Ticket Tallies Determine Winners Of Top Billboard Touring Awards; Industry And Fan Votes Also Measured
Ray Waddell
Despite all the forecasts of doom and gloom floating around last January, the concert industry survived just fine in '09.
In fact, many tours, venues, live entertainment companies and events actually thrived this year, as the finalists for the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards demonstrate.
Unlike most other industry awards, the Billboard Touring Awards are primarily based on actual numbers, real business being done, real butts in seats and actual turnstiles spinning.
The exceptions: The recipients of the Legend of Live and Humanitarian Awards each year are chosen by Billboard editors, and the honorees for the concert marketing and promotion award and the Eventful Fans' Choice Award are selected through online voting by members of the touring industry and by fans, respectively.
The nature of the business and the prep time involved in tabulating finalists and winners sometimes doesn't neatly match up with tour schedules, which means that some tours have to be broken up between different years. Still, for a given year, the Billboard Touring Awards showcase which acts, venues and firms were doing the greatest level business in the preceding months. The awards are based on numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009.
The big enchiladas are the top tour and top draw awards, which acknowledge the top grossing and ticket-selling tours, respectively. The same three acts occupy the upper echelons in both categories: a pop diva that has transcended her genre, four guys from Ireland who are rewriting the stadium tour paradigm and a hard-rocking Aussie band that returned after a lengthy absence from the road to a jubilant global reception.
Two of the three finalists in the top draw and top tour categories are produced by Live Nation and steered by Live Nation global music chairman Arthur Fogel. The second leg of Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour solidified the artist's stature as having the highest-grossing solo tour of all time and one of the biggest tours ever. Madonna previously captured the top tour award for Re-Invention in 2004.
For its part, U2 notched Europe and about half of North America under its belt on its record-shattering 360° tour by the cutoff point. The innovative "in-the-round" staging of the tour is allowing U2 to shatter box-office records without pricing tickets in the stratosphere. U2 won top tour and top draw for Vertigo in 2005.
AC/DC joins Madonna and U2 as contenders in the top tour and top draw categories.
For Fogel, it has been another monster year in a career of monster years. His tours by the Police, Madonna and U2 have been previous winners at the Billboard Touring Awards.
"To have both the biggest band in the world in U2 and the biggest female artist in Madonna as finalists is really fantastic," Fogel says. "It is a true testament to their global appeal, ticket-selling power and brilliant talent. I am truly privileged to be involved with these great artists who are at the top of their game."
It's likely that Fogel and Live Nation will be in a similar position in the coming years, as both U2 and Madonna are in the early stages of 10-year multirights deals with Live Nation. "The successful partnership with Live Nation [with U2 and Madonna] demonstrates the true potential that exists in the live business," Fogel says.
PROPERLY PACKAGED
The top package award, which goes to the top-grossing tour with three or more artists on the bill, is designed to reward synergistic packaging and value offered to consumers. This year's diverse mix of finalists includes tours headlined by a familiar country superstar, a teen-pop sensation and a mainstream rock juggernaut.
Five-time top package winner Kenny Chesney is back again among the finalists with the Sun City Carnival tour. Promoted nationally again by TMG/AEG Live, Chesney played a mix of arenas, amphitheaters and NFL stadiums and included Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland and Montgomery Gentry on the bill.
Chesney has pretty much taken ownership of this award, and TMG/AEG Live president Louis Messina says Chesney's focus on providing value dates back to the artist's own days as a fan.
"Kenny knows that buying a ticket and going to a show is expensive, so he always wants his fans to have a great time from the opener until his set," Messina says. "He does not need to spend the money [on support], but he does."
Jonas Brothers continue their upward trend as finalists this year in the top package category following their World Tour 2009 with Jordin Sparks, Honor Society and Wonder Girls. Sparks and Honor Society are both managed by Jonas Brothers' co-managers Phillip McIntyre and Kevin Jonas.
"This year was about Jonas Brothers making the leap of playing in the round to deliver as many seats as possible, selling 97%-98% of every seat available, keeping the ticket price under $90 and going to work every day," Live Nation VP Brad Wavra says. "The packaging happened to be self-serving in one sense, with Honor Society and Jordin managed by the same management company and on the same label. But the guys also took a leap of faith on a little band from South Korea called Wonder Girls. They believed in them and wanted to cultivate another touring act."
And Nickelback, the 2006 winner of the breakthrough award, is also a finalist for top package for its Dark Horse tour, with Hinder, Papa Roach and Saving Abel onboard for most of the run. The Dark Horse outing is also a finalist for the concert marketing and promotion award for the band's tour partnership with Nikon and Internet Explorer 8.
TOP BOXSCORE
The top boxscore award recognizes the top-grossing single engagement for the time period, the biggest of the big gigs. Two of these came from U2: July 24-27 at Croke Park in Dublin (U2's dates at Croke Park won this award in 2005) and July 11-12 at Stade de France in Paris.
