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The history of the entertainment industry in the 20th century has been reported on by the publications 'Billboard Advertising,' 'The Billboard' and 'Amusement Business.' 'Billboard Advertising' and later 'The Billboard'provided coverage of the vaudeville business, the music publishing industry and theater. Coverage of motion pictures, big bands and nightclubs followed. 'Amusement Business,' which debuted on Jan 9, 1961, continued this coverage., Imagine a world newly liberated by technology, a land opened by the railroad and a population swelling in numbers, all eager to be entertained. This was the America of 100 [...]

'The Billboard' and its later incarnation 'Amusement Business' have been an important source of information about the fair business for nearly 100 years. Coverage of the business can be found through two World Wars and the Great Depression. The two publications reported on the early marketing efforts of the fairs industry, and documented the many changes it faced over the years., Fairs have been around for centuries: a story from The Billboard of Nov. 5, 1904, traced their history from ancient Hebrews, the Olympic Games, The Pythian Games and the Games [...]

Bad weather and the tight economy affected the 1992 revenue performance of amusement parks in the country. Among the parks that thrived despite the environmental and economic odds are the Opryland USA, the Kentucky Kingdom Amusement Park and the Michigan's Adventure. The parks that experienced a slight decrease in patrons include the Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach, MN and the Rocky Point Amusements om Warwick, RI., Bad weather and a sour economy notwithstanding, amusement park officials around the country had good news to report when AB called. Most officials contacted said their attendance had increased over [...]

While fiscal belt-tightening may have trimmed some fair budgets, no expense has been spared when it comes to grandstand entertainment this year. Grandstand producers and talent buyers around the country [...]

Attendance Up Or Down? It Was Up To The Weather At Many Parks This Year Weather or not -- that was the issue at amusement parks this season. Those that [...]

Host Of Events Keep Business Booming Year-Round For Fireworks Companies The timing couldn't have been better. With Independence Day falling smack in the middle of the week this year, many [...]

Canadian acts entering America's door with abundance of fresh talent The late '80s saw Canadian talent knocking on the door of the American market. This year, fueled by a bumper [...]

Q-ZAR, a fast-growing operator of laser-tag game centers, plans to go public in 1995 and expand into the theme park and family entertainment center markets. Dallas, TX-based Q-ZAR, an arm of Dublin, Ireland-based LeisureCorp, which owns the rights to the Q-ZAR laser-tag game, is responsible for manufacturing, distribution and sales in the Americas and the Far East. There are Q-ZAR game centers in 30 countries and 66 Q-ZAR centers in the US., Q-ZAR, operator of more than 200 laser game centers worldwide, has experienced phenomenal growth in the company's seven years of existence. Now, plans are under way to go public this [...]

Fair buyers lament that the talent fee of country music artists and the accompanying operational expenditures are too high. Groups who have only one or two top hits to their credit are asking for fees of $100,000-$150,000. Buyers are doubly concerned because several top-level tours are being slated for mid-1994. Some are resorting to such schemes as pay-one-price, while others simply plan to skip country acts in favor of other themes such as reggae and pop., County music is hot, but has it become too hot for fair buyers to handle? Talent buyers at that nation's fairs have voiced some serious concerns about this year's buying [...]

The Amusement Business periodical's top 10 touring acts netted approximately $195.5 million in profits for the 1993 season, far lower than 1991 and 1992 figures. However, observers noted that the results viewed collectively mirror a healthier concert industry, since the performers held a limited number of shows only. Figures reveal that 82% of the shows held by the top 10 acts were sellouts, as compared to 68% in 1992 and 40% in 1991., With a cumulative gross approaching $195.5 million, AB's top 10 touring acts saw a sharp decrease in gross figures over previous years. In 1992, the top 10 touring acts grossed [...]

A 1993 fair talent survey reveals that county fairs are starting to book new talents to perform on their grandstands for 1993. The survey also shows that fair talent buyers are securing new artists in-house, instead of having an outside agency to assist them. The absence of big name artists has meant increased demands for new artists in the field of country, rock and contemporary Christian music. Among the most sought-after newcomers for the summer include Chris LeDoux, Doug Stone and Tracy Lawrence., With increasing competition for today's hot country headliners, fair talent buyers are booking more new country acts for their grandstands this year. That is just one trend revealed by AB's [...]

Attendance at the Mid-South Fair reached 528,858 during its Sep 25-Oct 5, 1992 run. It was the second best attendance in the history of the fair. The year 1992 was also marked by an increase of sponsorship by 18%. Revenues were also higher than previous years'. Concerts by well-known artists and rodeo performances are credited for the boost in attendance. Other attractions included the Budweiser Clydesdales horse show, the International Snow Fliers ski exhibitions and the Robinson's Racing Pigs., MEMPHIS -- The Mid-South Fair here bounced back from a rainy opening weekend to record its second-highest attendance ever, at 528,858. Last year's fair was the record breaker, drawing 565,615. [...]

Nashville, TN, is slowly discarding its image as the home of unsophisticated country music. The gravitation into the area of artists who want to expand their musical horizons explains its changing reputation. Among the reasons for Nashville's blossoming into a music center are its proximity to touring destinations, the cheap costs of its services and goods and the commuting convenience the place provides its residents. Local groups that are trying to make their mark outside Nashville include the rock bands Cactus Brothers and Prisoners of Love., NASHVILLE -- Country music's surging popularity has focused the eyes of the entertainment industry on Nashville, and what they're seeing may surprise some people. The fact of the matter is, [...]

