John no longer with Petra?

[cvs2kids]

A list shows such as NEwsboys cost 6 figures when everything is factored in (rider, production, promo, etc) Specialty acts like Amy Grant & Mike W Smith cost much more as Brent said. They are the Super A List and can cost several hundred thousand dollars and are usually promoted by people such as Live Nation or larger entities.

FYI,

Last year, Newboys (with 3 opening acts), plus full production, costs less than the Classic Petra ask.

Thats when I knew we were in trouble.

[brent]

I'm not saying taht we are comparing apples to apples when I list different band options. I'm just saying an orange is cheaper and can fill you up and you like the orange then your not going to pay for an apple. Classic Petra costing what they "rumored" to be getting is not bad IMO but I understand fully why people would choose to book a package deal instead with a proven act that draws.

Here is how I look at it.

Classic Petra: No new material (granted that will change soon but we are asking to book site unseen or heard), No recent proven track record of being able to draw a sizable audience (at least over the past 10 years). No substantial album sales since No Doubt. No substanital chart success since No Doubt, No substantial award or critical success (GRammy /Dove, etc) since Double Take (Which by the way didn't help that album one bit because Grammy Awards are bought not earned).

Those are just a few things that make it difficult for promotors to pull the trigger and say "Ya I'll stand good for 24K". Heck man we often believe that gambling is a sin. Don't go to Vegas and gamble at a Casino but this is OK. Now don't get me wrong if you want to invest in this as an outreach or more realistically a ministry night for christians taht is one thing but most of the people booking shows don't look at it that way right now. They are willing to lose some money most of the time but not a lot or they will not be doing business much.

I recently had Lincoln Brewster for a show at my church and it was not cheap. I forget the total cost now but it was over 30K and because of coporate sponsorship which I had to find myself we made a profit. Had it not been for that we would have lost money even though it was a sell out. If a promotor can find other revenue streams for financing a concert then it makes things easier but beyond that it is hard to make money or even have an acceptable loss.

Sponsorships are generally a big part of keeping ticket prices low for the shows I'm inlvolved in when a bigger name plays for me. If I can't line that up then I usually don't pull the trigger because I would rather go to vegas and gamble my money at that point. (sarcasm)

What Brent listed as expenses is pretty much how it is for most full time touring bands give or take a couple things. It is not cheap for the bands and many end up just breaking even at the end of a tour. Yes even bigger bands. When you see a big show with great production jsut know somebody is paying for it whether it's the band or the promotor or both.

Brewster is a good show too! We had him in for a 30 minute set....same money....pastor I worked for could not take not brow beating people for money....uh, er,,,,I mean "preaching".

IMO, churches should not be doing concerts on a large scale. Unless the church is a mega church with a professional full-time tech crew, most churches have no idea what they are getting into and they discount the needs of the artist and the specs of the tech rider. That is my experience.

[brent]

A list shows such as NEwsboys cost 6 figures when everything is factored in (rider, production, promo, etc) Specialty acts like Amy Grant & Mike W Smith cost much more as Brent said. They are the Super A List and can cost several hundred thousand dollars and are usually promoted by people such as Live Nation or larger entities.

FYI,

Last year, Newboys (with 3 opening acts), plus full production, costs less than the Classic Petra ask.

Thats when I knew we were in trouble.

Newsboys are not the draw that they once were either. Here is what you guys are forgetting or do not know, those other two bands are paying them to play or are playing for free. That is how these packages work.

This is a hyper niche market, with hyper extended people. Churches don't have the money they used to because the economy sucks. If we allow business people who normally do concert promotion to do it, get the cheap churches out of it, then the promoters will book them and be able to absorb losses easier because of the volume of business over time. Plus, because of their buying frequency, they will qualify for cheaper annual packages, which means a potentially lower ticket cost, or at least the ability to cover another artist that is up and coming.

[cvs2kids]

Newsboys are not the draw that they once were either. Here is what you guys are forgetting or do not know, those other two bands are paying them to play or are playing for free. That is how these packages work.

This is a hyper niche market, with hyper extended people. Churches don't have the money they used to because the economy sucks. If we allow business people who normally do concert promotion to do it, get the cheap churches out of it, then the promoters will book them and be able to absorb losses easier because of the volume of business over time. Plus, because of their buying frequency, they will qualify for cheaper annual packages, which means a potentially lower ticket cost, or at least the ability to cover another artist that is up and coming.

[/quote][/quote]

Makes you wonder why anyone would want to become a "professional" artist.