Who to kick off Virgin promotion
D.G. Devin
Virgin Entertainment Group Unveil `Best of British' Campaign
LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 2, 2002--
Virgin Entertainment Group Team With Mod Icon Piaggio(R) USA, Emerging
U.K. Artists And The Who For Its `Best of British' Promotion
Virgin Entertainment Group, North America is pleased to announce its
line-up for its annual Virgin Megastore Best of British campaign, a
month-long promotion that celebrates the influence of the best of U.K.
music, film and literature, at all 22 North American Virgin Megastores. The
campaign will also include a charity fundraiser sponsored by Piaggio(R) USA,
the US importer of Vespa(R) motor scooters, the British Phonographic
Industry London Calling Panel hosted by Virgin Entertainment Group, a gift
with purchase CD sampler featuring the Best of British music, specially
priced merchandise and in-store appearances by British artists. The campaign
will be promoted via a national print and radio advertising campaign,
in-store promotions and window displays.
The band who brought you classic rock's opera "Tommy," "Quadrophenia,"
"Who's Next" and classic rock anthems "My Generation" and "Won't Get Fooled
Again" will be launching the Virgin Megastore 2002 Best of British campaign
when they team with Piaggio(R) USA, the US importer of Vespa(R) motor
scooters, for a special charity auction of a Vespa(R) ET2 motor scooter,
previously autographed by members of The Who (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey,
and John Entwistle), with proceeds being donated to Teenage Cancer Trust in
tribute to John Entwistle. Starting today, music fans can log on to
www.virginmega.com to place their bid.
Also when Virgin Megastore customers purchase any Who album, including
their latest CD, "Ultimate Collection," Virgin will donate $1 in support of
Teenage Cancer Trust (registration number 1062559). Teenage Cancer Trust,
which numbers Sarah, Duchess of York, Sir Ben Kingsley, Peter de Savary,
Mark Knopfler, Roger Daltrey, Bill Kenwright CBE, Duncan Goodhew MBE and
Prince Naseem among its many patrons, focuses on the particular needs of UK
teenagers and young adults with cancer, leukemia, Hodgkin's and related
diseases. Virgin Entertainment Group is pleased to team with the
organization to help raise funds for the creation of specialized teenage
medical units, so that every teenager with cancer in the UK has access to
these excellent facilities. Virgin Customers will also be able to donate, at
point of sale, to the Trust.
"The Virgin Megastore 2002 Best of British promotion is an opportunity
for Virgin to celebrate and share in the discovery and entertainment of all
things British with its customers," Glen Ward, CEO, Virgin Entertainment
Group, North America said. "With the British music scene continuing to
change we are compelled to bring American music fans the most diverse and
latest U.K. music, as well as film and literature and the opportunity to pay
tribute to legendary British artists like The Who."
During the promotion, Virgin customers can sample essential songs from
UK-based musicians, as well as discover classic British hits from the
60's and 70's, with their free gift-with-purchase Best of British
compilation CD. With every purchase, customers will receive the
Virgin/Vespa(R) 16-track CD featuring Universal artists Rod Stewart, Joe
Cocker, Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel and Squeeze, among others. Also during
the campaign Virgin Megastores will be introducing customers to a number of
British acts that haven't yet secured distribution in the states.
"A lot of emerging British artists find it challenging to receive
quality radio play here in the states," Dave Alder, senior vice president of
product and marketing, Virgin Entertainment Group, North America, said.
"Virgin is proud to feature a number of selected titles, which are bubbling
under in the UK, on our listening posts, as well as offer specially priced
imports from classic and emerging British artists. We're filling a gap that
radio has not been supporting."
Furthering Virgin's marketing strategy, Virgin Megastores nationwide
will offer deep discounts on CDs from British artists such as David Bowie,
Paul Oakenfold and PJ Harvey, to name a few. Books and DVDs featuring UK
classics like "The Who -- Live at the Royal Albert" and "Monty Python & the
Holy Grail: Special Edition" will also be specially priced.
