Headlining Artists // Are They Still Worth It?

by Bobby Dutton, GBM6 (GrooveBoston/Mission Six)

(as published in Campus Activities Programming Magazine, by NACA, the National Association for Campus Activities )

I spent New Year’s Eve on my couch, with my partner, watching Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on Disney+, with the sound turned up to 11.

And it was INCREDIBLE.

Her talent, her brilliance, her art, her catalog… the scope and attention to detail of the technical production… It was utterly captivating from the moment it started until the very end.? I hadn’t seen a show like that in a long time – and I’ve produced concerts for a living for the last 20 years.

I’ve noticed a steady shift:? As our connected culture has evolved, we have adopted a love for bite-sized content.? Scrolling social media, for example, we’ve learned to snack on posts and stories that take just seconds to consume.? We’re becoming less interested in focusing on one thing for more than a minute at a time; we’re always hungry for more – and we know it’s at our fingertips.

We expect the absolute best – and most of the time, we’re only willing to give it a tiny amount of our focus.

Full disclosure:? I’m a bit biased here.? Before I started taking on artist-centric concerts, what put my team on the map was the idea that a DJ show could be bigger than a typical college concert.? We were embracing the hunger for a fast-paced stream of varied content; we were making it more about the students, and less about the artist.? And we had an absolute BLAST.

VIDEO:? 2016, London, UK:? “The New Concert Model” wins the “Creative Disruptors” Award from the International Live Events Association.

While a DJ concert certainly has its advantages in terms of cost, variety, and inclusivity, many schools still opt for the artist model.? And that has its advantages too:? The right artist can provide a one-word answer to the inevitable question that students will ask:? “Who’s Playing?”? In theory, this can be the jump-start your marketing needs to gain favor with the students – and in turn, lead to a full house, a happy crowd, and a great night.

But what if students don’t agree on an artist?? What if they ask for Taylor Swift, and the best headliner that’s available and in-budget is Lil’ Aquatic and the Chubby Airbags*?

The marketing jump-start backfires.? Students are not happy, and they’re stirring up a big negative buzz.? And worse, you’ve spent a huge chunk of your limited budget on an artist that doesn’t seem to be moving tickets.

From here on out, it’ll be an uphill battle.? But maybe – just maybe – the performance will be MAGICAL.? Maybe for the students that do give it a chance, it will be the best night of their lives.? Maybe this event, featuring this lesser-known artist, will unify the campus community.

Sometimes, it happens.? And it’s amazing to see.? After all, some of the best experiences are the ones that shatter expectations.

Too often, though, it doesn’t.? Sometimes you take a chance on an artist, and their response (in my opinion) should be “You want to pay me tens of thousands of dollars to perform for your students?? Wow, thank you for this opportunity – I’d love to!? Please let me know when you need me there, and how I can help make it great for you and your students.”

Instead, artists often send a hilariously unrealistic tech rider, a massive hospitality rider (including pricey food that gets left uneaten for students to clean up later), and then arrive on campus hours after their scheduled sound check or set time, acting like it’s a huge inconvenience to perform their art for their customers.? That’s not OK.

A good middle agent can help mitigate some of these headaches, but it can be hard for them to defend the student experience as the priority – especially when the issues stem from artist demands, and they need to choose a side.

For a legendary performance and a happy, massive crowd, maybe it’s worth the drama.? After all, I’m sure those 30-page riders exist for a reason; artists probably ran into headaches of their own, when a lack of production or hospitality made it difficult for them to deliver their art.? But in a lot of cases, I think it’s gone way too far.

So, what can we do?? Here are some ideas that can help us build sustainable concert traditions that are worth pursuing:

1. Remember:? It’s not all about the artist.? You’re the customer, and the student experience is the top priority.? After all, the artist is probably the one thing that definitely WON’T be part of this show next year.
2. Build an event BRAND, and be intentional about it.? Avoid basic descriptive titles like “Spring Concert,” and work with students to create something iconic and meaningful.? Over time, the event will build momentum of its own, and students will think of the artist as “this year’s special guest,” rather than the entire show.
3. Establish long-term and short-term objectives, so that you and your student leaders can build a strategy intentionally, and know how they’re doing.? Consider professional development on concert strategy, and learn how to analyze an event’s success comprehensively.
4. Consider student acts.? This can add variety to your lineup at a low cost, and reinforce the idea that the show really is about the students.? It also creates organic buzz, because the performers will market too, and this can help get people in the door.? It also creates organic student ambassadors to help share the event’s story (and brand.)
5. Give students a reason to go, other than to see the headliner.? Students will always respond to free food – especially if your event is the only place to use their meal plan that night.
6. Boost the PRODUCTION if you can.? A chain is only as strong as its weakest link – so even with an amazing artist or performance, it needs to look and sound AMAZING, too.? The delivery system should be a priority, not an afterthought.
7. Look for ways to give students something they can’t get on their own – remember, we’re serving a generation that has unprecedented, instantaneous access to content – and that’s what we’re competing with.
8. Be intentional about change.? Don’t repeat the same model over and over if it’s not consistently working.? And don’t change everything for the sake of change, without considering a tradition’s history and future.
9. Consider adding a third-party producer – one that works for YOU, and can help serve as the hub between the agent, artist, AV suppliers, etc., while prioritizing the students, educating them on how this process can (and should) work.
10. Be idealistic:? Concerts are about creating positive experiences, to offset the stress of our everyday lives.? If a concert is creating any sort of negativity – for you, student leaders, or attendees – challenge it.? It might be time to shake things up.

As we gear up for another academic year, let’s find new inspiration.? Let’s build events that students are proud to work on and LOVE to attend.? Let’s give people a reason to come together.

If Taylor Swift isn’t coming to campus, it’s on us to create something special.

We got this.

Bobby Dutton is a relentless optimist, and the owner of GBM6, a professional team that designs & executes legendary events for colleges.? He is also a professional speaker, offering keynotes & workshops.? For more info, visit his LinkedIn Profile.

*Lil’ Aquatic and the Chubby Airbags are not actual artists (as far as I know).? I used my brother’s fake band-name generator, and was delighted with the results.