View Full Version : Metro Area Music Promotion?



dismayed
11-18-2007, 08:02 AM
It seems like I always hear about everything any of our local country artists or Carrie Underwood is doing around the state, but I usually hear nothing about modern rock / alternative rock groups that are playing around town until after the show. Even while listening to radio stations focused on that genre (like The Buzz) I rarely hear advertisements for modern rock bands.

Are we lacking promoters? What's the deal? I'm tired of Oklahoma City being the land of country and washed up hair metal.

FritterGirl
11-18-2007, 01:05 PM
Can't answer for why they're not promoted on the radio, but the Gazette always seems filled with ads for "alt/modern" bands.

PennyQuilts
11-18-2007, 01:10 PM
Interesting topic. You didn't give specific examples of local country bands that get mention vs. local rock bands who don't. I'd be interested in more specifics.

kmf563
11-18-2007, 04:29 PM
The biggest problem is that all of the local radio stations are either clear channel operated or sister companies. We don't have any "local" radio stations. The OU college station does a good job and the edge in tulsa does a good job. The buzz tries with their sunday born and bred show. They feature a different local artist every week but it's not on until 9 or 10pm. The katt features a local rock artist every week but it's on at midnight on like a thursday...who stays up for that?
The buzz also has a battle of the bands every year and the winning artist gets airtime - right now that is Hush Hush, Commotion. Their song was the number one song on the daily top 5 songs that don't suck for like 5 months in a row. Rick and Brad on the katt also feature a new local artist on the morning show once a week - last week it was 2AM. The gazette does pretty good promotion as does Look OKC. It's there - you just have to be looking for it in order to find it. That's why it's important for people to use the grassroots system and spread the word and help any artists you like. If you find a group you like, take your friends out to see them play! There are lots of festivals and free shows to get a taste of the local variety we have to offer. There is a lot of great talent in the state!

OkieHornet
11-19-2007, 03:14 PM
OklahomaRock.com - Your Source for Oklahoma Music (http://www.oklahomarock.com)

dismayed
11-19-2007, 11:10 PM
The most memorable example recently is of course the centennial concert. If it hadn't been for this board, I wouldn't have known that the Flaming Lips and All American Rejects were part of that concert. I only heard about the country artists performing on the radio and on local news.

I receive a monthly email newsletter from ticketmaster.com of upcoming events in the metro. Usually it consists of about 20 blazers games, a few country or hair metal acts, and occasionally something like 'affair of the heart.'

The local radio ads are much the same.

I guess I'm trying to figure out if we have a lack of promoters in the city, or a lack of modern rock bands wanting to come here? Perhaps it is a catch 22 with one feeding the other?

I think it has to be one or the other. Pretty much everyone who is really into live music knows that Tulsa gets better concerts than OKC as far as modern rock goes. You can see it just by perusing that OklahomaRock.com website. I'd really like to know what the folks in that city are doing that we in OKC, aside from maybe The Conservatory, aren't.

Oh GAWD the Smell!
11-20-2007, 12:05 AM
If it hadn't been for this board, I wouldn't have even known about the Centennial Celebration at all.

kmf563
11-20-2007, 07:42 AM
That fib about Tulsa getting all the acts just isn't the case. Stalk my myspace page if you want to know who all is coming here and when. LOL.
Yes, Cain's is a great venue and they do a heck of a job with promotion.

Even oklahomarock.com doesn't post every show. I used to post weekly lists on here but no one seemed interested so I stopped as it took a lot of my time to do this.

FYI though - we have a lot of bigger acts coming to OKC if you are interested....
Matchbox 20, Daughtry, Bon Jovi, Shiny Toy Guns, The Almost, The Starting Line, Madina Lake, The Sick Puppies, Silverchair, Dinosaur Jr., Ian Moore, The Flaming Lips....and more more more are in the works!

