GS&F’s Post

Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” was more than just a concert series. It impacted the economy. $2 billion in US ticket sales alone. And the impact on host cities is profound. For instance, Travis Kelce isn’t the only thing tying Swift to the NFL. Her opening night in Glendale, Arizona, surpassed the revenue generated by Super Bowl LVII held in the same stadium. This reflects a broader trend: Every concert was about 2-3 Super Bowls in terms of local economic stimulation, The tour has also sparked an estimated $5 billion in consumer spending in the U.S. surpassing the economic outputs of 50 countries! Fans spent an average of $1,300-$1,500 per event 🛍️💸 It's a great example of how entertainment can transform economies. Imagine one artist, shaking up the financial landscape more than entire nations. It's not just about the music. It's about the hotels, restaurants, and shops that thrived because of her shows. Taylor Swift isn't just a pop icon. She's a powerhouse in both music and economic impact.🌟🎶 #ErasTour #TaylorSwift #SuperBowl #EconomicBoost #Music #TravisKelce

this is what value ad means. Inclusion+Equity=Real Impact

My first concert was the Wu-Tang Clan at Summer Jam in Newark. I think the first band or musical artist you ever saw is very telling... I went to high school in Stamford, CT and one of my favorite things about Stamford was the range of cultures and landscapes. Everyone mixed and mingled together. It didn’t matter how smart or athletic you were. Someone would put on 90s hip hop at a random party in a parking lot and everyone would get up and do the electric slide (yes you heard me right, the electric slide). As I have gotten older, I think a lot about how that music brought us all together and how music and art have a unique ability to transcend boundaries and connect people from all walks of life. Whether it's a mural brightening up a neighborhood, a community theater production, or a local music festival, artistic endeavors have the power to foster shared experiences, encourage dialogue and understanding and celebrate diversity. Investing in the arts doesn’t only support creativity (always a good thing), it builds stronger, more cohesive communitiies. Last year when our company re-branded the Louisville Orchestra, we learned that the orchestra was born as a means to inspire the rebuilding of Louisville, Kentucky after the great flood of 1937… if that’s not the holy grail of examples on how the arts can inspire unity and strength, I don’t know what is. And the Louisville Orchestra continues to follow in the footsteps of their founders with continual outreach in their community; building bridges with youth and underserved people so that everyone has access to the arts. We always take pride in the work that we do, but there is something incredibly gratifying about supporting the arts and galvanizing people within a community, especially during these very divided and challenging times. Helping institutions reach people, amplify their storytelling and fulfill their missions is and will always be joyful work. #CommunityArt #ArtisticUnity #CulturalEngagement #MakeADifference #graphicdesign #marketing https://lnkd.in/e56p22a4

What a rush it was to take the stage at Washington’s during FoCoMX! I couldn’t see everyone in the house, but felt the energy — and the love! Thanks so much to Fort Collins Musicians Association and Washington’s for having us. We had a wonderful time (as did the audience, as I keep hearing good things from the community). When I first conceptualized the FoCo Motown Revue, I just wanted to get onstage while celebrating Classic Motown. Once I saw the overwhelming response to our shows, it became apparent that the band needs to be an ongoing concern. This is a 10-piece band. To keep it going, I realized that I’d need to take inspiration from Duke Ellington: “There is nothing to keeping a band together. You simply have to have a gimmick, and the gimmick I use is to pay them money!” So, I had to ultimately arrive at the conclusion that the band has to be run as a business (a side business, but a business nonetheless). That means defining who we are, what we’re about and how we’re going to engage with our audience. It also means building relationships in new spaces — especially that of corporate events. So, If you know of any event planners looking create compelling experiences with classic R&B, hit me up. #music #musicbusiness #fortcollins #corporateevents #eventplanning

The engagement of local residents in initiatives in their locality is important. Community engagement is key

Nebraskans continue to spend post-Covid! Myt latest article is based on research from John McCoy that people continue to "revenge spend" after the pandemic, spending money on concerts, shows and travel to make up for what they didn't experience a few years ago. Local experts say it's hard to keep up with demand, especially with labor shortage issues. Read more in this companion piece to the Nebraska Economist:

Taylor Swift became the first singer to reach 1 billion dollars in revenue on a tour. Is she Luciano Pavarotti's level of signer? I would say not. Does she have the number of recognizable songs on Michael Jackson's level? I would say not. Is she a Freddie Mercury level performer? I would say not. But her marketing is incredible. I mean, Travis Kelce was 5th most googled person in 2023. just because of rumours of dating Taylor Swift after she attends multiple Kansas City Chiefs games. Don't get me wrong, Taylor Swift and her music is a good product, but it's communicated way beyond that. You can be really good at your job. You can be a really marketable personality. If you have the right people to handle your brand and make magic, haven is a limit. If you don't want to invest that much in people to handle your brand, you will still be "really good" because of the quality of work, but really good is not the magic. And the gap between really good and magic is big. #branding #communication #marketing