Americans who once enthusiastically received The Beatles, the Rolling
Stones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Duran Duran and The Cure, now seem
resistant to embracing the breakthrough success and radio airplay of current
Brit Pop and UK Garage music. While U.S. artists continue to populate the
British top-twenty charts, UK artists currently have little penetration in
the U.S. music market. In an effort to help escalate the success of emerging
UK artists, Virgin is pleased to host the British Phonographic Industry
London Calling Panel, aptly named after the constant grind of touring,
writing, promoting and recording necessary to break a UK artist, on
Thursday, July 1, from 9 a.m.-noon, at Virgin Megastore, Times Square, in
New York City.
At the invitation-only press panel, top executives from Virgin
Entertainment Group will team with British music authorities including:
record label moguls, emerging and established British artists, and
international music reporters to discuss promoting British culture in
today's diverse and highly competitive American music landscape. Following
the panel, reporters and customers will be treated to a British band concert
performed by surprise special guests. Reporters interested in attending the
panel can contact Virgin Entertainment Group's PR contact, listed below.
To find out more about the Virgin Megastore Best of British 2002
promotion, the enter-to-win contest, the Teenage Cancer Trust charity
auction or the Virgin/British Phonographic Industry London Calling Panel, on
July 11,log onto www.virginmega.com. The latest and greatest of British
music, film and literature. Part of The Complete Collection from Virgin
Megastores.
Brian in Atlanta
> quality radio play here in the states," Dave Alder, senior vice president
of
> product and marketing, Virgin Entertainment Group, North America, said.
Gee, and I wonder what organization that put together most of The Who's 2000
and 2002 tours is responsible for that? The answer is Clear.
--
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
D.G. Devin
>Gee, and I wonder what organization that put together most of The Who's
2000
>and 2002 tours is responsible for that? The answer is Clear.
No Clear Channel, No Tour
Kylie cancels US tour: Kylie Minogue's planned US tour was cancelled when
her management refused to pay fees to independent record promoters to keep
her songs on the US radio playlists.
Although the label pays the costs to employ independent record promoters,
the money is later deducted from the performers label revenue.
Minogue's management was also told that to insure success, it was suggested
that her tour production go through Clear Channel Entertainment.
Minogue was planning to tour the US in later summer, early fall.
"I'm willing to accept it will mean disappointing some people but you can't
make everyone happy all of the time," Minogue told Marie Claire magazine.
http://www.radiocrow.com/news_docs/entertainment63.htm#070502_2
D.G. Devin
>Gee, and I wonder what organization that put together most of The Who's
2000
>and 2002 tours is responsible for that? The answer is Clear.
[...]
"Right now, everything's kind of in flux. The record business is just about
finished. The Internet business doesn't really work yet. I'm not sure how
I'm going to release it. This release I'm doing with King Biscuit right now
is kind of a 'let's see how they do it' thing."
Although he sounds refreshed, Miller isn't ready to hit the road in the
current business climate.
"This is a very weird time. The entire tour business has been bought by
Clear Channel," he said. "The last time I toured, Clear Channel had 38 of 42
shows I was doing . . . They really have damaged the business. They did what
all big corporations do: They bought everything, fired everybody. All the
people who had been running things for 30 years are gone. They're replaced
by people who don't know what they're doing and are working for minimum
wage."
Miller even misses the darker side of yesterday's touring scene.
"There used to be about 17 promoters around the country who did these shows,
and they were all crooks . . . but we knew all their games, knew how to
block most of them," Miller said.
"Now they've taken three or four of those guys and put them in charge of
everything."
Brian in Atlanta
> people who had been running things for 30 years are gone. They're replaced
> by people who don't know what they're doing and are working for minimum
> wage."
Same with half or more of the businesses here.
Tunzter
>From: "Brian in Atlanta" by...@gibberish.com
>> All the
>> people who had been running things for 30 years are gone. They're replaced
>> by people who don't know what they're doing and are working for minimum
>> wage."
>
>Same with half or more of the businesses here.
>
I'm a roadie and I HATE SFX/CLEAR CHANNEL. At a stadium show on the east coast,
they had stagehands pick up trash after they busted their asses to pull off a
loadout in record time.
I recently mixed at one of their venues.
It had the ambience and vibe of a K Mart.
2nz
"Every Record You Ever Heard Was Used"
D.G. Devin
>Same with half or more of the businesses here.
