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Lessons Learned: Arny Granat
Pollstar continues its series of real life lessons in the concert business.
Back in the earlier days when I was booking the clubs myself and especially the Park West, I was very energetic and avid about making deals and getting reductions. It wasn’t about how much I made, it was about how much I didn’t lose.
I’ll never forget the day they brought in my ticket count sheet and there was a performance that showed zero ticket sales. I picked up the phone and called the agent and started ranting.
“I can’t believe this!” I said. “We’ve got to cancel the show! There’s no tickets sold! Nobody’s interested! I can’t believe it! We’ve got to get out of this!”
The guy says, “Arny, Arny, calm down!”
“What do you mean calm down?” I screamed.
He paused. “The show’s not on sale yet.”
Of course, I told him, “Yeah. I knew that. I was just practicing.”
But the truth of the matter was, I was a young man and it taught me to get my facts in order. Get everything straight before you make a total fool of yourself.