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Thread: Kasey: Why are there so few headliners anymore?

  1. #1
    Kasey
    Guest

    Kasey: Why are there so few headliners anymore?

    I know the trend is toward the big production show, but why do so few entertainers play Vegas anymore? What has caused the trend?

    I have read they are all in Branson now, but that seems hard to believe. Is it true?

    Is it just a cyclical thing that will work itself out?

    Or are the acts still there at lesser known places that I have yet to find?

  2. #2
    scobee 1
    Guest

    scobee 1: Re: Why are there so few headliners anymore?

    Not sure who you consider 'Headliners' to be...The Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, Tony Bennett types of entertainers are still playing the casino resorts with a vengeance. Only now they are just as likely to be found in Tunica, Biloxi, or even Michigan City as they are to be hunkered down in extended runs in Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

    I would suggest that the Mandalay Bay, MGM, and Hard Rock arenas and stages are doing brisk business in Las Vegas in booking the top music acts in American music. It may be that your ideas of top acts runs counter to Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Dave Matthews, Janet Jackson, Faith Hill / Tim McGraw, and the big 'Hip-Pop' acts that play the arenas and stadiums around the country. My take is that the Las Vegas entertainment spectrum is bigger and better than it has ever been. Ceasar's is building a new arena just for Celine Dion and if you check the entertainment listings there are literally hundreds to choose from in any given month.

    and I assume there will always be room for Englebert Humperdinck somewhere on the strip... :-)

  3. #3
    Don Schlesinger
    Guest

    Don Schlesinger: Cheaper

    > I know the trend is toward the big
    > production show, but why do so few
    > entertainers play Vegas anymore? What has
    > caused the trend?

    Once upon a time, the showrooms, along with the restaurants and other non-casino areas of a casino, were loss leaders. They didn't generate any revenues, but were considered essential in drawing the customers to the casino.

    When you did the math, it was apparent that the biggest headliners were commanding salaries that went beyond what revenues for the showrooms could pull in, without raising ticket prices to ridiculous levels (which they wound up doing anyway!). Then, the corporation bean counters took over and demanded that each cost center be profitable unto itself. So, food prices doubled, and the headliners gave way to the production shows, which are MUCH cheaper to stage.

    And, of course, ticket prices tripled anyway! :-)

    Don

  4. #4
    scobee 1
    Guest

    scobee 1: Re: Cheaper

    Ah, yes. Another fine example of why Vegas was a better value when the place was mobbed up instead of being policed by the boardrooms.

    The Rolling Stones show that will be in Chicago in September will command a ticket price of $350 for the 'best seats.' I can't for the life of me imagine any kind of good seat for a stadium show. When did a bunch of middle-aged rockers start costing three times the price of an imaginative and magical show like 'O?' I have to admit that if you want to see something special in Las Vegas, you are going to pay a premium. The highest priced ticket on Broadway is still cheaper than half the productions you would want to see in Vegas.

    It still costs a bundle to get a production up and running with the automation and computer controlled systems that are now in use. Of course, like blackjack, the farther one gets into the long run the more profitable the venture becomes. It is nothing to spend ten million on startup when it comes to a big musical show... but wouldn't it be nice if they would lower prices when the R&D is paid off and have the relative cost of production be more in line with margins? I guess I should just be happy that I can buy a computer for a tenth of what it used to cost since no other business offers this kind of rebate on long production runs.


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