Casino Talent Buyers Forum
Moderator
Steve Macfadyen | The Show Agua Caliente
Brad Bissell | CAA
Mike Dixon | Harmony Artists
Alan Kornstein | Billy Alan Productions
Bobby Reynolds | AEG Live
Guy Richard | The Agency Group
Seth Shomes | Day After Day Productions
n the past, a visitor to the casino panel was guaranteed an overarching theme, until now. The panel is usually home to a push-me, pull-you between agents and casino buyers, with
the buyers asking why the agents quote high prices for casinos that are on a budget, and agents suggesting that if the casinos don’t need entertainment, don’t buy.
This year’s panel found new ground – meet-and-greets.
But first, let’s get the introductions out of the way.
“I’m Guy Richard, for the first time announcing myself with The Agency Group in Los Angeles,” Richard said to applause. “Boy, that sounds weird, gotta tell ya. For 27 years [I was with William Morris].” Richard, a well-respected agent who’s long worked with Tower of Power and Average White Band, garnered significant attention with his recent shift.
The panel included three agents and four buyers, which kept things civil. To get things rolling, the topic would be choices. As in, how does an agent choose the venue when three area casinos are competing for the act?
“At William Morris, my thoughts were to give every casino a chance to make an offer,” Richard said.
“It kept me in bed with all the casino buyers.” However, although he said there were “lots of factors” in choosing a venue, he admitted it was “99 percent about the money.” But sometimes it comes down to the band having a good experience.
Brad Bissell noted he does not solicit offers from every casino because “I don’t want to be accountable to six people over one date.” That being said, the choice often comes down to the venue that gives the artist the best treatment.
And that’s when Mike Dixon, whose Harmony Artists not only promotes but books acts like Papa Doo Run Run and Justin Guarini, spoke up.
“The agent needs to educate the artist on how a casino works. You have to substantiate the date with added value, like blackjack table appearances. It’s unfair, in my opinion, speaking as an agent, for managers and talent to expect price-and-a-half without being able to work it.”
Dixon’s remarks drew enthusiastic applause.
Not only do some artists avoid meet-and-greets – be it with fans, tribal council or high-rollers – they will ask for food, ground transportation and rooms. Where’s the balance?
“The fact is, we don’t say ‘No’ enough,” audience member Brian Knaff of Talent Buyers Network said. “And we don’t say reasonable things like, ‘My tribal council has 20 people and if you don’t want to meet with them, then you don’t come in.’”
Bissell and Richard noted that, even if the meet-and-greet is standard in the contract, just the same, call the agent.
“I guess I have a bad habit,” Richard said. “I’ll get an e-mail and immediately call [the buyer].
I want to say, ‘OK, is this meet-and-greet really important?’ If it is, it will pop out of my brain when I’m talking to Mr. Manager.”
“Yeah, well, you’re different than most agents. You read. Most of them won’t pursue the call,” Steve Macfadyen said to applause. He noted, too, that in a competitive marketplace, if one casino says no to an artist that will not do a meet & greet some other casino will buy the date, warts and all.
Even though Richard got his share of compliments from the buyers, he found himself the lone voice when it came to radius clauses. Not once, but twice, he voiced his disfavor of the common practice that makes sure an artist play is exclusive.
“You want to keep prices low?” he asked. “Get rid of radius clauses and away we go. One tour, all of California. It will be fantastic. Something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“My offers don’t put in a radius clause,” Macfadyen said. “My offers actually name names. My offers name what I consider to be the competition.”
And to test the radius clause, Macfadyen threw out a question to the audience. Three casinos in the same market recently hosted the same artist. Did any of them see a reduction? Nope.
But there was at least one thing everyone could agree upon: nothing beats a phone call.
|Joe Reinartz|