FritterGirl
11-20-2007, 07:46 AM
FYI though - we have a lot of bigger acts coming to OKC if you are interested....
Matchbox 20, Daughtry, Bon Jovi, Shiny Toy Guns, The Almost, The Starting Line, Madina Lake, The Sick Puppies, Silverchair, Dinosaur Jr., Ian Moore, The Flaming Lips....and more more more are in the works!


Speaking of Matchbox 20, did anyone see that ALANIS MORISSETTE is their "special guest artist." What is up with that?

Another show coming is Van Halen, with DLR!

kmf563
11-20-2007, 07:51 AM
yes yes - i forgot about alanis and the semi van halen show. also mute math is coming with M20.

jbrown84
11-20-2007, 12:37 PM
Are they going on without Rob Thomas, or is he still doing Matchbox 20 alongside his solo career?

kmf563
11-20-2007, 12:47 PM
Rob Thomas will be here.

Forgot some other acts coming too....
Rob Zombie, Ozzy, Dierks Bentley, and how could I forget little miss hannah montana?

metro
11-20-2007, 12:56 PM
I went to the Shiny Toy Guns, Yellowcard and Blue October a few weeks ago at the Coca Cola Center. The show was good but the crowd was weak. It was probably less than 500 people despite the radio stations giving out some free tickets. Pretty lame crowd for such big bands. It saddens me.

jbrown84
11-20-2007, 01:13 PM
Whenever shows come here to a medium size venue like Coca-Cola, if the same show is going to be at Cain's the next night, a lot of people skip it and go to see it at Cain's. It's not worth it to me, but a lot of people do that.

Misty
11-20-2007, 01:18 PM
I am very spoiled coming from Austin, but the music events I've attended here have either been at bad venues or the event planner must have been my grandma. I was disappointed so many times that I finally gave up and quit trying. I know it's unfair to compare ANYWHERE to the Austin music scene, but at some of the events I was actually embarrassed to be there because they were such crap.

kmf563
11-20-2007, 01:28 PM
Yes, when compared to Austin it is crap. And when Austin is compared to Atlanta - it is crap. And so on and so forth...I think comparing cities and venues are like comparing apples to eggs. The only thing they have in common is they are both a shape and edible. Nothing in our city is comparable to Austin, but nothing in Austin is comparable to Atlanta.

There are many things people do not think about as a benefit to this city. The Flaming Lips on New Year's Eve...for only $15!!!! Really? Imagine how much it would cost elsewhere. Imagine how much the parking alone to get to it would cost. And then imagine how close to the stage you could get. Yeah, I'm happy with our city and the music. I prefer to not pay a million dollars and stand at the back after walking 20 miles from my car that I paid $50 to park. No thank you.

wsucougz
11-20-2007, 01:53 PM
Unfortunately the most consistently decent venue in the greater OKC area right now is probably the opolis... In Norman.

Hopefully the Tower Theater will change that.

kmf563
11-20-2007, 02:07 PM
really? you like that place? You are the first person I have ever heard that from.

BDP
11-20-2007, 02:53 PM
Personally, I think we do have venue problems and promoter problems. I am not saying that it is a dead city in terms of music and I do not personally know any promoters here, but it is pretty lack-a-dasical compared to many markets I have been to. I agree that I think the Opolis does a good job with booking, but, yes, the venue is very awkward, to be nice.

The one asset we lack the most is a great music venue. We really do not have one, outside of the civic center, and it's generally spoken for. Maybe the Tower can change that, because after the loss of the Continental, I am not really sure what other rooms in the city have the potential for being great music venues that are a capacity between club and arena. There may be some empty space in bricktown that would work, but I don't think they're priced right for that.

