeden - Chief Operating Officer, North American Music for Live Nation. (Billboard.biz.) This leaves Yerke position open at the Live Nation office in Chicago, which has been filled by Tommy Ginoza, a long time veteran of talent buying.
Tommy Ginoza was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Many people would say that being one of the talent buyers for the largest producer of live concerts in the world would mean you should have many years of education to obtain this position. Tommy is just the opposite. Dropping out of school at the age of 16 and hanging out with his friends on the streets of LA was not a normal start to becoming a successful talent buyer.His love for 45’s and listening to all types of music fueled his love for the music business. After working for a short period in the car business he obtained an internship with EMI Records. After interning for 7 months he was hired as an assistant in the EMI office. Soon after Tommy left EMI moved to Golden Voice Concerts, which is now owned by AEG Live. Tommy really did not have a job title while working for Golden Voice. “All the employees did everything from booking to stagehand” Tommy said.Next Ginoza moved on to Universal Concerts as Marketing Coordinator where he worked on marking tours for Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears. While Ginoza was employed at Universal Concerts, Clear Channel took them over and shortly after that Live Nation formed in 2005. Tommy was asked to move to Minneapolis Minnesota to be a talent buyer for Live Nation. He booked for the Live Nation venues in the Minneapolis area but worked out of the Live Nation office in Chicago. In 2009 Tommy took over for Michael Yerke position and is now the talent buyer for House of Blues Chicago and the Amphitheatres in the Chicago area.
The Situation
Tommy Ginoza talent buyer of House of Blues Chicago uses negotiation everyday to broker performance deals with bands, agents and manages. On occasion he will negotiate deals for catering services that House of Blues will provide.
The Negotiator
In this industry the negotiator must be on top of their game and research the talent they are trying to buy.Being accurate on forecasting how a show or month will go is very important. Ginoza is known for being one of the best in forecasting and researching the talent prior to presenting an offer, making him one of the best negotiators in the business.
The negotiator’s deal-making techniques
Tommy uses a few easy techniques when negotiating. First is the VS. Technique. This is only used when he knows the act/band will attract 3000 plus people. When negotiating he must research to know how the act/band is doing on other shows. If he feels good he will offer the act/band a VS. Deal, which is an offer for the act/band to receive a guarantee with the option of getting a bonus if they sell it out. At the end of the night after expenses are taken out, the larger amount goes to the act/band. If the guarantee is $35,000 but they sell out and make $36,000 in ticket sales, the act/band will get a bonus on $1000, walk away with a total of $36,000.
The other technique Tommy uses is Promoter Profit which is the more common technique used in this industry and is based on a percentage deal. When negotiating with talent agents most deals are based on a percentage of 80% for the artist and 20% for the promoter/venue.
Example:
200 people come to the show and paid $5 to get in = $1000
Costs of the show:
Band = $100 guaranteed
Sound = $100
Advertising = $100
Promoter Profit (15% of expenses or $300 in this example) = $45
Split point (total of all) = $345
Amount to split (total income $1000 - total expenses $345) = $655
Band gets 80% after split = $524
Promoter gets 20% after split - $131
Band total ($100 guarantee + 80% after split) = $624
Promoter total (promoter profit + 20% after split) = $176
What you learned about negotiation from the interview
Negotiation in the entertainment business is unpredictable; it is like a poker game and you are taking a gamble on every deal you make and you never know what you will get. Some agents will try to take average of you and push you to the limit, while others are easy to work with and will make it the best for both the venue and the artist. On the other hand, some agents do not understand that the venue has overhead expenses to make the show happen, which leads to one of the major problems when it comes down to confirming the offer or deal.
What you learned about yourself from the interview
After interviewing Tommy I feel that I am on the right path in my life to become a major player in this industry. I learned that I am a good negotiator based on my history of booking bands and tours. My view of this industry as gotten better over the last 3 years and my heart is in this industry, and I feel that being a talent buyer is what I want to do in the future. Emotions play a big role when I negotiate with bands or venues, because I try to make people happy; if the show does not do well I feel personally responsible Working in this industry does not feel like work for me because I truly love what I do.
What you learned about the role of emotions
Being a talent buyer for the largest live concert company in the world can be challenging. Once you get to that level many think that the talent buyer does not care anymore and just views it as a nine to five job. This is not the case with Tommy Ginoza, because he wears his heart on his sleeve, and has personal ties with each show he books. When the show does not do well, he takes it personally and makes notes to why it failed so that he can improve the next time he does his forecasting for the band. Ginoza takes pride in each band/artist he books and does everything he can to make the night the best it can be. On any given night when a show is going on at House of Blues you will see Tommy running around the venue looking at the crowd, making note of age, gender, and type of people are in attendance. This shows that the role of emotions plays a big part in his job and he personally feels responsible for each show he puts on.
What you learned about the role of research/preparation
Being prepared for a negotiation is most important when being a talent buyer. Knowing everything about the band/artist you are trying to buy is very crucial in getting a good deal. Putting in time to research the band’s draw history the last time playing the venue or tour draw history if it is their first time playing your venue can pay off in the end. Additional points of research are ticket prices from last show/tour, what band played with them the last tour and did they have any help from outside sources such as radio sponsors. After researching the act you will feel more comfortable with making an offer and the possibility of the night doing well is greater.
What you learned about the role of communication
Communicating is very important when conducting business as a talent buyer. The Internet has become one of the most important tools in the world of business because more talent buyers are turning to the Internet to conduct business via email.While this may be true locally, I find it more often at the larger levels the phone is used more.“I like using email because I can go back and see the paper trail, but sometimes a tone of the email can be taken the wrong way.” Said Tommy Ginoza. One additional technique Tommy uses is a phone log. He keeps a log of all the calls he makes in and out, so when he gets into a negotiation he always has all the information in front of him to make the deal. Attention to detail is what makes Tommy a great negotiator.