The third finalist is also from Ireland, but is a festival: the sixth annual Oxegen Fest held July 10-12 at Punchestown Racecourse in Naas, Ireland. Produced by Dublin independent promoter Denis Desmond, director of MCD, Oxegen featured Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol, Blur and the Killers as headliners.
MCD owner Desmond says he is delighted that Oxegen has been named a finalist. "We pride ourselves on getting the best lineups. We have a great, appreciative audience, and being named a finalist is a huge credit to all the staff involved in the organization of the festival," he adds.
TOP FESTIVAL
In addition to being a top boxscore finalist, Oxegen is a finalist for the top festival award, along with a four-time winner—the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn.—and a frequent finalist, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.
Coachella headliners included Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, the Killers and the Cure. "Coachella is in good company with the other festival finalists," says Paul Tollett, producer of Coachella for Goldenvoice/AEG Live, who says professionally produced and promoted festivals lift the entire festival business. "We feel the other promoting teams take their events as seriously as we do ours. This has elevated the festivals in this country and it's only going to get better."
At Bonnaroo, the lineup of 125 acts included Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Phish, Wilco, Elvis Costello, the Decemberists and Merle Haggard. "Each year we try to raise the bar in every facet of the festival," says Jonathan Mayers, president of Superfly Presents, co-producer of Bonnaroo with A.C. Entertainment. "You have to keep evolving. You don't want to stay static, or you go backward. Every year you want to look back and say, 'Wow, this was better than the last year.' "
Top PROMOTERS
The global concert mega-promoters Live Nation and AEG Live are joined by São Paulo, Brazil, promoter Time 4 Fun as finalists for the top promoter award. T4F is also a finalist, with MCD and the Australian promoter Michael Coppel Presents, in the international independent promoter division.
For Live Nation, tours by U2, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Nickelback, Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac, Rascal Flatts, New Kids on the Block and many others helped drive the year, along with a massive promotion schedule at the amphitheaters and a wealth of European festivals and tours.
AEG Live did very well with Chesney, Britney Spears, Tina Turner and American Idols Live, along with festivals like Coachella, Rothbury, Stagecoach, Mile High and All Points West. AEG lost what would have likely been the top boxscore of the year with the death of Michael Jackson, who would have played 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena.
Four-time winner Jam Productions in Chicago, the 2007 winner C3 Presents in Austin and Madison, Wis.-based Frank Productions are the finalists for top independent promoter, U.S.
"Jam has continued to operate our business with the same philosophy we've always had: service, loyalty and treat people like they want to be treated," Jam co-founder Arny Granat says. "That does not mean we get any kudos or love back in today's world, but [co-founder] Jerry [Mickelson] and I choose to continue on this path."
Rock did the trick for Frank Brothers, who did well with tours in secondary markets from Buckcherry/Avenged Sevenfold, a Disturbed package and a Mudvayne/Black Label Society package, along with several Metallica dates. "We look at ourselves as being very fortunate," partner Fred Frank says. "There are not a whole lot of independent promoters left. They've either been bought out or squashed out. But we continue to fight for our niche, and we feel like we're in a pretty good spot right now. And we're trying to stay a little under the radar."
TOP MANAGER, top AGENCY
The top manager award recognizes the management firm with the combined highest-grossing clients among the top 50 tours. This year's finalists are Maverick Management (Madonna), Principle Management (U2) and Front Line Management with a strong list of affiliated acts, including Chesney, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, New Kids on the Block, Neil Diamond, Kings of Leon and Luis Miguel.
Headed by Paul McGuinness, Principle Management won in 2005. Maverick, steered by Guy Oseary, won the top manager award in 2004 on the strength of Madonna's Re-Invention tour.
The top agency finalists have the highest-grossing combined tours among the top 50, with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Creative Artists Agency and Artists Group International being the top three this year.
CAA's tours that ranked in the top 50 include Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, AC/DC, Jonas Brothers, Fleetwood Mac, Il Divo, New Kids on the Block, Kings of Leon, Eric Clapton and top comedy tour finalists Robin Williams and Dane Cook.
"From emerging artists to icons of the industry, 2009 has been an exceptional year for our clients and we are fortunate to play a role in their success," says Rob Light, managing partner/music head for CAA. "This is a testament to CAA's culture of collaboration—working closely with our colleagues across all areas of the agency and hand in hand with promoters, labels, managers, sponsors and venues."
William Morris Endeavor Entertainment saw success this year with acts like Spears, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, the Eagles, Luis Miguel and the Killers.
The lone independent agency in the group, Artists Group International, has been a perennial finalist among the top agencies. "I am proud of my team and the tremendous work ethic that exists at AGI," president Dennis Arfa says. Among the tours fielded by AGI in 2009 were treks by Billy Joel & Elton John (with the Howard Rose Agency), Metallica, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard.
Share
Share on LinkedIn
