The credit crunch is changing the face of live music as promoters find themselves working harder to sell tickets to punters making hard decisions. Jim Carroll reports
LIKE every sector of the economy, the Irish live music industry had a tough 12 months. Gigs that would have been instant sell-outs in the past required more radio ads, bigger billboard posters and stronger support bills to get a decent audience.
There was a strict divide between gigs that went on sale in 2008 and 2009. For example, Coldplay had no problems selling out shows in the then newly-opened O2 in December 2008. However, it was a far different story in the Phoenix Park nine months later, with tickets still available in the days leading up to the show, even with high profile acts Elbow and White Lies on the bill.
In 2010, promoters will have to re-learn how to sell shows. It’s not as simple as just offering more money than your rival promoter for the act, making the tickets available on the Ticketmaster system and sending out a press release.
Peter Aiken from Aiken Promotions believes promoters will certainly be more cautious in the future. “You’ve got to be careful when it comes to pitching the right acts at the right time. I’d love to bring Bob Dylan back, for instance, and that Christmas album has done a lot of good for him, but you ask yourself if he has been here too much of late. You think about things like that a lot more.”
While Aiken has a number of big acts such as Pink, Whitney Houston, Black Eyed Peas and Rod Stewart already booked for 2010, he believes it will be a quieter summer all round for open-air gigs.
“Everybody who has been out on tour in the past three years has visited Ireland, so there will not be as many acts to come here this summer.
“We did 110,000 tickets with Beyoncé in 2009 and I’d love to do an outdoor show with her, but she’s taking two years off so that won’t happen. Justin Timberlake should be absolutely enormous when he comes back, but that won’t be until 2011.”
Another problem is the lack of breakthrough blockbuster acts. While there’s certainly no shortage of Irish and international acts on the road, it’s a different story when it comes to acts who are going from playing small rooms to headlining arenas and stadiums within a few years.
Changes in the record industry amplify these problems. The lack of investment capital and a focus on short-term revenue means the money-men have little patience for giving bands time to develop. For every Kings Of Leon or Green Day who do complete the big jump, you have bands such as Kaiser Chiefs who never manage to develop or maintain the core fanbase a stadium act requires.
“You need new acts to be breaking through because it brings in a new audience,” acknowledges Aiken. “We did some great shows with Miley Cyrus in December and it was great to see so many kids coming to the shows and probably going to a live gig for the first time. You need that new blood and it helps the business at every level. You can’t survive without it.”
Ones to Watch: Who's on, What's on
JANUARY
Friday 8
Dark Room Notes, Academy 2, Dublin
The Coronas, Academy, Dublin
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, Vicar St, Dublin
Saturday 9
The Coronas Academy, Dublin
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, Vicar St, Dublin
Tuesday 12
Henry Rollins, Vicar St, Dublin
Wednesday 13
Wolfmother, Olympia, Dublin
Thursday 14
O Emperor, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Bryan Adams, Olympia, Dublin
Friday 15
Bryan Adams, Olympia, Dublin
Saturday 16
Bryan Adams, Millennium Forum, Derry
Sunday 17
Bryan Adams, Waterfront, Belfast
Monday 18
Bryan Adams, TF Royal Theatre, Castlebar
Tuesday 19
