Focus on Performing Arts Centers

It’s especially tough on the venues that actually are nonprofit in a time when “nonprofit” means pretty much everyone.

Moderator Scott Southard of Inter-national Music Network started the discussion by asking the panelists if direct-purchase programming is still the way to go or whether bringing in an outside promoter make the difference.

Dennis J. Andres of Morris Per-forming Arts Center said he uses a few strategies to entice promoters to his South Bend, Ind., market.

“We wheel and deal every possible way we can, from offering free rent during some of the months that we’re soft to partnering on additional adver-tising and marketing. I’m looking to put bodies in seats so I do what I can to help the promoter,” Andres said. “We’re a third-level market and we’re listed on Pollstar’s Top 100 [Worldwide Theatre Venues] in ticket sales. We must be doing something right.”

Professional Facilities Manage-ment’s Kelly Milukas of Providence Performing Arts Center in Rhode Island said promoter collabor-ations are a regular part of business.

“PFM has been around forever. In Florida in particular, and in Providence, those partnerships pre-existed,” Milukas said. “It’s incumbent upon my team to continue to cultivate promoter relationships and be a sort of Switzer-land as much as possible.

“We are a pretty aggressive, in-house buying entity, [so] even if I don’t need a promoter for a certain date, we’ll still invitethat promoter to be in on a show. We want to work with everyone.”

Even the nation’s most elite cultural centers such as Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center or Walt Disney Concert Hall aren’t immune to the times, Southard said. Many are having to reconsider maintaining the producing role solely in-house.

Craig Springer with the city-owned Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in California said that’s becoming more the case.

“[Cerritos] has the world’s largest auto mall and the tax revenue that flows to the municipality is significant. But as you all know, new auto sales are in the tank,” Springer said. “We’re looking at the partnerships, and the ability to have third-party promoters come into the building, as a revenue stream we really haven’t looked at in the 15 years the building has been open.

“I’m leaving some dates open and the risk we’re taking is that they may take us up on that.”

Rick Bartalini of Wells Fargo Center for the Arts said he’s able to balance a mix of cultural arts and commercial programming at the Santa Rosa, Calif., venue.

“PACs definitely have a stronger relationship with the buyer [and there’s the] expectation of quality,” Bartalini said. “For shows not in the brochure ... we have our standards. Any dates that we do work with Live Nation, we control all the marketing, ticketing and all the production.”

Southard brought up the topic of first right of refusal for a promoter that breaks an act. Could a PAC be considered another viable option to build an artist’s career?

Milukas said that scenario has a lot to do with relationships the venue has built.

“If you’re a PAC that’s in the pro-moter business and you’re breaking acts ... it’s about the relationship the in-house person has with that pro-moter,” she said. “I have relationships with promoters where we’ve taken an act to a bigger venue and co-promoted it. It doesn’t happen that often.

“There’s a lot of hurdles, there’s the financial risk. You have to have the ability to do that as an entity and have that loyalty established with that promoter.”

Southard then asked the panel what can be done to encourage mainstream acts to look at PACs as a viable option?

William Morris Agency’s Andrew Lanoie said it can be difficult but not impossible.

“For a performing arts center that wouldn’t typically bring in a rock act, maybe it just takes ... everyone to make a compromise, bring that act in and make the show a success,” Lanoie said. “Then everybody has [an example] to point to.”

APA’s Jim Gosnell said education is also key.

“I think it’s our job to educate the agent, manager and artist. The selling point, I think, is that you’re playing what I always said was the ‘Carnegie Hall’ of that market,” Gosnell said. “It’s a little tougher on the rock side because they aren’t familiar with it.

“The toughest thing is trying to convince an artist about a building when you’re looking at a brochure. But it’s getting easier to get the artist to think ahead.”

- Reported by Tina Amendola, Pollstar
- Photos by Jason Squires and John Shearer