#028 Digital Marketing

Jingle Bells, Travis Scott's Smells

Today's read ...  6️⃣ minutes

The UK and Singapore host their biggest public events since March, more testing could help reveal the safest way to produce a pandemic-era event, and are our stages finally saved? Plus, we hear about Paul Peck's 'full-circle' moment.

We must understand what this new vaccine means for the industry at an international level. Check out what Ed Sheeran’s agent, Jon Ollier, has to say about “establishing an accepted international consensus” and “international leadership.”

In an effort to continue providing those who host events during the pandemic with as many resources as possible, here are BizBash’s practical steps to creating a safe check-in area at live events.

High-level representatives from our industry pleaded for assistance to get artists touring again at the “Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Live Event Entertainment Industry” Senate Hearing last week. Their statistics and explanations outlined how most funding has already been exhausted and what the future holds if further help is not provided.

This past week, Glastonbury pushed harder on its government to offer financial support to festivals to raise confidence in 2021 events through government-backed insurance plans, so producers don’t have to fear cancellations. 

Scotland’s new “Pivotal Event Businesses Fund” will help between 50-100 event businesses that are critical to Scotland’s event sector by providing them with up to £150,000 in financial backing. 

AEG Presents and Collective Minds hosted two 500-capacity shows in Singapore this past weekend, which included multiple safety measures from seat zoning plans, tests required for entry, not offering any food or beverages, and more. Check out their full list and clear communication measures.

Denmark plans to use digital test certificates starting in January as part of the latest government-approved pilot to test more concepts of how technology can be used to limit touchpoints at events.

Barcelona tested same-day screening for its effectiveness among 1,042 concert goers. We anxiously await these and other ongoing test results to figure out the best way to begin hosting live events again.

This week the UK hosted its biggest public event since COVID began. They turned the Silverstone, home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, into a Christmas spectacular named “LAP LAND.” Anyone else getting Mario Kart Rainbow Road vibes?

Still need a present for that Travis Scott lover in your life? Don’t worry; he’s got another new product for you, and this time...it smells.

A Mini Celebration Is In Order

After several long months, Congress has reached an agreement on the second stimulus package that includes the Save Our Stages Act. When the bill is passed, $15 billion will go towards the relief of independent music venues and movie theaters. The stimulus gives small venues hope to weather this storm. Gig workers rejoice; Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will also be included, assisting those who have lost their jobs this year. PUA provides an additional 13 weeks of payments to those who exhaust their regular state benefits. What else can we expect as part of the second stimulus package:

  • Direct stimulus payments of $600 to individuals, similar to the first round received in March.

  • Unemployment benefits extended for 11 weeks.

  • $300 weekly will be added to weekly benefits.

  • Paycheck Protection Program will be reopened for application.

An Island Makeover

Ibiza is known for its outrageous nightlife and dynamic club scene. Often frequented by the affluent and avid raver, the island's culture revolves around the hospitality and entertainment industries. Once COVID hit, this all changed. Like many cities, Ibiza enforced strict restrictions such as curfews and social distancing measures. Clubs have to follow guidelines that require seated experiences far from the dancing scene that once was prevalent. Regulations have not held all promoters back, though, as a new age of speakeasies has been born. Underground raves have been taking place around 3-4 times a week. Officials have not been shy to bust these operations and hand out fines to both attendees and promoters. However, there are some silver linings for Ibiza.

 More intimate settings are allowing locals to enjoy the music that started it all. They have also noticed a waste reduction and a return of wildlife without the waves of parties that usually litter the island. Finding the good in these times and learning from it is a lesson we can take away from the rave capital. 

Time To Change Things Up

More and more people are standing out against a long-standing lack of diversification on road crews. Although there are more women and people-of-color in the industry than ever before, their numbers are still small. 

“No one is doing this on purpose. It’s systematic. It’s a game of musical chairs, with not enough seats when the music stops. And most of the time they call the same people, so the seats are already taken before the music starts playing.” - Gerald McDougald

Well, a few companies are adding some more seats to the circle. Roadies of Color United and Diversify the Stage offer directors and producers new resources to make hiring decisions. Never Famous has also been an ally in the mission for a more diverse workplace. They have created an online job portal to give young and college-age candidates opportunities to network and find jobs in the concert business. These new resources are essential now, while so many industry workers are looking for new opportunities.

Paul Peck is a music industry veteran and Co-Founder of Okeechobee Music Festival, where he served as Chief Creative Officer and Head of Programming. Paul’s extensive production background includes his work as Superfly and Bonnaroo’s Creative Director of Original Media, where he led the Production of Broadcast and Streaming Media Content.

He is most known for working closely with artists and producing once-in-a-lifetime, special collaborative shows at Bonnaroo, known as Superjam.Paul got his start while attending Tulane interning at his favorite club Tipitinas in New Orleans, where he could produce his projects and pitch big ideas. 

