With many of the legacy artists who have traditionally been the backbone of casino entertainment now well into their 70s, casino entertainment buyers are faced with a drastically different talent pool over the next 10 years. Additionally, the culture has changed. Casinos are often the lifeblood for artists today. The opportunities are unlimited, but you need your strategy and game plan in place.
- Have talent agencies changed their thinking about booking casinos?
Short answer: Yes. However, casinos are slow to adapt to the newer music acts. - Who’s doing the math on artist pricing and ticket scaling?
It doesn’t work when artist fees exceed your reasonable ticket scaling gross. One solution is to open up to backend split deals, where you guarantee the artist a lower fee with a backend option to take, for example, an 80/20 split after all expenses have been met.In many cases, this gets you in the game with these more costly artists. But to pursue this, you need to allow access to your box office and produce detailed expense reports, including the fee paid to the artist as their guarantee. This essentially puts you in the promoter-type business, but it’s an effective option to secure more expensive talent. - Emergence of more outside amphitheaters
These venues are doing larger shows while still connected to the casino resort property, but their operators are asking to be treated like standalone venues. What are the implications? - Impact of the new “super casinos” in non-traditional markets
These markets are often flooded with large festivals with wide radius clauses. Live Nation is the bull in the china shop, packaging many favorite artists into mega shows and festivals, effectively blocking your access to these acts individually. - What tools are casino entertainment buyers using to evaluate talent today?
What resources are producing the best data insights for your decisions? - Let’s talk social media
How has it changed the way you market and promote your entertainment? - How are you adapting to the younger demographic that wants newer music?
Where are you sourcing information for these new artists? - What’s in the comedy pipeline for gaming resort properties?
- How are you addressing the growth of the Hispanic genre, especially in the Southwest?
- Rap and old-school hip-hop
In the past, casinos largely avoided these genres. However, today, they are increasingly selling tickets and driving casino business. How are you adapting? - Expanding to full-week availability
Large venue casinos must expand their availability beyond weekends. This creates a challenge for secondary or tertiary markets where many casinos are located, but it presents an opportunity to bring in artists you might not otherwise secure by leveraging midweek dates to help an artist tour through your area. - Quality versus quantity
Having a talent buyer who works not only with your casino but with multiple casinos is crucial. Networking, industry relationships, and experience are key not only to getting the best opportunities and availabilities but also to securing fair pricing. - Aligning your inside team
Delays in decision-making can often cost you that perfect act for your property.
What’s keeping you up at night when it comes to driving more players and maximizing your venues?
