some labels have scaled back ticket giveaways

And Brooks has noticed that many labels are
traveling less than they had in the past, though
WLZR's Hastings says, "It appears to me that
after an initial slowdown, it's snapped back to
business as usual."
WZZN's Gamble-whose new station isn't a
reporter yet and thus isn't receiving a lot of support anyway-thinks that some healthier labels
will take advantage of their strength to increase
their presence. "One of the first things to get
cut at labels are promotional dollars and A&R,
[but] the labels will probably be doing more
promotio n if they think there's an opportunity
to increase market share."
MUST THE SHOW GO ON?
Then there are stations' flyaway contests,
which have been hit by both listener concerns
about travel and a weakened tourin g climate.
WRQC's Brooks was, at press time, waiting to
see if one such destination show was going to
be canceled. "I think that no matter wh o is on
the bill, it becomes harder to justify spending
money on concerts," she says. "I've noticed several tours so far that have had problems selling
tickets due to the economy."
The end of the year is also when many stations have seasonal concerts. KRXQ opted to
not have a Christmas show this year since "logistically, we weren't able to put one together of
the magnitude that we'd like to," Martin says.
CIMX is still h aving its holiday show, but Brookshaw has noticed that the concert schedule is a
little bit slower.
Many PDs expect that they won't truly feel
the impact of the recession until after the holidays. "Everyone is alr e ady in the year-end
mode," Brooks says, adding that all of her fallbook promotions were in place before Sept. 11.
4
esting to see rock welcomed back again," Brutus says. ''When we started the show, there was
arock resurgence, but it wasn't nearly as big as
it has been in the past one to two years.
''Now, these newer metal bands are selling
out stadiums and arenas," Brutus continues.
"Back then, it was a modest comeback.. There
was a bit of a valley when the bands [that were]
starting to hit weren't sure where they were at,
and the music business at large wasn't sure
where it was going, but in the last couple of
years, we've seen a really strong resurgence.
gotten texturally closer to the show's soun
meaning that the show is less of a stretch f
PDs. "It's nice that rock sounds like rock agai
Brutus says. "It's also cool to hear that when c
rent bands mention their roots . . . bands li
Black Sabbath and Cheap Trick [are] me
tioned as influences."
Since its inception, HardJJrive has been
two other networks (SW and Jones); and now
is heard on 55 affiliates. At the heart of the sho
Brutus says, are the artist interviews that Ro
Myzal, United Stations' executive producer
"I think that next year there will be a great
decline in spending." But Martin thinks that
label promotion spending will be about the
same as this year. And KISS' Vargas says that "as
long as there's competition , smart companies
will need to find smart ways to invest their promotional budgets."
KEZO's Patrick says, "I think we'll have to wait
and see how the terrorist hunt continues to go.
It seems like whenever there's war in the world,
it affects both the world at large and the music
business. If this continues and justice isn't
[done] within the next six months, the music
mood will tum down, and I can't imagine the
label dollars for promotions would increase."
waiting for the labels to show up with someth
for them is to tell them that they're not doi
their job."
CIMX's Brookshaw agrees. "If we can do
tail a promotion around an artist we play, w
do that, but we're not the kind of station t
usually goes to labels for support."
KISS had already opted to center its effo
around a Dallas Cowboys promotion, wh
doesn't rely on any label support. "If you
going to do something like a flyaway, you
going to want to promote it," Vargas says. "W
the big fall promotion we're already doing
wouldn't be the No. l item on our agenda, a
it would get lost."
WZZN 's Gamble says that "one of the thin
we're trying to do with this station is look
things that benefit multiple listeners and thin
that can benefit the community, such as blo
drives and raising money for charities. Inste
of a band doing a b ackstage meet-and-gre
maybe the band goes to a hospital or host
charity dinner. We really believe that long te
for this station that giving back to the comm
nity is not only a good thing to do but also go
THINK LOCALLY
Some stations have skirted the label promotion dollars situation by focusing elsewhere. 'We
don't build our strategic p lan around what the
labels do," WLZR's Hastings says. "We control
our own destiny, and if something presents itself
from the label standpoint that makes sense for
us as a station, then we'll work with that. If they
don't, that's OK My advice to a station that's