For over 70 years this company has operated on the business principle that tour dates, such as the ones for Cracker and Merl Saunders, + customers = money, and we’re proud to say this simple formula holds true today as much as it did back in 1931 when our founder, Festus Pollstar, tattooed show schedules onto the backs of orphans, street urchins and near-do-wells and sent them out into the streets of Fresno to spread the gospel of live music.

However, profitability was only half of the solution. With the growth of the Internet, we realized that “ease of use,” also played an important factor when it came to displaying dates for Sanchez and Dave Matthews Band. For what good was it to present the latest schedules for 311, Martin Carthy and GWAR if music fans didn’t understand the nuances of left-button mouse mechanics?

It didn’t take long for Festus to realize that the public needed more than the ability to search for shows for Kid Rock or Flickerstick. They needed help, a simple book of instructions that would lead them through the myriad paths of tour-date logic.

Sure, there were plenty of heated arguments among the Pollstar.com board of directors, but after much face slapping, pie throwing and eye poking, Messrs. Moe, Larry and Curly eventually relented and allowed Festus to publish the groundbreaking instructional booklet that unleashed the power that became the date-city-state-venue modus operandi for listing the routings for everyone’s favorite acts, including Al Stewart, 70s Soul Jam and Tha Liks.

First published in 1991, Pollstar.com For Crack Heads became an immediate best seller. Suddenly, people all over the world learned how to group the dates for Bane and Guru into easy-to-read chronological order. It raised “point and click” technology to a new level, and paved the way for such diverse, high-tech companies as Amazon, eBay and Hooters.

But how much does it all cost? What expenses do we incur in order to present fresh routings for Bush, Nanci Griffith and Richard Thompson? Furthermore, how can our cash intake possibly exceed the expense of all the cubicles, computers and ankle chains needed in order to manage a work force capable of plugging in the latest dates for Waterson: Carthy and The Greg Kihn Band?

The answer lies in our bookkeeping. We scoured the planet for the best penny-pinching accountants money could buy. We spent years building a team of the finest bean counters known to man, and it is their expertise in capitalistic economic forces that allows us to bring you new itineraries, whether it be for Kirk Whalum, Rob Zombie or Michelle Shocked, as well as keeping the operating costs down.

However, there is one, small problem. The constant gabbing about their old days working for Enron sure gets on your nerves after a while.