Concert Management in Croatia: Obstacles and Challenges

Irina Basara: Concert management in Croatia: obstacles and challenges Irina Basara UDK: 78.02:005](497.5) Muzička zvijezda d.o.o. Professional article Lighthouse Music Club - LMC Krnjaloža 1, Gajana Received: May 4, 2016 52215 Vodnjan, Croatia Accepted for publishing: September 8, 2016 [email protected] Phone: +385914631004 CONCERT MANAGEMENT IN CROATIA: OBSTACLES AND CHALLENGES Abstract Th e concept of concert management in the Republic of Croatia encounters numerous obstacles in any at- tempt to institutionalize it. Unlike other countries in the European Union, there is no register of the concert stages, venues as well as facilities for the provision of hearing / consumption of music in the form of performances. Process management organization is incomplete, and institutions that are closely associated with such events do not carry out the classifi cation, categorization and analysis of events that are within the concerts’ domain. Commercial music, economically far most cost-eff ective, is completely ignored and within the framework of cultural events not even the slightest attention is given to it. On the contrary, it is considered the music of poor quality and completely irrelevant. Th is paper tries to frame the mentioned genre, which includes various musical directions that economically bring signifi cant benefi ts and help the survival of these related activities indirectly, and ultimately have a positive impact on the economy. Comparing global trends it speaks about the position of the Croatian music industry and lists the main obstacles for setting up a solid foundation for the construction of an adequate system of indexation of concert businesses that, as part of the creative industries records a meteoric economic growth. Keywords: Concert management, commercial music, music and economy 1. Introductory consideration riod of transition. Th e role of managers, whether retained by the performer or by the company, is From the cultural standpoint, commercial music has questionable. Th e tasks and responsibilities are not no artistic value and is meaningless as such. In the specifi ed and precisely defi ned as the knowledge professional literature you can fi nd articles about the questionable quality of popular music (Pavičić et al., and skills are based on practice without any sig- 2007: 331), and all the space is given to other gen- nifi cant theoretical framework. Th e vicious triangle res whose fi nancial value is signifi cantly lower. Th e (a limited market, a limited number of performers economy, however, has quite a diff erent perspective and a limited budget) does not allow expansion as on it. Capitalism and global consumerism turned the institutions at the state level do not support these commercial music industry into one of the most lu- kinds of events while institutions at the local level crative business fi elds in recent decades. are often inert. Concert management in Croatia as opposed to Th is paper will discuss the value of commercial global trends is still undergoing a turbulent pe- music and trends on the global and Croatian music God. XXIX, BR. 2/2016. str. 523-532 523 Irina Basara: Concert management in Croatia: obstacles and challenges scene. As concerts are classifi ed among the group 2. Music in the framework of the European of high-risk events, there will be mention of the or- and world economy ganization and the necessary knowledge and skills In 1996, EMO – the European Music Offi ce, estab- to organize such events. Th e paper will also present lished in the EU, published a report Music in Eu- fi nal basic obstacles and challenges of this industry rope, describing the economic importance of music in Croatia that impede its path to global populariza- for the European Union1. Author Dave Liang2 stated tion and stabilization in the global market. the number of public places for performing live music, discos, clubs and similar facilities in the Euro- 1.1 Design and methodology pean Union member states. Ireland, which could be compared to Croatia by the number of inhabitants, Previous research includes a case study of the con- had 650 places for live music and 1360 discotheques cert stage - the club in which more than eighty con- and other similar facilities. certs of diff erent genres have been organized (from small concerts up to those with two hundred visi- Furthermore, the importance of various musical tors or larger ones with two to three thousand sold genres as well as employment in the music sector tickets). By observing, analysing, interviewing and is also mentioned, whether is it the musicians - per- comparing the results, some defi ciencies have been formers or organizers, promoters, producers, etc. found which served as the basis for the develop- Although the report and the overall activity of the ment of this work. offi ce should have contributed to