Post by roger on Nov 21, 2006 11:54:31 GMT
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for your well-considered reply in which you mention several interesting points.
Quite right, she didn’t but for very good reason. As is so often the case, venues promote an event before the artist has confirmed. I was advised at the time that this is what happened in this case. As a further example, there was a venue in Scotland in 2004 which advertised a concert which included both Hayley and Katherine. Neither artist had confirmed their availability but the venue promoted it regardless. Of course, it is not the artists’ job to confirm bookings but, in Hayley’s case, Bedlam Management had not confirmed because they knew nothing about it until I mentioned it in passing to Steve Abbott. He had not even been approached by the venue and, in fact, Hayley was scheduled to appear in Sydney Australia on that day! What is grossly unfair in these situations is that the venues often state that the artist has cancelled which, almost always, is not the case.
It should be borne in mind that Hayley’s record company invested a fortune in promoting Pure, every penny of which has to be paid back out of her royalties. Consequently, despite occasional claims to the contrary, she has not yet made her fortune from her recordings but merely reduced that deficit. I have read that an artist has to have three very successful albums before they can expect to break even. No doubt that varies depending on the extent of each album’s success but it gives you an idea.
I would not question any of that but, assuming the figures are more or less correct, the implication is that she earns roughly the same amount whether she appears in a large venue or a small one. If that is the case, I feel it would be advantageous from her point of view to play to a larger audience whenever possible. Surely that is what promotion is all about?
To conclude, I would point out that am not against the small, intimate concert venues provided they are equipped with adequate and reliable sound systems, lighting, and public amenities. On the whole, churches are not. There are plenty of small venues in the UK (and probably everywhere) which would be far more accommodating from the point of view of the performer and the public.
I have seen Hayley many times in traditional concert venues (average capacity 2000) for which the price of a ticket was between 19 and 23 GBP. The cost of a ticket for Tewkesbury Abbey and St Mary’s, Banbury was £22.50. St John’s Smith Square was £25. Bearing in mind the discomfort and the below-par standards, that doesn’t seem fair to the public, and that will not do Hayley any favours.
Roger
Thank you for your well-considered reply in which you mention several interesting points.
jeff said:
I remember a conversation I had with the manager of the Anvil in Basingstoke 2 years ago. He had taken out a full page advert in the Classic FM magazine for a Hayley concert only to find she never confirmed the booking Quite right, she didn’t but for very good reason. As is so often the case, venues promote an event before the artist has confirmed. I was advised at the time that this is what happened in this case. As a further example, there was a venue in Scotland in 2004 which advertised a concert which included both Hayley and Katherine. Neither artist had confirmed their availability but the venue promoted it regardless. Of course, it is not the artists’ job to confirm bookings but, in Hayley’s case, Bedlam Management had not confirmed because they knew nothing about it until I mentioned it in passing to Steve Abbott. He had not even been approached by the venue and, in fact, Hayley was scheduled to appear in Sydney Australia on that day! What is grossly unfair in these situations is that the venues often state that the artist has cancelled which, almost always, is not the case.
jeff said:
She's probably quite content with the revenue she gets from church concerts and album royalties It should be borne in mind that Hayley’s record company invested a fortune in promoting Pure, every penny of which has to be paid back out of her royalties. Consequently, despite occasional claims to the contrary, she has not yet made her fortune from her recordings but merely reduced that deficit. I have read that an artist has to have three very successful albums before they can expect to break even. No doubt that varies depending on the extent of each album’s success but it gives you an idea.
jeff said:
Once, after a concert during the Pure Tour of 2004, I was waiting outside the theatre and what struck me was the sheer number of people required as what seemed like an army of stagehands carried lighting gantries, scenery and other equipment out of the stage door. Everything was labelled with Hayley's name since it all had to be loaded onto a lorry and transported to the next venue. Such costs have to be met by the artist not the theatre. In fact it is not uncommon for the performer to be left with around 15% of the revenue after all expenses for transport, hotels, promotion, other musicians etc are taken into consideration. So for a 2000 seat theatre at £25 a seat, the initial revenue may be £50,000 but the artist could be left with around £7,500, rather a similar figure to the one already mentioned by Martin for a 400 seat church !I would not question any of that but, assuming the figures are more or less correct, the implication is that she earns roughly the same amount whether she appears in a large venue or a small one. If that is the case, I feel it would be advantageous from her point of view to play to a larger audience whenever possible. Surely that is what promotion is all about?
To conclude, I would point out that am not against the small, intimate concert venues provided they are equipped with adequate and reliable sound systems, lighting, and public amenities. On the whole, churches are not. There are plenty of small venues in the UK (and probably everywhere) which would be far more accommodating from the point of view of the performer and the public.
I have seen Hayley many times in traditional concert venues (average capacity 2000) for which the price of a ticket was between 19 and 23 GBP. The cost of a ticket for Tewkesbury Abbey and St Mary’s, Banbury was £22.50. St John’s Smith Square was £25. Bearing in mind the discomfort and the below-par standards, that doesn’t seem fair to the public, and that will not do Hayley any favours.
Roger