It's the new theme song for business, control costs and you beat your
competition who doesn't. They overlook that along the way you still have to
provide a product that people want to buy, and in the case of Clear Channel
radio, their listener numbers are down as people turn away from the sterile,
pre-processed sound. Since they owe billions from buying up all those
stations, over 1,200 now, they probably actually need the revenue from their
tour promotion side to service their debt load. Twenty million here, twenty
million there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. They must be biting
their nails and praying nobody in the Stones dies or gets sick, that tour
will be their real cash cow this year.
D.G. Devin
>I'm a roadie and I HATE SFX/CLEAR CHANNEL. At a stadium show on the east
coast,
>they had stagehands pick up trash after they busted their asses to pull off
a
>loadout in record time.
>I recently mixed at one of their venues.
>It had the ambience and vibe of a K Mart.
Clear Channel's policy is to get a small number of people to do more work
than they should rightfully have to do, and that applies to administration,
on-air personalities, everybody. Since they are known for "downsizing" at
the drop of a hat, the climate of fear keeps the serfs in line. That's one
of the ways they make money, they have a small staff working their butts
off, and just shoot the results over the phone lines to "local" stations
that have only a handful of staff who give the station the appearance of
being part of the local community. They have almost no news department, for
example, they just take stories off the wire and read them over the air from
Texas, but your city hall could burn down and the local CC station wouldn't
know about it. I'm not suprised to hear they would ask sound and lighting
techs to pick up trash, saves them a few bucks on local crew. Bastards.
Joe
much I quit my gig rather than let then put up with the all this BS.
Those bastards cut costs by 50% yet ticket prices are still doubling.
The new crowd is a bunch of gullible starstruck MTV viewing Idiots, the
called themselves "new school" , the same losers you see crew-ing them
reality shows (with the hand picked and casted eye candy)
Delsner/SFX/CLEAR CHANNEL destroyed my old venue 'Jones Beach amptheatre"
first cutting the FOH back 60% then screwed everything up from the apron to
the lighting booths to fit more seats.
You can talk over a band and that with NO wind half way up
It's *F* horrible !
Thank that SOB redneck bastard Bill Clin-tin and his communication company
deregulation for this new corporate monopoly and new trouble.
I back to marine electronics, the hell with them all
-Joe
"Tunzter" <tun...@aol.compost> wrote in message
news:20020714193626...@mb-bg.aol.com...
Tunzter
>Clear Channel's policy is to get a small number of people to do more work
>than they should rightfully have to do, and that applies to administration,
>on-air personalities, everybody.
> I'm not suprised to hear they would ask sound and lighting
>techs to pick up trash, saves them a few bucks on local crew. Bastards.
>
I did a festival gig at an SFX shed a few months ago. Sound and lighting was a
special inside deal...sort of a demo.
The venue is on a bluff, next to a dry riverbed that government labs dumped
tons of waste in, from the 50s to probably fairly recently.
Its simply a concrete slab, with a shell on it. There's no backstage...just a
few trailers with non connected rooms.
The front of house mixing area was basicaly a smaller slab, some poles and a
roof. Electrical boxes were hanging from wires. The place looked liked it
doesn't get maintained too well after the effects of the Winter down time.
There were things that one might hurt themself on..in fact, one of the poles
pulled out of the concrete.
...And i cant believe The Who played there on their previous tour.
What a cheesy BORGanization.
...oh yeah....for patrons that dont want to stand in a long line for a
refreshing beverage, there's a Coke machine...for 3 dollars and 50 fuckin
cents.
Most of my values were formed in the Hippy Dippy Trippy 60s, and a lot of us
feared everything being taken over by giant corporations. And it has happened.
Ouch.
KCRvrRnnr
articles in their in-flight magazine was an interview with the chairman of
Clear Channel (Brian Becker or something....don't know if I remember the name
right).
Anyway....he said that Clear Channel's pricing strategy for live shows had been
designed with the real fans in mind; that they had developed a system of
graduated price points for tickets to ensure that fans were given choices to
reflect how much fans were willing/able to pay. The added benefit of this
strategy was to reduce price inflation caused by brokers, presumably by pricing
prime seats out of their resell range.
When I read that line, my snort of disgust caused half the plane to turn their
heads.
He also claimed that by acquiring radio outlets/concert venues across the
country, CC was able to provide a means for more fans to see more live acts.
