The cost of musicians at the Illinois State Fair
08-24-07 | 09:16 AM
#1
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Legend
The cost of musicians at the Illinois State Fair
This is from a story about the revenue from the Illinois State Fair’s concerts this year, I thought it was interesting to see the costs of the various acts.
The lineup this year was as follows, including ticket prices:
Gretchen Wilson with Blaine Larsen ($20 to $30)
Corbin Bleu / Drake Bell with Jordan Pruitt ($20)
Daughtry (Chris Daughtry’s band) ($20 to $27)
Martina McBride with Carolyn Dawn Johnson ($25 to $35)
Joe Walsh ($22)
Sugarland with Joe Nichols ($22)
From the article, the total amount spent on musical acts was $865,000.
Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell: $75,000
Martina McBride: $250,000
Gretchen Wilson: $150,000
Daughtry: $150,000
Joe Walsh: $100,000
Sugarland: $100,000
Joe Nichols: $40,000
I was going to watch Joe Walsh with Grand Funk Railroad (picking up tickets a day or two before the show), but Grand Funk Railroad dropped out a week before the concert and I didn’t want to see Joe Walsh. My son won two tickets to see Martina McBride, I sold those for $60 and gave him the money to spend on video games (we are not country music aficionados).
http://www.sj-r.com/news/stories/14821.asp
The lineup this year was as follows, including ticket prices:
Gretchen Wilson with Blaine Larsen ($20 to $30)
Corbin Bleu / Drake Bell with Jordan Pruitt ($20)
Daughtry (Chris Daughtry’s band) ($20 to $27)
Martina McBride with Carolyn Dawn Johnson ($25 to $35)
Joe Walsh ($22)
Sugarland with Joe Nichols ($22)
From the article, the total amount spent on musical acts was $865,000.
Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell: $75,000
Martina McBride: $250,000
Gretchen Wilson: $150,000
Daughtry: $150,000
Joe Walsh: $100,000
Sugarland: $100,000
Joe Nichols: $40,000
I was going to watch Joe Walsh with Grand Funk Railroad (picking up tickets a day or two before the show), but Grand Funk Railroad dropped out a week before the concert and I didn’t want to see Joe Walsh. My son won two tickets to see Martina McBride, I sold those for $60 and gave him the money to spend on video games (we are not country music aficionados).
http://www.sj-r.com/news/stories/14821.asp
Grandstand concerts bring in dough
Profit is about $187,000 out of more than $1 million earned
By NICK ROGERS
A&E EDITOR
Published Thursday, August 23, 2007
Grandstand concerts at the 2007 Illinois State Fair took in more than $1 million in ticket sales, fair officials said Wednesday.
Fair manager Amy Bliefnick said paid-admission Grandstand concerts, which were spread over two weekends, took in $1,052,000. That’s the highest sales amount since the schedule was trimmed to six paid concerts in 2004 and represents a profit of about $187,000.
“We had a very strong lineup this year, and when we set ticket prices, our goal is to keep it low so people can afford to come to the concerts,” Bliefnick said. “Plus, we get admission fees, parking, food and beverages as they’re here enjoying the fair, too.”
According to data from the Illinois Procurement Bulletin, about $865,000 was spent on musical acts. The least expensive was the headlining combination of teen-appealing R&B and pop from Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell ($75,000), while
the costliest was country singer Martina McBride, who commanded $250,000.
Other artists’ fees were: Gretchen Wilson and Daughtry, $150,000 each; Joe Walsh and Sugarland, $100,000 each; and Joe Nichols, $40,000.
Attendance at Grandstand concerts this year also increased, up 15 percent from last year’s numbers with a total attendance of 44,658.
More than 60 percent of that came from three concerts: Bleu/Bell with 7,089; a closing-night country double bill of Sugarland and Nichols with 8,487; and Daughtry, a rock band fronted by former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry, which was this year’s top draw at 12,142.
Journeyman rock guitarist Joe Walsh, whose show was booked several weeks after the initial lineup announcement, brought in the fewest at 4,756. That concert was also to have included Grand Funk Railroad, which canceled one week before the performance.
In total attendance, the 2007 Grandstand concerts attracted the biggest crowd since Bliefnick became fair manager, though if Lynyrd Skynyrd had not canceled in 2005, her freshman fair’s attendance would have topped 53,000. Overall, Grandstand attendance has improved since 2004, which attracted a dismal 24,507 — a number surpassed after the first weekend of this year’s fair.