Bryan Adams, INEC, Killarney
Wednesday 20
Peter Doherty, Academy, Dublin
Thursday 21
Peter Doherty, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Friday 22
Kerrang! Tour, Academy, Dublin
Peter Doherty, Mandela Hall, Belfast
Saturday 23
Kerrang! Tour, Academy, Dublin
Tuesday 26
John Spillane, Button Factory, Dublin
Adam Green, Academy, Dublin
Thursday 28
Phil Vasser, Whelan’s, Dublin
Temple Bar Trad, Button Factory, Dublin
Friday 29
Lacuna Coil, Academy, Dublin
Malcolm Middleton, Academy 2, Dublin
Tom Russell, Crawdaddy, Dublin
Vitalic Academy, Dublin
Temple Bar Trad, Button Factory, Dublin
The Christians, Whelan’s, Dublin
Saturday 30
Talib Kweli ,Tripod, Dublin
The Christians, Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Malcolm Middleton, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Temple Bar Trad, Button Factory, Dublin
Sunday 31
Malcolm Middleton, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
FEBRUARY
Thursday 4
Cobra Starship, Academy, Dublin
Friday 5
Kelly Clarkson, Olympia, Dublin
Monday 8
The Low Anthem, Whelan’s, Dublin
Xavier Rudd, Academy, Dublin
Tuesday 9
Jamie T, Mandela Hall, Belfast
Wednesday 10
Jamie T, Academy, Dublin
Jonatha Brook, Whelan’s, Dublin
Thursday 11
Mariza, NCH, Dublin
Ne-Yo O2, Dublin
Jonatha Brook Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Friday 12
The Aftermath, Academy 2, Dublin
Eddi Reader Button Factory, Dublin
Saturday 13
Beach House, Whelan’s, Dublin
Sunday 14
Midlake, Vicar Street, Dublin
Dickie Rock, Olympia, Dublin
Judy Collins, Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Monday 15
Mika, Olympia, Dublin
Tuesday 16
Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, Waterfront, Belfast
Wednesday 17
Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, Olympia, Dublin
Thursday 18
Alphastates, Whelan’s, Dublin
Friday 19
Yeasayer, Academy, Dublin
Saturday 20
Lady Gaga O2, Dublin
Hayseed Dixie, Tripod, Dublin
Codes, Academy, Dublin
Xiu Xiu, Whelan’s, Dublin
Sunday 21
Lady Gaga, O2, Dublin
Monday 22
Lady Gaga, Odyssey, Belfast
Seasick Steve, Vicar Street, Dublin
Tuesday 23
Air, Olympia, Dublin
Tinchy Stryder, St George’s Market, Belfast
Wednesday 24
Air, Olympia, Dublin
Thursday 25
Tinchy Stryder,
Olympia, Dublin
Friday 26
Finley Quaye, Róisín
Dubh, Galway
Baby Dee, Crane Lane, Cork
Thirty Seconds To Mars, O2, Dublin
God Is An Astronaut, Academy, Dublin
Groove Armada, Olympia, Dublin
Saturday 27
JLS, O2, Dublin
Newtown Faulkner, Radisson, Galway
Baby Dee, Crawdaddy, Dublin
The Saw Doctors, Olympia, Dublin
Hockey Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Newton Faulkner, Radisson, Galway
Sunday 28
Hockey, Academy, Dublin
JLS, Waterfront, Belfast
Chipmunk Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Newton Faulkner, Ulster Hall, Belfast
Machinehead, Olympia, Dublin
MARCH
Monday 1
JLS, Waterfront, Belfast
Newton Faulkner, Olympia, Dublin
Chipmunk, Academy, Dublin
Girls, Whelan’s Dublin
Machinehead, St George’s Market, Belfast
Tuesday 2
Two Door Cinema Club, Dolan’s, Limerick
Brendan Benson, Button Factory, Dublin
JLS, Waterfront, Belfast
Wednesday 3
Choice Music Prize, Vicar Street, Dublin
Thursday 4
Two Door Cinema Club, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Blaze Bayley, Limelight, Belfast
Friday 5
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, Odyssey, Belfast
Saturday 6
Ocean Colour Scene, Olympia, Dublin
Fionn Regan, Dolan’s, Limerick
Sunday 7
Fionn Regan, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Ocean Colour Scene, Mandela Hall, Belfast
Tuesday 9
Dave Matthews Band, O2, Dublin
Tom McRae, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Wednesday 10
Local Natives, Academy 2, Dublin