Without their beneficial presence, we hungry masses would have to travel to the
major population centers to see bands live, as most could never afford to play
the smaller cities. The promotional efforts made possible through their
ownership of local stations ensures that bands can now put together extended
tours, with many stops, without fear of losing money.
What a crock. The only thing this approach does is to reduce consumer choice
and put more of the fans' money in CC's pockets. Today's radio sucks, shows
continue to be poorly promoted (without the internet, many would never know
who's coming to town), and brokers continue to do just fine.
D.G. Devin
>Anyway....he said that Clear Channel's pricing strategy for live shows had
been
>designed with the real fans in mind; that they had developed a system of
>graduated price points for tickets to ensure that fans were given choices
to
>reflect how much fans were willing/able to pay.
Hilarious, helped raise the price of concert tickets 60% in five years, and
that's without brokers or scalpers or anyone else involved.
>The promotional efforts made possible through their
>ownership of local stations ensures that bands can now put together
extended
>tours, with many stops, without fear of losing money.
"Local" stations, what a laugh, you can't even find a local phone number for
many of their stations, just a long-distance number for their corportate
bunker in Texas. And a lot of their programming is never done at the local
level, it comes over the wire. Few of their stations even have a local news
department, other than traffic reports the only news you hear from a CC
station is canned snips from the main office.
>What a crock. The only thing this approach does is to reduce consumer
choice
>and put more of the fans' money in CC's pockets. Today's radio sucks, shows
>continue to be poorly promoted (without the internet, many would never know
>who's coming to town), and brokers continue to do just fine.
CC's listener numbers are down as people tire of their pre-fab plastic
broadcasting, they're actually losing money at the moment, couldn't happen
to a nicer bunch of folks. And if all the members of Congress calling for
an investigation into their business practices get their way, and the lid
comes off, maybe they'll end up as the Enron of the entertainment business.
89Strat+
does the band provide someone? I thought the sound there was particularly crappy.
Tunzter wrote:
--
It can't hurt.
http://www.mp3.com/stickmanjam
http://www.mp3.com/anouncelater
MatthewCorke
to be), you wanna try the UK...one company (music radio, i think) controls
nearly every commercial radio station over here, na dht emusic sounds the
same on every single one....thank god for the BBC
MC
"D.G. Devin" <DGD...@worldnet.att.invalid> wrote in message
news:l0HY8.103804$UT.66...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
D.G. Devin
>if your talkin bout radio being a mass marketing scam \( which i believe it
>to be), you wanna try the UK...one company (music radio, i think) controls
>nearly every commercial radio station over here, na dht emusic sounds the
>same on every single one....thank god for the BBC
>MC
One company now controls about 60% of rock radio in the U.S., with the same
results, cookie-cutter radio, you can go from city to city and hear the same
DJs playing the same songs with the same commercials, it's like a fast food
chain. The result? People get bored, they are not listening as much, the
company is losing advertisers and their profits are down, how sad.
Fortunately there are college stations and other places to hear music on the
air. As for the BBC, let's not forget that there was a time when they had
to be dragged kicking and screaming into playing rock, and British kids had
to dial in Euro stations or pirates to hear the early Who. Glad to hear
that has changed. 8^)
Tunzter
>Who does the house PA mix at a venue like The Gorge? Are they local
>engineers or
>does the band provide someone? I thought the sound there was particularly
>crappy.
The band contracts a soundman, with an assistant or 2. Its the same guy every
night of a tour.
L.Rosa
"KCRvrRnnr" <kcrv...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020715081352...@mb-mt.aol.com...
> Funny...I just took a short business trip on Southwest Airlines, and one
of the
> articles in their in-flight magazine was an interview with the chairman of
> Clear Channel (Brian Becker or something....don't know if I remember the
name
> right).
>
> Anyway....he said that Clear Channel's pricing strategy for live shows had
been
> designed with the real fans in mind; that they had developed a system of
> graduated price points for tickets to ensure that fans were given choices
to
> reflect how much fans were willing/able to pay. The added benefit of this
> strategy was to reduce price inflation caused by brokers, presumably by
pricing
> prime seats out of their resell range.
> When I read that line, my snort of disgust caused half the plane to turn
their
> heads.
Ya as funny as it is this was same economic theory many posters in this
very
NG were defending during the the great ticket price debate of 2000.