Lexington, KY - Lexington's music and entertainment scene has witnessed the rise and fall of many outlets in recent years, from the demise of the Dame to the upcoming rebirth of the Lyric Theater. For this issue's Burning Question feature, we asked local music and entertainment professionals what they believe must be overcome to ensure the future growth of their industry.
Mark Evans, booking/promotions at Cosmic Charlie's:
Here is a list of some of the biggest obstacles that I recognize:
1. Print media availability/variety. The few entertainment publications that are available only cover events that they either enjoy personally or are being paid to represent. There's no thorough and unbiased coverage of Lexington entertainment.
2. The noise ordinance. It is impossible to obey the law when there is no law established. We have received noise violations without any clear reason as to what is considered too loud.
3. Lack of a "scene." Most cities that thrive musically have a large group of people that go out and support live music as a hobby, not as background music for having cocktails. There isn't a cohesive music scene where bands work together among themselves and their fans to create the best environment for musical creativity to thrive.
4. Local government involvement/ encouragement. Most civic events are only held at a couple of key locations downtown. Anything more than a half mile from the Big Blue Building (Lexington Financial Center) seems to be disregarded as rubbish. Also, different laws, enforcement and advocacy for different parts of town make it hard for some businesses to thrive as well as others, ie. patio permits, exceptions to noise complaints, free trolley service, etc.
Sheila Kenny, director of marketing at Lexington Center:
I believe the biggest challenge facing entertainment in Lexington today is competition for consumer's time and money, not only from the standpoint of other live entertainment events (sports, theaters, nightclubs) but also a multitude of options readily available on television and through the Internet. With technological advances of DVR, streaming movies and access to an enormous archive of movies and television shows through NetFlix, today's consumer has a huge selection to choose from without leaving the comfort of their house. When you factor in the costs of a night out on the town, which usually includes a dinner and parking, babysitter and the cost of tickets, going out to enjoy an evening of live entertainment can be an expensive proposition.
Live entertainment is an organic experience. The alternatives are - no matter how technologically advanced - artificial. The challenge for promoters is to convince the ticket buyer that the live experience is well worth the time and money spent.
Michael Grice, director of the Singletary Center for the Arts:
First, a lack of suitable performance venues.
2) A small market demanding large-market artists.
3) Regarding local entertainment/arts, the lack of a consistent talent pool. Too many talented people are compelled to leave this area for work elsewhere.
4) No "centerpiece" arts company in Lexington, and no fully professional arts organization.
The need for area performing arts to constantly "reinvent the wheel," starting up again and again from scratch, plowing the same ground. No institutional memory is created, so little is left to build upon.
Carl Hal, director of arena management at Rupp Arena:
Live entertainment is a constantly evolving industry and is currently undergoing its next metamorphosis. From the old model of finding new music on the radio to now searching through mass alternate sources on the Internet, it has become very difficult for any act to get "recognized" to a level to sell tickets to a mass audience. This challenge is only
exasperated when striving to fill an arena/amphitheater. If you are a "recognized" artist and "paid your dues," the artist fees have become astronomical, thus driving the ticket prices higher and higher. This cost, along with all the other costs involved in promoting a show, have driven the average arena/amphitheater ticket price to the $75+ range, or an evening out with a guest in the $250 to $300 range.
With today's economy, this type of
outing has been reduced to one or two concerts per year. Until promoters stop paying ridiculously high artist guarantees, this trend will only continue to get worse, and tickets will become less affordable to mass audiences. New indie acts are developing every day, but it will take some time until they are "established" and able to sell large quantities of tickets across a region.
Change is coming, so the next time a new artist appears on the marquee, check them out and take the chance. You may be surprised at the level of talent out there.