The Farmer's Market could be a great venue with some sound treatments and extending the balcony, but I'm not holding my breath on that happening. :)

And, honestly, even in the biggest of markets, a lot of alt rock and modern rock acts are undersold. It's just the nature of the genre. They don't have a lot of cross over appeal and the media conglomerates have more or less decided that it's not worth their space. But, in reality, that's part of the appeal of the genre... that it exists outside of the mainstream media machine.

wsucougz
11-20-2007, 03:30 PM
Will Rogers theater is really in the ideal spot right now to become a music venue again. Unfortunately the owners have relegated the facility to weddings and private parties.

As far as the Opolis, yeah the building layout itself is a little odd but it's cozy and imo they are the only ones consistently bringing in solid talent.

kmf563
11-20-2007, 03:45 PM
This is where it gets tricky...see people complain about the current venues and want larger ones, but then they complain about the lack of attendance at the ones we have. Why would anyone be gullible enough to build something larger in hopes of "if you build it they will come" when the current venues rarely hit max capacity? Yes, on occasion the Opolis hits max...but what is the max? 200? The Bloor Door is a great venue and brings in excellent talent - but most of the times I've been there you can hear the crickets sing along. People will not design specifically for something that isn't supported.

I guess that's where the lack of interest and promotion comes in. Most bands are left to do their own promotion but there are a few hands of help out there. OKClive.com is a big help, the gazette, LOOKOKC, Oklahomarock.com, the venues themselves advertise, local radio helps sometimes, the booking and management agencies promote, local shops like guest room records help tremendously, and then there are people like me who help put up posters and spread the word, flood the websites, do listings, plus all the street teams that are out there handing out flyers and stickers. I don't know what other kind of promotion you are looking for. But if you have ideas I am more than willing to listen.

Misty
11-20-2007, 04:00 PM
I don't think we need bigger venues at all, we need more small, intimate places to hear local music. Or, when the weather is nice-outside concerts. I personally prefer small shows. The few places like this that I know of don't seem to have any consistency. Another issue for me is that everything is so spread out, if you don't have a designated driver then you can't drive across town to enjoy a few cocktails and a live band or two and we have no public transit. I just haven't found any places that have a consistent flow of good music with a good atmosphere, even when it's a non-band night. If you have suggestions I'm open! But I can tell you right now I won't waste my time at a mediocre place with hit or miss mediocre music. The Blue Note isn't bad.

jbrown84
11-20-2007, 06:16 PM
There are tons of small venues with live music. Now whether or not that's GOOD music is a whole other issue.

kmf563
11-21-2007, 07:49 AM
I agree that a nice strip of live music bars would be nice. They attempted to start this on Western and it kind of piddled apart. I love the idea of listening to a band for an hour or so and then going next door and listening to something different. That just can't be done here without a DD or taxi and wasting too much time getting from place to place. That's why I follow the music, not the venues.

From what I gather from you Misty on your musical tastes - unfortunately I don't think you will find a bar close to you that has consistently good music. Your best bet is the blue note or the wormy dog. When summer rolls around again there are tons of outside music in the park events and all the patios are open in bricktown then you can float from nonnas, the mantel, city rock, bourbon street cafe, mickey mantles, tapwerks, LIT, and the brewery.

BDP
11-21-2007, 09:21 AM
I don't think we need bigger venues, per se, but we do need a music venue in the 1000-2000k capacity range. I don't mean event centers that are convention rooms that will accommodate shows. We need something that was at least in part designed or treated with performance entertainment in mind. Even a ballroom without poles would be nice. I'm talking Gyspy Tea Room, Fillmore, Bombo's, Slim's, El Ray, etc. Basically, we need a theater or ballroom that is available for these types of shows.

And when I say promoter, I mean as in the industry term, the person or company who secures the venue, the talent, ticket outlets, and "sells" the show, i.e. the organization that is taking the financial risk, like a BGP, Beaver, DCF, etc.

Oklahoma City actually does a good job of small club bookings with the Conservatory, Opolis, Blue Note, even VZDs from time to time. It also has been very successful with large arena and, sometimes, outdoor concert tours. We get 'em on the way up and the way out. But we miss on the theater circuit a lot. Any promoter with a subscription to Pollstar can see that (which is weird, too, as the city is a great routing location between the midwest and southwest). Whether this is due to lack of support or lack of assets, I guess we can only speculate.