So, to my critics: You a'int seen nothing yet! There's more to the story. 😎 ...After "he's just a singer," strategically leveraged cross-promotion as a musical artist—his high-caliber events would garner the attention of thousands and thousands of people who traveled from near and far, including New Jersey (from the North to the South from Newark, Scotch Plains, Short Hills, Livingston and beyond), Maryland, New York City, Delaware, the Poconos, and beyond. (I trained my staff to gather not only their contact information, but to also inquire where people were traveling from because part of my business model was to create a "destination experience"). In business, that's called #DestinationMarketing. My Sunday Brunch events would go on to win recognitions and awards and often had to turn people away, in business that's called #SupplyAndDemand. As unconventional and unrelated as it may seem,…there just may be something to be learned about business from "just a singer.” To learn more, subscribe to my blog at: www.JustinGoldsberry.com #BusinessInsights #SongsToStrategy #BusinessStrategy #BrandBuilding #MarketingStrategy #BusinessTips

"...dark humor." 😞 Jamie Dunphy As tough as things are for our small businesses in #Portland they will never advocate for, joke about or even allude to violence being the answer to the challenges they face. 1. Anyone running for elected office or looking to serve as a public official should never be referencing words of violence when debating issues facing the community (especially in public settings). 2. To specifically mention "firebombs" tells me either you don't know the very real history in the US (and in Portland) where firebombing actually occurred OR you know the history and you just lack the ability to to articulate yourself in public settings in a professional way. 3. Saying that small businesses in the community referred to firebombing when giving you "feedback" and that you were just repeating what they shared with you tells us you have a problem taking accountability for the words that come out of your mouth. Our local business owners have enough on their plates and you throwing them under the bus to deflect from your poor decision making shouldn't be something they are burdened with. I was hoping to read this article where one of our current city council candidates took complete accountability for their poor choice of words and vowed to do better. Instead, I got someone who deflected, shifted the blame and showed little ability to be empathetic. This is not what leadership looks like, this is not how you advocate for our small business community and this is not what what we need on our future city council. Andrew Colas I am sorry you have to take your time away from your company and family to entertain comments like this. I am also sorry to the small business owners, artists and creatives who are working so hard to make our city better and to earn livings, you don't deserve to be part of stuff like this. I look forward to seeing an apology from MusicPortland board and leadership for the insensitive (at best) choice of words by their board member since he doesn't appear willing to do. Better Portland Anyeley Hallová Ciara Pressler Camille E. Trummer Meara McLaughlin

New Post: New York’s UBS Arena Is Hitting Its Sophomore Stride in 2024 Following Rocky Launch - https://lnkd.in/ggpMdjdZ - What a difference a year makes. After a difficult post-pandemic opening in late 2022, UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., has found its footing in its sophomore year, nearly doubling its year-over-year gross on Billboard’s 2024 mid-year rankings and finding its stride in the busy New York Metro market. At the mid-year point in 2023, UBS Arena had posted $22 million in gross concert receipts from 39 shows. This year, the venue has posted $42 million in gross receipts from 56 shows. Related U2 & Sphere Dominate Billboard Boxscore’s Midyear Recap as Top 10 Tours Gross a… 05/30/2024 That success comes from building off 2023 sellouts that included two nights of Bruce Springsteen, two nights of SUGA and shows from Blink-182, Peso Pluma, Aerosmith and Billy Joel. In 2024, UBS has already seen sellouts from Stevie Nicks, Elevation Worship, Machel Montano, ENHYPEN, Aventura (two nights), Drake (two nights) and Zach Bryan (two nights). Delayed by pandemic-related construction issues, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority missing a key date to connect the venue to the Long Island Rail Road, UBS Arena struggled with attendance early on. USB Arena “There was really no playbook on how to open an arena in the most competitive major market in the world during a pandemic,” says Mark Shulman, senior vp of programming at the Oak View Group-managed arena, which was built in partnership with the New York Islanders. “You can take everything that we know about how to launch a venue and you throw it all out because so many of those strategies just weren’t feasible at the time,” Shulman adds of the 745,000-square-foot, 17,200-seat hockey and entertainment arena designed by Populos and constructed by Aecom Hunt. “But what was undeniable is that UBS Arena is a world-class, stunningly beautiful and acoustically superior venue. And we had a highly experienced team that we assembled. We had the right people for the challenge.” The first order of business was tapping into the diversity of Nassau County and the nearby borough of Queens, “which are some of the most diverse areas in America,” says Shulman. “They have residents coming from 120 countries. They speak 130 languages. We spend a lot time developing inclusive programming that reflects that diversity and we’ve had great success with not only rock, pop and country, but also Caribbean, soca, K-pop, C-pop and artists from India.” Related