Today, at the University Program Board's Crazy Commons Day, UPB announced that the performer for this semester's Convo show would be Third Eye Blind. For those that have been disappointed in Convo shows in the past, I thought I'd provide a little insight into how much work goes into just lining up who is coming for the show (with some help from Angela Morton, Director of Center Stage).
To start the process, UPB receives a list of artists compiled by their middle agent, Melissa Boyle Aronson from Babco Entertainment. Melissa helps provide insight and guidance through the entire process from getting the avails list to getting feedback after the show. The avails list is a list of artists that are touring for the fall/spring, their general price and general availability. It includes a wide variety of artists, from well-established bands that can cost well over $100,000 to bands on the rise that may be $10,000 (most of which 95% of the student body has never heard of). The Center Stage Committee, along with the Executive Council of UPB go through this list and try to narrow it down a little. They have to consider what artists are within UPB's budget and the band's availability. In addition, they have to take into account all the additional costs of setup, lighting, sound, stage, security, marketing, etc., when looking at costs, because it can add upwards of $15,000-20,000 to the cost of the show. The stage plus rental of JMU Convocation center can cost around $9,000 on their own. UPB generally tries to book the Fall Convocation show in September/early October, before basketball season begins. They also have to work around a schedule of pre-scheduled events that take place at the Convo.
UPB tries to include a variety of artists to try to reach the maximum number of students. Then, they create a survey for the students to take, asking what nights they prefer to see a show, who they would like to see, how much they'd be willing to pay to see them, etc. This year, they divided the artists into genres and tried to get the top 3-5 for each. The survey is distributed via mass email, Facebook, and the UPB website. UPB tracks the results and sees if any favorites emerge, trying their hardest to book the students' number one choice, given that they are within the budget and all parties can agree on a show date. From there, it moves into a bidding and negotiation period, working with Melissa and the artist's manager to come to a reasonable agreement. In the past, UPB has had numerous artists decline their bids, so they've had to go back to the survey results, find the number two or number three pick and start the bidding process over again. Booking an artist can be a long and stressful process.
"This year, we really wanted to make an offer to Third Eye Blind, especially after the students' overwhelming disappointment when they fell through last year," said Angela. Third Eye Blind received over 3,300 votes on the survey and were the clear favorite of the JMU students (OAR, Jack's Mannequin, Dashboard, and MGMT were also among the top picks this year). Luckily, we were able to work with them this time and come to an agreement. Angela said that when it was announced, "It got an overall positive response from students." To help decide on future performers for Convo shows and the rest of the University Program Board's events, there are several ways to get involved. Visit their website, office (Taylor 234), or talk to one of their members to find out more.
To start the process, UPB receives a list of artists compiled by their middle agent, Melissa Boyle Aronson from Babco Entertainment. Melissa helps provide insight and guidance through the entire process from getting the avails list to getting feedback after the show. The avails list is a list of artists that are touring for the fall/spring, their general price and general availability. It includes a wide variety of artists, from well-established bands that can cost well over $100,000 to bands on the rise that may be $10,000 (most of which 95% of the student body has never heard of). The Center Stage Committee, along with the Executive Council of UPB go through this list and try to narrow it down a little. They have to consider what artists are within UPB's budget and the band's availability. In addition, they have to take into account all the additional costs of setup, lighting, sound, stage, security, marketing, etc., when looking at costs, because it can add upwards of $15,000-20,000 to the cost of the show. The stage plus rental of JMU Convocation center can cost around $9,000 on their own. UPB generally tries to book the Fall Convocation show in September/early October, before basketball season begins. They also have to work around a schedule of pre-scheduled events that take place at the Convo.
UPB tries to include a variety of artists to try to reach the maximum number of students. Then, they create a survey for the students to take, asking what nights they prefer to see a show, who they would like to see, how much they'd be willing to pay to see them, etc. This year, they divided the artists into genres and tried to get the top 3-5 for each. The survey is distributed via mass email, Facebook, and the UPB website. UPB tracks the results and sees if any favorites emerge, trying their hardest to book the students' number one choice, given that they are within the budget and all parties can agree on a show date. From there, it moves into a bidding and negotiation period, working with Melissa and the artist's manager to come to a reasonable agreement. In the past, UPB has had numerous artists decline their bids, so they've had to go back to the survey results, find the number two or number three pick and start the bidding process over again. Booking an artist can be a long and stressful process.
"This year, we really wanted to make an offer to Third Eye Blind, especially after the students' overwhelming disappointment when they fell through last year," said Angela. Third Eye Blind received over 3,300 votes on the survey and were the clear favorite of the JMU students (OAR, Jack's Mannequin, Dashboard, and MGMT were also among the top picks this year). Luckily, we were able to work with them this time and come to an agreement. Angela said that when it was announced, "It got an overall positive response from students." To help decide on future performers for Convo shows and the rest of the University Program Board's events, there are several ways to get involved. Visit their website, office (Taylor 234), or talk to one of their members to find out more.
Show info
October 8th at 8pm, Convo
Tickets on sale Thursday, Sept 17 at Warren Box Office at 8am
Prices: $26 reserved seating for students with JAC, $31 for floor seats/general public in advance/students at doors, $36 general public at doors
This should be mandatory reading for everyone at JMU who has ever wanted to complain about the work UPB does.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Drew :) Very well-written!
ReplyDelete