I'm just saying that I know we lack a good mid-size level theater with a capacity that can bring a decent ROI without making ticket prices so high that it depletes the demand. I also know that I, and others I hang out with, do in fact skip shows that, given a better venue, we would definitely go to. You have your favorite acts that you will see anywhere and put up with gymnasium acoustics like at the Coco-Cola or Ford Center, but then there are many more that I just wouldn't be able to sit through or spend my money just to hear it get destroyed by the acoustics. And once I've seen them in a crappy venue, I am less inclined to go see them again if it's in the same crappy venue.

Again, like you said, maybe it's just lack-luster support, but markets our size seem to have these options and do fine with it. Who knows...

dismayed
11-22-2007, 09:38 PM
Totally agree, we need more small and mid-sized consistent concert venues. I liked Bricktown Live when it was around a few years ago, it was small or mid-sized and had some pretty good acts in. The look and feel of the place even reminded me of a place in Austin I've been.

It seemed like their concerts started becoming fewer and far between and then they just closed up. Bricktown seems like the right place for a bunch of live music venues, but I'm not sure the right type of people are currently being drawn down there for it. Most everyone I see there on a Friday or Saturday seems to be more of the club-going type, but maybe that just has to do with what is down there right now.

animeGhost
11-28-2007, 08:35 AM
we have the same problems with hip hop music as well... we have a fairly large underground hip hop scene here in okc and just like the rock it tends to get shunned by promoters... the only promoter here doing anything for hip hop is deja vu (thank god they finally got a good tour to come here)... im not sure if anyone here feels the same way about hip hop like i do but i think for both genres sake we need to do something... i mean isnt there something we can do as a community to better are musical presence.

kmf563
11-29-2007, 07:29 AM
You are right. The hip hop underground scene is huge. I'm not a big fan of that music, but I have an enormous amount of respect for it. I have to give props to the scene because it has done amazingly well all on it's own here in OKC. There is an incredible talent base that even I am aware of and some people willing to back the artists with management and promotion. Even labels. I wish there was a way to bring that to the forefront and make a huge musical presence here in OKC.

Maybe we need to have a gathering of the minds. Bring all of the talent, management, media, and anyone involved and/or interested in the local music scene - all genres - together.

HOT ROD
11-30-2007, 02:41 AM
Perhaps the hip-hop scene will improve once the NBA finally arrives. These guys are really into that scene and you know that they will be pleasantly surprised when they come to 'dust bowl' OKC and find a great yet fledgling scene. Im sure there might be some promotion and investment, if not from the players themselves then from agents and people in the 'scene' who will bump off of the NBA.

Case in point, the NBA Supersonics (you know, you guys team to be) did WONDERFUL promotion of Seattle talent back in the 1990s - Shawn Kemp/Gary Payton and others would be seen at venues and certainly there was investment. Now while we/Seattle are not the vane for hip hop/urban music like Chicago or NY, having that NBA scene and getting them to promote/utilize has made Seattle a hotspot if nothing for the US Pac NW.

Getting a team for OKC is going to be huge on all fronts - further etching OKC onto the national/world map; music scene is yet another benefactor IMO. I think OKC's hh scene is already above Seattle's and certainly is more organic - tho I am a fan of house/techno (which I wish would significantly pick up in OKC).

I am surprised none of you mentioned Perry as a hip hop/urban promoter. Doesn't he have the stronghold on the urban media market in the city?

dismayed
12-04-2007, 07:17 PM
Ticketmaster.com sent out its monthly email today. What was advertised you ask?

Ozzy Ozbourne
Rob Zombie
Van Halen
Trans-Siberian Ochestra

...and a ton of Blazers games. Surely there must be more going on here in the month of December than hair metal and nearly hair metal Christmas orchestra....

