There was an excellent article on the Tampa Bay Times website yesterday detailing the Rays post-game concert series. Not only did writer Jay Cridlin dive into the marketing philosophy behind the concert series, but he also looked at the effect of concerts on attendance. Few sports writers even get into the level of analysis Cridlin did.
According to Cridin, concerts used to draw better than they currently do.
I've looked at concerts before. In this 2014 post, I posted a few charts that showed how concert dates compared with non-concert dates. Great to see Cridlin's research jiving with mine.
Another conclusion Cridlin came to:
There is no doubt the Rays concert series is a key part of the team's overall market strategy. As Cridlin points out, concerts are usually geared to specific demographics to get more of those fans to a game. Hence the Latino performer for Latin night or the 70s band on 70s night. The Rays typically like to center an entire promotional theme around the performer.
(I am still waiting for death metal night - given so many of those bands started in Tampa. But I digress.)
Of course, the Rays aren't the only team doing post-game concerts these days. The Clearwater Threshers got in on the action last year and drew well for Coolio, O-Town, and Jaime Lynn Spears. This year the Threshers feature Naughty by Nature, The Black Honkeys, and a Dave Matthews Tribute Band.
While the Rays go through Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater to help with their booking, do the Threshers use different promoters? What caused the Threshers to go the post-game concert route?
Personally, I would also like to see more local bands opening for these post-game concerts. While the Threshers had local rapper Infinite Skillz open for Naughty by Nature, I have yet to hear of the Rays using a local opening act. That would be a great way to connect with the local music community as well as provide great exposure for Tampa Bay music.
But those are conversations for other days.
For today, definitely check out Jay Cridlin's piece on the Rays post-game concert series. Highly recommended.
(Disclaimer: A few years ago, I freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times music blog and Jay Cridlin was my editor.)
According to Cridin, concerts used to draw better than they currently do.
In 2008, concert games drew, on average, around 10,300 more fans than the average weekend non-concert game. In 2014, it was just 210 extra fans. This year, average attendance for concert games is actually lower than it was for weekend home games before the concert series began.
I've looked at concerts before. In this 2014 post, I posted a few charts that showed how concert dates compared with non-concert dates. Great to see Cridlin's research jiving with mine.
Another conclusion Cridlin came to:
Concert crowds in 2015 are about 44 percent smaller than those in 2008. But attendance, Thomas said, is only one indicator of the series' success. It also generates goodwill among fans, and is one of the reasons the Rays consistently rank high on fan experience surveys.
There is no doubt the Rays concert series is a key part of the team's overall market strategy. As Cridlin points out, concerts are usually geared to specific demographics to get more of those fans to a game. Hence the Latino performer for Latin night or the 70s band on 70s night. The Rays typically like to center an entire promotional theme around the performer.
Targeting a specific demographic can yield desirable dividends. So while boomer acts like Hall and Oates and Earth, Wind and Fire are always safe bets, the team has also gone after rappers (Ludacris, Nelly), Latin stars (Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieves), pop singers (Carly Rae Jepsen, Adam Lambert) and DJs (Afrojack, Calvin Harris).
(I am still waiting for death metal night - given so many of those bands started in Tampa. But I digress.)
Of course, the Rays aren't the only team doing post-game concerts these days. The Clearwater Threshers got in on the action last year and drew well for Coolio, O-Town, and Jaime Lynn Spears. This year the Threshers feature Naughty by Nature, The Black Honkeys, and a Dave Matthews Tribute Band.
While the Rays go through Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater to help with their booking, do the Threshers use different promoters? What caused the Threshers to go the post-game concert route?
Personally, I would also like to see more local bands opening for these post-game concerts. While the Threshers had local rapper Infinite Skillz open for Naughty by Nature, I have yet to hear of the Rays using a local opening act. That would be a great way to connect with the local music community as well as provide great exposure for Tampa Bay music.
But those are conversations for other days.
For today, definitely check out Jay Cridlin's piece on the Rays post-game concert series. Highly recommended.
(Disclaimer: A few years ago, I freelanced for the Tampa Bay Times music blog and Jay Cridlin was my editor.)