We continue our Tribute "Live and Crisis" for the third day with all the interesting things said by Andreas Mitrelis of Manifest:
- Concerts and crisis. People have definitely been affected by the economic crisis in their daily expenses. Have you adjusted your goals in this new situation, or is there no variation in your planning?
Definitely differentiating, we will try to reduce the production costs and certainly there will be negotiations for the rental of space and the artists because they too must adjust to the new situation imposed by the economic crisis.
- Do you think that there will be less summer concerts from now on? Or will smaller names with lower financial requirements be preferred?
No, I do not believe this. The organizers will just be more careful in the names they will bring.
The concerts will involve a larger audience as U2, Metallica, Aerosmith, Cranberries. Surely that is big names and bands of one success of an album. The small names will remain in small spaces.
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Will the major Festivals bear it or will they "diminish",
having fewer names on the line-up?
They will withstand but with names like James, Massive Attack, Faithless, Moby Placebo. The organizers will take no risk having for example the Arcade Fire or Radiohead.
- Musicians "lose" some money because of music piracy and resort to more live performances to cover their expenses and of course to reap more profits. Do you think they'll adjust their wages according to the new situation imposed by the economic crisis or not?
The big names have nothing to fear. Small bands will pay the price anyway, who earn little money from their concerts.
But then again there is those who are romantic and do it for the Rock n roll, the stage of the tour, the road trip, the experience.
- Is there a behavioral change of concert sponsors and especially from the government (public grants for example)?
Government grant? It's finished, as well as sponsorships. You have to have something really good to get a sponsor.
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Do you think that closing a big name for a concert several months
before and the advance sales of tickets long time before the concert
would help the situation?
The way it should be for years now.
The Greek doesn't have the mentality of the British or even German and Italian who make the concerts sold out a year ago.
Normally there should not exit a single ticket, not even as a sample, for U2 concert at this time.
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How do you see your counterparts abroad dealing with the new
situation?
They continue normally their job without a problem. Greece will be stigmatized and feared if the artist will get paid or not.
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Due to higher costs (transport etc) for a show for a big name in
Greece, compared with that of a Central European country, do you
believe it would help to have a cooperation between companies
organizing concerts in our neighbouring countries (Italy, Bulgaria,
Romania, Turkey), so that the appearance of the big names becomes a
"package deal" for all these countries or are you already
doing this?
That, I think, is being done already for a few years and it's good. For example an artist playing in some cities in Italy and the same will play 2 nights in Constantinople (Instanbul-Turkey) and Greece.
And that matter with the transport costs is an excuse used by the organizers for years. There's always plan on where to play and where not and Greece will always get last cushion. Depending on the offer to be made by the organizer and how good name the company has in the market.