Fionn Regan, Nerve Centre, Derry
Tom McRae, Dolan’s, Limerick
Lynyrd Skynyrd, O2, Dublin
Fairport Convention, Whelan’s, Dublin
Thursday 11
Tom McRae, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Fionn Regan, Empire Music Hall, Belfast
Local Natives, Limelight, Belfast
Friday 1
Fionn Regan, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Fairport Convention, Pavilion, Cork
Tom McRae, Academy 2, Dublin
Hadouken, Button Factory, Dublin
Power Of Dreams, Whelan’s, Dublin
Saturday 13
Passion Pit, Olympia, Dublin
Power Of Dreams, Pavilion, Cork
Avett Brothers, Crawdaddy, Dublin
Fionn Regan, Vicar Street, Dublin
Sunday 14
Fionn Regan, Riverbank Theatre, Newbridge
Tuesday 16
X Factor, O2, Dublin
Tom McRae, Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Paloma Faith, Vicar Street, Dublin
Wednesday 17
X Factor, Odyssey, Belfast
Kila, Olympia, Dublin
Thursday 18
Smokie, Olympia, Dublin
Mumford and Sons, Academy, Dublin
Friday 19
Tiesto, O2, Dublin
Jack L, Vicar St, Dublin
Saturday 20
Skindred, Academy, Dublin
Mumford Sons, Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Sunday 21
50 Cent, O2, Dublin
Skindred, Limelight, Belfast
Monday 22
50 Cent, Odyssey, Belfast
Ronan Keating, Waterfront, Belfast
Tuesday 23
Ronan Keating, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
Thursday 25
Wild Beasts, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Errors, Academy 2, Dublin
Nine Below Zero/Glen Tilbrook, Pavilion, Cork
Friday 26
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, INEC, Killarney
Kate Walsh, Whelan’s, Dublin
Wild Beasts, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Nine Below Zero/Glen Tilbrook,, Spring Airbrake, Belfast
Saturday 27
Wild Beasts, Academy, Dublin
Archie Bronson Outfit, Whelan’s, Dublin
Sunday 28
You Me At Six, Olympia, Dublin
Monday 29
X Factor, Odyssey, Belfast
Tuesday 30
X Factor, O2, Dublin
Wednesday 31
X Factor, O2, Dublin
APRIL
Thursday 1
X Factor, Odyssey, Belfast
Sunday 4
Chris Rea, Olympia, Dublin
Crookers, Academy, Dublin
Monday 5
Chris Rea, Waterfront, Belfast
Friday 9
Jack L, Vicar Street, Dublin
Saturday 10
Laura Marling, Academy, Dublin
Wednesday 14
Stornoway, Black Box, Belfast
Friday 16
Stornoway, Crawdaddy, Dublin
Saturday 17
Whitney Houston, O2, Dublin
Stornoway, Róisín Dubh, Galway
Sunday 18
Whitney Houston, O2, Dublin
Stornoway, Savoy, Cork
Tuesday 20
Whitney Houston, O2, Dublin
Wednesday 21
Nico Muhly, Sam Amidon, Ben Frost, Valgeir Sigurosson, NHC, Dublin
Friday 23
Joan Armatrading, Vicar St, Dublin
Sunday 25
Efterklang, Whelan’s, Dublin
Tuesday 27
Josh Ritter, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
Wednesday 28
Rufus Wainwright, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
Thursday 29
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
Friday 30
Christy Moore Declan Sinnott, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin
ALSO COMING IN 2010
Westlife (Odyssey Belfast May 2-4; Croke Park Dublin, June 5) Pavement (Tripod Dublin May 4) Kiss (02 Dublin May 7) Randy Newman (Grand Canal Theatre Dublin May 7) Metallica (Odyssey Belfast May 11-12) Rod Stewart (O2 Dublin May 11-12; Odyssey Belfast 15-16) Alicia Keys (O2 Dublin May 21) Rihanna (O2 Dublin May 22) Chic (Tripod Dublin May 26) Snow Patrol (Ward Park Bangor June 5) Pearl Jam (O2 Dublin, June 22) Pink (Kings Hall Belfast June 16; RDS Dublin 19; Thomond Park Limerick 20) Live at the Marquee (Cork, June 17-July 3) Green Day (Marlay Park Dublin, June 23) Deep Purple (Custom House Square Belfast June 28) Leona Lewis (O2 Dublin June 27; Odyssey Belfast July 1 3) Oxegen (Punchestown Co Kildare, July 9-11) Electric Picnic (Stradbally Co Laois, September 3-5) Andrea Bocelli (O2 Dublin, November 22)
