Week 11: Final Stages of Research

Hello, and welcome to week 11 of my Senior Project! I primarily focused on concluding the final stages of my research and consolidating my findings into my deliverable. 

Thursday, June 6th, I had the opportunity to observe the behind-the-scenes of a concert put on by Master Mind Artist Management. Chris Dell’Olio, who I interviewed in early April, offered to let me shadow his team, watch

soundcheck, and help backstage throughout the event. Observing first-hand the behind-the-scenes of putting on a show allowed me to understand truly how much goes into a live performance. Even for a small event space like Joe’s Pub, where the capacity is 180 people, there was still a great deal of planning and many individuals who were required to make the show possible from the backstage crew to those making drinks/food and even my job helping sell merchandise. An Eras Tour show is over 400 times the size of this event, magnifying the energy, time, and money needed to make it possible – something I appreciate even deeper after this experience.

The group performing, Joe McGinty & The Loser’s Lounge, was a tribute band that started about 30 years ago. Since their founding in 1993, the band has attracted a small yet dedicated audience that follows them to most of their live shows every other month, performing songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. As a member of the Master Mind team stated, the band deeply relies on this core audience. They know they can sell about 100 tickets every time they put on a show. They may be performing to the same 100 fans, but 100 tickets sold is 100 tickets sold. The same idea applies to Swift. Swift and her team know that, no matter what, Swift has a large fan base who will buy tickets to her shows. Over her 18-year career, Swift has cultivated fan relationships that generate an understanding that Swift will sell tickets to her live performances. She has a core audience she will always attract. However, one reason the Eras Tour has been such a massive success is that Swift is not only bringing in these hardcore Swifties. She is attracting a much larger audience to her shows. Even individuals who are not die-hard fans are eager to experience the Eras Tour phenomenon. Despite the difference in scale between these two shows, The Loser’s Lounge and Taylor Swift, we can observe the same principle that underscores success in the music industry: it is crucial to cultivate and maintain a strong fan base. 

Additionally, as I crafted my final presentation, I researched Swift’s impact on the ticketing industry further. Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster debacle has possibly become one of the most well-known parts of her tour. November 18th,

2022 – a day that lives in infamy for many Swifties – fostered discourse between fans, Live Nation, and even government officials regarding how concert tickets are bought and sold. Pearl Jam’s tour in the 90s also sparked a similar fight with Ticketmaster’s monopoly on the concert industry, but since the 90s, Live Nation and Ticketmaster have merged, making the issues Pearl Jam brought to the public’s attention worse.

Controversy over Live Nation’s monopolistic control is not a new issue. A desire to achieve more ethical ticket pricing for consumers and bring back the competition that defines a capitalist society has been a longstanding problem. As Senator Amy Klobuchar stated in the January 2023 Senate Judiciary hearing, “To have a strong capitalist system, you have to have competition. You can’t have too much consolidation.” Following this Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing and, more recently, the Department of Justice suing Live Nation-Ticketmaster, it will be fascinating to observe how future investigations play out, especially as the issue has garnered significant public support.

In conversation with Justin Kalifowitz, Founder & Chairman of Downtown Music Holdings, he stated that he would not classify Swift’s Eras Tour as a concert. It is an experience, which is what ultimately generates the level of economic impact calculated in previous weeks. Mr. Kalifowitz explained that it was not until recently that music has been seen and respected as a driver of growth. Nowadays, live events are on professionals’ radars as a driver of tourism. For example, in 2018, the city of Huntsville, Alabama worked with an organization called tvg (the venue group) hospitality to create a live venue that serves as a “cultural beacon” in their city, understanding the merit of live events to boost their tourism sector/the hospitality business. Given the success of live events like the Eras Tour, respect for the economic value of music is growing. There exists a potential for more venues, similar to the one in Huntsville, popping up across the country, sponsored by a city, in order to increase footwork and local spending.

Most of my work this week centered around consolidating my findings into my final presentation and deliverable. While it was a shorter week regarding new research, I did a lot of reflection on my work from the previous ten weeks to understand what my findings suggest for the future of the music industry.