If there were any disappointments this year, Bliefnick says, it was lower-than-expected turnouts for both Wilson and McBride. An Illinois native best known for her brash country hit “Redneck Woman,” Wilson brought 5,777 fans to her opening-night concert. McBride, who became one of country music’s most popular female singers since her last Springfield stop in 1994, drew 6,407.
“We were surprised that those concerts didn’t sell as well,” Bliefnick says.
Nick Rogers can be reached at 747-9587 or [email protected]. Read his blog at blogs.sj-r.com
Profit is about $187,000 out of more than $1 million earned
By NICK ROGERS
A&E EDITOR
Published Thursday, August 23, 2007
Grandstand concerts at the 2007 Illinois State Fair took in more than $1 million in ticket sales, fair officials said Wednesday.
Fair manager Amy Bliefnick said paid-admission Grandstand concerts, which were spread over two weekends, took in $1,052,000. That’s the highest sales amount since the schedule was trimmed to six paid concerts in 2004 and represents a profit of about $187,000.
“We had a very strong lineup this year, and when we set ticket prices, our goal is to keep it low so people can afford to come to the concerts,” Bliefnick said. “Plus, we get admission fees, parking, food and beverages as they’re here enjoying the fair, too.”
According to data from the Illinois Procurement Bulletin, about $865,000 was spent on musical acts. The least expensive was the headlining combination of teen-appealing R&B and pop from Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell ($75,000), while
the costliest was country singer Martina McBride, who commanded $250,000.
Other artists’ fees were: Gretchen Wilson and Daughtry, $150,000 each; Joe Walsh and Sugarland, $100,000 each; and Joe Nichols, $40,000.
Attendance at Grandstand concerts this year also increased, up 15 percent from last year’s numbers with a total attendance of 44,658.
More than 60 percent of that came from three concerts: Bleu/Bell with 7,089; a closing-night country double bill of Sugarland and Nichols with 8,487; and Daughtry, a rock band fronted by former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry, which was this year’s top draw at 12,142.
Journeyman rock guitarist Joe Walsh, whose show was booked several weeks after the initial lineup announcement, brought in the fewest at 4,756. That concert was also to have included Grand Funk Railroad, which canceled one week before the performance.
In total attendance, the 2007 Grandstand concerts attracted the biggest crowd since Bliefnick became fair manager, though if Lynyrd Skynyrd had not canceled in 2005, her freshman fair’s attendance would have topped 53,000. Overall, Grandstand attendance has improved since 2004, which attracted a dismal 24,507 — a number surpassed after the first weekend of this year’s fair.
If there were any disappointments this year, Bliefnick says, it was lower-than-expected turnouts for both Wilson and McBride. An Illinois native best known for her brash country hit “Redneck Woman,” Wilson brought 5,777 fans to her opening-night concert. McBride, who became one of country music’s most popular female singers since her last Springfield stop in 1994, drew 6,407.
“We were surprised that those concerts didn’t sell as well,” Bliefnick says.
Nick Rogers can be reached at 747-9587 or [email protected]. Read his blog at blogs.sj-r.com
08-24-07 | 09:23 AM
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From: Back in the 802, missing NYC
I envy your fairs cheap tickets!
Funny how fair lineups are similar though, we have the corbin bleu show also and tons of country (Ever since Metallica rocked it here in '94 we can't have anything with balls or the community goes nuts (though we have the bad boys of rock show which will likely cause problems).
and willie nelson, merle haggard, ray price
brad paisley
trace adkins and terri clark
papa roach, hinder, buckcherry (blah)
joan jett, foghat, blue oyster cult (kinda sweet)
Funny how fair lineups are similar though, we have the corbin bleu show also and tons of country (Ever since Metallica rocked it here in '94 we can't have anything with balls or the community goes nuts (though we have the bad boys of rock show which will likely cause problems).
and willie nelson, merle haggard, ray price
brad paisley
trace adkins and terri clark
papa roach, hinder, buckcherry (blah)
joan jett, foghat, blue oyster cult (kinda sweet)
08-24-07 | 01:07 PM
#7
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by DVD Josh
I love Daughtry, but at this point in his career, his tickets shouldn't be more than some of the legends he's sharing the stage with.
The $150,000 for Daughtry was a bargain - he brought in a little more than 12,000 people which most likely works out at $275,000 to $300,000. That was the concert that made the whole week, overall, a success for the Illinois State Fair.
Look at Martina McBride, she cost $250,000 but only brought in just under 6,500 people. Even at the higher ticket price the State Fair only would have brought in maybe $200,000, so a net loss of $50,000.
08-24-07 | 07:55 PM
#8
DVD Talk God
Funny. Daughtry is playing the County Fair here in Phoenix in October.