His latest endeavors include co-founding one-stop-shop music and entertainment-focused digital marketing agency, L1NEUP DIGITAL. He also founded Fandiem, an all-in-one sweepstakes marketplace that allows fans to donate to causes and win virtual & in-real-life experiences with their favorite musical heroes, world-class festivals, and iconic performance venues.  

We sat down with Paul to hear his stories about starting new companies during a global pandemic and how they facilitated a beautiful ‘full-circle-moment’. Allowing him to produce a benefit show, ‘Save Tip’s’ for the world-famous Tipitina’s, helping save the club that gave him his start.  

Can you tell me a little about your experience with Tipitina's?

Tipitina's is what gave me my start in the music industry. I lived in New Orleans as a college student, and I was always a passionate music fan. A couple of my friends from school were in college bands, and some started to ask me if I'd be interested in managing for them. I took the opportunity very seriously. I communicated with different people in the community and worked with various artists to figure out strategic ways to grow our audience. I did an internship at my favorite club, Tipitina's in New Orleans, where I wanted to produce my projects. At that time, I was vibing out to Stevie Wonders, and I wanted to bring this music genre to life at Tipitina's. I followed my intuition, and I vouched for this idea at my internship to produce this all-star collaborative Stevie Wonder's show. Finally, after a lot of hard work, they gave me a date. I immediately went to all my favorite artists and asked them to be a part of the show. Even with the artists, I was managing at that time I was able to grow my reputation and network. Even though there were some minor setbacks before the show, they were overcome, and it was a success. Overall, it was a real eye-opener for me and a great experience.What was the inspiration behind Fandiem? Early on in the pandemic, I wanted to foster a sense of connection while everyone was stuck in their homes, feeling this sense of isolation. I wanted to do something that felt timely and of the moment, but also reinforces the concept that we were all in this together and all going through different but similar versions of the same thing. Also, there were so many organizations and people in need that I wanted to raise funds for them.I connected with an old friend of mine, a talented director named Jesse Dylan. I came up with this concept for a music and comedy virtual show, kind of a late-night show vibe. I have a relationship with the comedian J. B. Smoove, one of the most fantastic improv comics. He’s on Curb Your Enthusiasm as Larry David’s perpetual houseguest. I reached out to him and was like, hey, I want to create this show that can be impactful and positive’ and he was really up for supporting and being part of it. We got together with the filmmaker and began producing some episodes to benefit this organization’ GiveDirectly’ that generates funds for people suffering from extreme poverty. The show was excellent, it had great content, and we did well in terms of viewers. We were trying to raise money for this great organization and had NPR involved presenting public health segments because this was back in March and April when no one knew what was going on and there was a lot of fear. The show’s premise was J. B. checking in with his friends, musicians, comedians, and other personalities through zoom and seeing what they were going through while doing music and comedy around it and having NPR involved. We did good in terms of views, and we didn’t even market it that much, but we didn’t do exceptionally well in raising money for GiveDirectly. I was thinking about how much work was going into this and how much we were raising for this organization, and I wasn’t thrilled with that conversion rate; I wanted to do a lot better. 

What do you want to hear more of in 2021?

Reply back and tell us what’s sparked your interest most, or want to want to hear more of!

▶️ BM Quantum is looking for an 

 in the NYC area OR remotely. The position will help engage and grow the quantum computing community. A passion for tech and an ability to deliver straightforward content and creative strategies will help you succeed in this role.

▶️ ON24 is hiring an 

, who will be responsible for the delivery of customer events using ON24’s virtual product suite. A reliable and detail-oriented individual who has customer service skills is encouraged to apply.

▶️ MSG Sphere is looking for a 

 to set up a new Production Office and manage production at an end to end scale from capture through the post for the newly created MSG Sphere Studios in Burbank, CA.

▶️ If you’re in the Los Angeles area and need a little help, 

 is offering 200 free meals for two from 4-8 pm to touring professionals through mid-January. All TMs, PMs, AVtechs, roadies, and venue staff are encouraged to check it out.

▶️ IKEA wants to help you transform your Gingerbread House into a Gingerbread Home with these 

.

▶️ Are you missing those Saturday mornings of cereal and cartoons? Check out this TV writer that has 

.

▶️ 

 is a podcast that hopes to destigmatize anxiety through humorous and honest conversations and shows why you’re not in it alone.

January 14th: VenuesNow and Pollstar recently announced Live Week: Reviving Live!, which will combine the VenuesNow Conference, Pollstar Live! And Production Live!

Recorded: Back of House x LinkedIn’s “Rock Your Profile”. Learn how to revamp your LinkedIn profile to stand out within the live events industry, network, and ultimately find new jobs.

Recorded: A TicketManager podcast hosted by Jim Andrews. These conversations focus on sports, entertainment, sponsorship, activation, experiences, ticketing, and hospitality.

Recorded: Tour Management just wrapped up their second semester. Check out their impressive catalog of Tour Management discussions and classes to brush up or dive headfirst into everything there is to know about Tour Management.

Headliner Paul Peck is listening to "Baptize" by JID & EARTHGANG.

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