BDP
12-05-2007, 10:18 AM
There is more to do than that. Ticketmaster just doesn't service the events. I think kmf563 has provided resources here and elsewhere that should point the way to other entertainment options...

But, it does show that our marquee events (that is, if it's fair to use ticketmaster as a basis for what's marquee.. and I'm not sure that it is) are fairly limited. I think if you were to combine the lists from ticketmaster and, say, oklahomarock.com, you'll find a void in the middle, which is what I think we're talking about here.

kmf563
12-05-2007, 11:02 AM
I get updates regularly from ticketmaster. Maybe you are just signed up wrong. They alert me whenever anything new comes to town. I never buy anything with them because they are a complete rip off on surcharge prices, but they at least keep me updated. I never have a problem knowing who is coming where and when. And my calendar is full - large, mid, and small named bands. events. fairs. craft shows.

Latest additions -
Jet Lag Gemini
Armor For Sleep
Round 2 for the Bodog battle
Saosin
Ian Moore
Michael Buble
The 10 Tenors
Watermelon Slim
The Nutcracker
A Christmas Carol
Kate Voegele
Boys To Men
George Strait
Bill Engvall
Foo Fighters
Casting Crowns
Coheed and Cambria
Linkin Park
Matt Wertz
Stephen Kellogg
Sesame Street Live
Halifax
Madina Lake
Foghat
Bruce Hornsby
The Format

That's through March

I don't know what else to tell you.

Should I start back up on the listings? Maybe use the calendar?
What can I do to help make it the easiest for people to be in the know?

BDP
12-05-2007, 12:31 PM
Foghat!? YES! ;)

I think his list was just December.

BTW, if you're if your looking for touring acts coming through the area, Pollstar is a good source. You can look for shows coming to OKC metro here:

Pollstar OKC listings (http://www.pollstar.com/tour/searchall.pl?By=City&Content=OK_Oklahoma+City&PSKey=Y&Date_From=Today&Date_To=02-23-2008&Market=Y)

kmf563
12-05-2007, 01:11 PM
yes it has a good list, not much info though. it's funny to me to see aranda on their list since it's mostly big acts.

some other places to check on for listings are -

Oklahoma City's Online Entertainment Guide - OKC Live (http://www.okclive.com)

Eventful - Events, Concerts, Tickets, Festivals, Kids, Singles, Sports, Music (http://eventful.com) (this is also a great place to demand performers you would like to see come to oklahoma city)

JamBase Festival Guide (http://www.jambase.com/Festivals) (this is a fantastic place to look at festivals around the nation, not just in Oklahoma)

OklahomaRock.com - Concert Calendar (http://www.oklahomarock.com/shows.htm)

((( DCF CONCERTS ))) ---- Your Midwest Concert Hookup (http://www.dcfconcerts.com)

OKG Scene Home Page | OKG Scene.com (http://www.okgazette.com/p/12730/Default.aspx)

and of course myspace pages for the venues, all of the oklahoma pages, event pages, and the bands themselves. It's the most common promotional tool used these days.

BDP
12-05-2007, 01:41 PM
Well, Pollstar is an industry directory for promoters and agents, so it's not going to hold a microscope to Oklahoma City, but if the promoter, band, or agents submit their info, it can get listed. Obviously, your Paradigms, Monterey's, BGPs, etc. are going to submit religiously. Some venues here do it and some acts do it as well, but it's not really fan or consumer listings like most of the links you listed.

kmf563
12-05-2007, 01:54 PM
Yes, I used to use pollstar for my bands but it didn't really do much for me. It's a good system though. I still use it for national promo sometimes. There are a million sites such as that, it's just a matter of finding what works for you whether you are a promoter, fan, or whatever. Those I listed just seem to provide a little of everything and a lot of the mainstream fans use them to check out what's going on now and then. They usually help bring in new people to our shows.