the evaluation and systematization of production and performance of In order to substantiate the claims, extensive re- music, due to the economic conditions and struc- search was carried out. Data from the primary and tural diffi culties after the extraordinary general secondary sources were analysed, and the publica- meeting of 2013 it has been shut down3. Similar data tions from domestic and foreign government offi c- for the Republic of Croatia have not been found. es, associations, agencies, scientifi c institutions, the media and the results of previous researches were Th e same author presented the results of the re- included in the research. Th e survey and interviews search of the International Federation of the Pho- were used in compiling the required information by nographic industry (IFPI) in the article World mu- the regulatory authorities and relevant institutions. sic and global music industry - fl ows, corporations and network, which published in its report for 2006 that the world of marketing ticket sales reached up 1.2 The aim to 12.5 billion US dollars (Liang, 2009: 19). World Th e aim of this paper is to show that concert man- gross spending on music in three main sub-sectors agement in Croatia is an activity that is not regu- including the music industry, publishing and live lated. Th e institutions (contrary to other European performance is 1.4 billion US dollars which is 1.8% countries) do not have and do not carry out data of the global industry (Liang, 2009: 27), while the 4 gathering for any kind of database. It is not known average ticket price for 2014 is 82.07 US dollars . how many concert stages there are in the country and there is no categorization. No records are kept 3. Perception of music in Croatia on the number of concerts, their size, type, genre, About 70% of Croatian citizens are satisfi ed with mode of implementation, the contractors nor the their lives5, but two-thirds out of 400 respondents number of visitors. rarely or never go to the movies, theatres, concerts Th e profession of concert managers, which cannot or exhibitions (Kaliterna Givers, 2008). be fully identifi ed with the concepts of project and Th e Market Research Centre and portal Muzika.hr event manager, does not have an adequate defi ni- conducted a study in 2011 of listening to music in tion, education and job description. Croatia on a sample of one thousand respondents Commercial music is not valorised because artisti- over the age of fi fteen. More than half of the re- cally it is considered unsuitable, and economically spondents (55%) listen to music almost every day or without any value because of the lack of all these several times a day6. Among the most listened gen- indicators, which do not exist because there are no res is turbo-folk in the third place (21% of respond- data on which they can rely. ents), rock / metal / punk in the second place (more 524 God. XXIX, BR. 2/2016. str. 523-532 UDK: 78.02:005](497.5)/ Professional article than 23% of respondents) and in the fi rst place is hall and the price of the ticket was 220.00 kunas per pop music (68% of the respondents7). Although the person14. Th e fi nancial report for the hall for 2014 trends have been changing in the past four years shows that budgetary funds account for 49% of the and some other genres have become more popular, revenue and the profi t at the end of the year was pop music fi rmly holds the leading position. slightly less than eight hundred thousand kunas15. Looking at the world scene, we must mention Taylor Due to the changes in the business policy the Hall 16 Swift, a famous singer. Originally playing country has suff ered much criticism , but on the other hand music, she turned to pop expression that has made it has shown an example of market adjustment her a global star. She was named the best global per- (Pavičić et al., 2007: 209), and accepted the fi nancial former in 20148 by IFPI and declared Woman of the importance of organising commercial concerts. Year by Billboard9. 3.2 Economic aspects of commercial music 3.1 Undemocratic: Cultural vs. Commercial Th e music industry together with the fi lm, fashion, music culture, design, publishing and partly media and ad- 17 It is very diffi cult, almost impossible to fi nd infor- vertising industry is one of the creative industries , mation or announcements for commercial shows which contains aspects of the new and unknown in 18 and performances of pop performers like Severina, terms of social and cultural innovation . Tony Cetinski or Željko Joksimović10 on the sites Economic aspects of commercial music can be that promote culture and art. Th e three names viewed dually: the fi rst is the music industry itself stated above (randomly chosen) belong to the fi rst that strives to achieve the highest possible profi t, category of the regional music scene.

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