Rob Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Dear all, I'm doing a bit of research into the future of concert touring as we know it. I'm looking at it from a general point of view, so I'm interested in peoples opinions on stuff like... * Will armchair entertainment kill live touring? (ie: people watching recorded shows rather than paying for the real thing)* Do people think that the touring industry is smaller or larger now than it was 10 or 20 years ago?* Are artists and managements touring for the same business reasons they were 10 or 20 years ago? (ie: just to support record sales or to use tours as money making machines themselves)* Music can now be distributed to the masses very easily - is this going to harm the live industry further or have we reached a 'status quo'?* Is legislation like the WTD going to severely affect our side of the industry and the costs of running a tour? Any thoughts much appreciated. Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modge Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 My personal thought is that the live experience is that much better than even the best home system can provide. seeing people in the flesh adds something to the experience, as does sharing the experience with 100's of others. I have reasonalbe home ent kit (considering I'm a student!) and a huge amount of music \ music dvd's on my computer but I still go to as many gigs as I can find time and money so to do. As a result of this I feel that touring is unlikely to shrink much, The other questions I'll leave to people better qualified than me to answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilly Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 I'd agree with Modge, a live gig is much better than anything you can experience in your "armchair", that is unless you take your armchair to a concert with you. As such I feel the future of live music is secure, whether artists and management are in it for different reasons I'm not sure! The fact that music can be freely distributed I think gives more people the opportunity to get to know a wider range of artists, and could indeed aid the future of live music. Although whether "Status Quo" should be listened to at all I'm not sure :blink: ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonjim Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 My opinion is that if fat lazy b*ast*rds want to sit and watch a gig in TV, then they probably are not all that interested. Certainly if I like a band I will go and see them! Touring in my opinion is bigger now money wise, but (sorry if you have to moderate this) like LSD, VLPS etc who take all business away. I personally think that touring in 10/20 years will be about BUT people like LSD will 'conquer' small comapnies and it will just be big people like them who do it. Having said that; some touring stuff is smaller just because of Heath and Safety. Things you could do in the '70s you cannot even think of doing now which spoils effects. Pricing makes some things 'disappear' as things are so highly priced only big people can use these people. This is another reason for using smaller local lighting companies. I like your third point! Let me put it this way, there are MDs of SLX, LSD etc who are not part of the blue room. People who have great love and enjoyment out of this industry will come and help others in their spare time, where as MDs of SLX etc will just want to make money. LX designers, SX designers etc are usually in the job for the love and joy - but managers etc just see the £50 notes in a suitcase so to speak. But this is just my humble opinion. Not sure about your fourth point, in my expereince (see first point) music is always better live - unless you go to see a pop band where its off a CD anway! Music heavily depends on the fans, if people want proper live music and enjoyment they will go to see a live gig - if they are not too fussed about a band or just looking at them for the sake of it TV and CDs tend to take presidence, as they can only pay a minimal amount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 I like modge cannot comment on the other questions, but there has been and always be the younger part of the gennerations who want a gig to go to. Just wondering what cant you do now that you could do in the 70's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Touring in my opinion is bigger now money wise, but (sorry if you have to moderate this) like LSD, VLPS etc who take all business away. I personally think that touring in 10/20 years will be about BUT people like LSD will 'conquer' small comapnies and it will just be big people like them who do it. But isn't that the industry just growing up? Ten years ago, the hire business consisted of a large number of smaller companies, most of who have merged or been bought out, and so we are left with a very few, much larger companies. This happens in every industry, so why should this one be any different? This consolidation still provides opportunities for smaller companies, who can offer the more personal service, or who provide more specialized services, which are not profitable for larger companies to provide. In the USA, several smaller rental companies are trading heavily on the fact that "We are not PRG". I like your third point! Let me put it this way, there are MDs of SLX, LSD etc who are not part of the blue room. People who have great love and enjoyment out of this industry will come and help others in their spare time, where as MDs of SLX etc will just want to make money. I don't think thats fair. They are just trying to run a business so they can pay their staff in a very competitive industry, where rental rates are at an all-time low. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonjim Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 In my opinion, if people want to own an lx company - should they have a passion for it, or at least know the difference between a profile and a parcan! See what you mean about the companies. The quality of PRG etc (lx wise if good), but service etc is #####. SLX seem to have an attitude of 'if you spend less than £1000 with us we will treat you like #### and provide crap customer service skills' Sorry admins. This is what inspired me to set up my own lighting company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Mel Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 As a lampie that tours I can personally say that as a 'professional' - ie this is my living, I am definately in it for as much money as I can make and have no shame about this. Secondly touring with an armchair is definately the way forward..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Buffham Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 People who have great love and enjoyment out of this industry will come and help others in their spare time, where as MDs of SLX etc will just want to make money. LX designers, SX designers etc are usually in the job for the love and joy - but managers etc just see the £50 notes in a suitcase so to speak.I think you're totally wrong. I can't talk for the MD of SLX, but I personally know several senior managers and directors in the type of companies you refer to who are actively involved with lighting design in their spare time, and who 'love and enjoy' the industry they're in. As a Lighting Designer AND a company director myself, I know all too well the conflict between spending the money you want to as a designer and making the money you need to for the company. As a designer who loves lighting I will often feel the urge to put much more into a show than is sensible financially, so as a director I have to apply financial restraint so we make the necessary profit on the show. 'Love and joy' is all well and good, but it doesn't pay the bills. The MDs you refer to I am sure have an strong interest in this industry. It is very hard to make any significant money in lighting, especially rental. Rental rates are low, overheads are very high. Lighting is near the bottom of the food chain for budgets. High-flying management are not in this industry for the megabucks, that's for sure. The quality of PRG etc (lx wise if good), but service etc is #####.In what way exactly? I have always found them (& VLPS previously) very good. I can't say that I've never had problems, but the problems have ALWAYS been dealt with whatever day of the week or time of day it has been. That is what matters to me. Its the smaller companies I've always had problems with because they generally don't have the manpower or infrastructure for proper 24/7 support. This is what inspired me to set up my own lighting company!So what does your company offer that every other rental company out there doesn't? What sets you apart from the crowd? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonjim Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Sorry, I am probably generalising. Something to consider is customer service. People like SLX are not bothered as if they loose one client, they have 4000 others. To a small business like ours, every client matters and we therefore provide the best service we can. Food for thougt! We strive to perfection, we do not have 10,000 V*Ls or Macs, but our work compliments our services and we have enough work going. Maybe one day it would be nice to get to PRG size, but currently we are happy as we are. A guy once said to me, running a company is 10% hire stock and 90% customer service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 A guy once said to me, running a company is 10% hire stock and 90% customer service.While I'm not quite sure that you can define the value of good customer service as an absolute figure, I think that sounds like a pretty solid kind of principle. The last thing a lighting company (or any other sort of company, for that matter) needs is directors or staff who have no discernable 'people skills', as that would be pretty much guaranteed to sign the death warrant for the company before it even had a chance to get going properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonjim Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Yes thats right. But most lx techs I know either have good people skills and bugger all other skills or fantastic lx skills and crap people skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 But most lx techs I know either have good people skills and bugger all other skills or fantastic lx skills and crap people skills.<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Then you're working with the wrong people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londonjim Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 Probably, but we get good results - and thats what matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la grande homme Posted January 12, 2005 Share Posted January 12, 2005 * Music can now be distributed to the masses very easily - is this going to harm the live industry further or have we reached a 'status quo'? Are the Quo still touring!!??? :blink: A Blue Dot! Una Punto Azul! Un Dot Bleu! Ein Dott Blau! (might have made the last one up... a bit. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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