Final CIC Preview

A number of new approaches and ideas will be part of the program for the February 13-15 Concert Industry Consortium in Las Vegas.

The competitiveness of the industry is always an underlying theme to most panel discussions. This year it will be moved directly to center stage for one session.

“History Is History, But Nobody Pays To See The Concert Promoter” brings together the talent buyers for all the major nightclubs in New York City for a no-holds-barred dissection of why one room is better than another.

High Road Touring’s Matt Hickey will try to maintain order while John Moore expounds upon the merits of the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge. Toffer Christensen sings the praises of B.B. King’s Blues Club and Mark Shulman declares the new Nokia Theatre Times Square the place to play. Brad Saks touts Metropolitan’s new rooms and Randy Henner wonders why anyone would look any further when she offers a choice of Roseland or Hammerstein ballrooms.

One of the truly unusual and possibly most interesting CIC-related events is still coming together as we go to press.

Seth Hurwitz plans to host the Inaugural Bookers Bowl where 10 industry know-it-alls put up $1,000 each in a contest to see who can most accurately predict the average number of tickets sold for 10 upcoming tours.

Hurwitz says he has already obtained commitments from Marty Diamond, Charles Attal, Harvey Leeds, Marc Geiger and Jerry Mickelson to put their money where their mouths are when it comes to handicapping the 2006 touring field.

Everyone’s individual predictions will be openly discussed (and probably ridiculed) but the winner will not be unveiled until CIC 2007.