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- Having drawn some 550,000 visitors since opening three and a half months ago, the Tennessee Aquarium here has succeeded beyond everyone's wildest expectations. 'Our target for the [...]

Country Music Industry Skyrockets As Popularity Grows As the country music industry prepares to hit Nashville for the annual Country Music Week festivities, the mood is decidedly upbeat. Never before [...]

Fairs Use Creative Methods When Booking '91 Lineups Fair talent buyers are busily confirming dates for this summer's events but it hasn't been easy. Several talent buyers contacted by AB [...]

Explosion Of City Music Festivals Means More Showcases For Acts It's spring and music festival season is upon us. This year there seem to be more festivals than ever before. [...]

Do Away With `Pay To Play' Say SXSW Attendees AUSTIN, Texas -- 'Pay to Play,' which one club owner called a 'nasty rumor,' appears to be more than that in [...]

Cline On Success: It's All A Question Of Attitude As a youngster, he spent the after school hours helping his father and brother build the house which took them out [...]

Legendary Pee Wee King Instrumental In Developing Sound Of Grand Ole Opry At age 76, Pee Wee King is still going strong. The Country Music Hall of Famer still performs [...]

Concert Industry Changes Course: Business Up 25% In '90 Will the cycle be unbroken? It appears so -- and those in the concert industry are breathing a sigh of relief. [...]

$21.8 Million Expansion Set For Memphis Zoo MEMPHIS - It has been 18 years since the Memphis Zoo has undergone any major capital improvements. But that's about to change, as [...]

Love Of Sports A Driving Force Behind Pollin's Success In Industry It's 3 p.m., Dec. 2, 1973. The paint is barely dry on Abe Pollin's state-of-the-art Capital Centre in Landover, [...]

Creating A Buzz Keeps Jim Halsey In The Spotlight NASHVILLE - Four days after announcing that his booking agency had merged with the William Morris Agency, Jim Halsey confessed that [...]

Last week's announcement that the Country Music Assn. is restructuring its European operations reflects the Internet's growing influence and a shift in how record companies are marketing Nashville acts, according [...]

NASHVILLE -- From bus benches to magazine covers, live performances to giant banners, five-member Christian 'boy band' Plus One was everywhere during the Gospel Music Assn.'s (GMA) April confab here. [...]

SHOW ME THE MONEY SESSION NASHVILLE -- An energetic session of idea-swapping put a positive spin on this year's National Christian Promoters Roundtable, the live concert track of seminars held [...]

NASHVILLE -- While the finishing touches of a major corporate sponsor deal are still being hammered out, Trisha Yearwood's first headline tour in three years is generating excitement -- and [...]

When London promoter Paul Penn announced his trio of spring country music festivals (AB, Feb. 7), it was more than good news for Britain's country fans: it was good news [...]

SCALED-BACK TICKET PRICES With everyone from Newsboys with their inflatable dome to crossover stars like Michael W Smith and Jars of Clay on tour, it looks like the roads will [...]

It's been a tough year for Christian music tours, but Australian rockers the Newsboys have made a surprisingly strong showing with their spring leg, which wrapped in Nashville May 15. [...]

The Top 100 Boxscores 1989, A Year For Good News And A Year For Bad When speaking of the concert industry, 1989 was indeed the best of times and the [...]

Spotlights the 60th Anniversary of the St. Louis Arena Through 60 years of good times and bad, St. Louis Arena is rich in history Sixty years ago, on Sept. 24, [...]

Spotlights..............Water Attractions More visitors, higher gates, survey reveals Early-season rains may have dampened attendances for some the country's major waterparks, but many are still reporting increases from 1988, according to [...]

Outdoor Concessions Balloon Manufacturers React To Sea Pollution Controversy Allegations that balloons released at special events drift into the world's oceans and endanger marine life has raised concerns in the [...]

New Amusement Projects Abound In Major Mkts. The word is out: Texas is a happening place again, and to prove it, new business proposals are cropping up around the state [...]

Major Markets Vying For Entertainment Biz Entertainment of all kinds is booming in the state of Florida, and residents seem to only want more. A look at seven major markets [...]

AB Salutes The OABA's Silver Anniversary Past Presidents Reflect On The OABA The OABA has 20 past presidents in its 25-year history. The discrepancy in years is explained by William [...]

AMUSEMENT BUSINESS SALUTES THE GRAND OPENING OF The Jan. 29 opening of Orlando Arena will mean the addition of a sixth building to Centroplex, a complex of city-owned and -run [...]

Contemporary Productions has teamed with Sparrow Communications and Proper Productions to plan a 13-city tour for 'Emmanuel,' a Christian musical production designed by the same group that put together the popular 'Young Messiah' production. The show will feature a combination of traditional Christmas music and new Christian songs, and will also have video and dance enhancements. Local groups will be added to each bill. A sound recording will be issued before the tour begins., 'Emmanuel,' the holiday tour featuring some of Christian music's biggest names, opens Nov. 29 at the Orlando Arena, on a 13-city national outing promoted by St. Louis-based Contemporary Productions. Fielded [...]

Salt Lake City, Utah's Delta Center has been successful since it opened in 1992, and owner Larry H. Miller is planning carefully to continue the facility's success. Miller, owner of the Center's major tenant the National Basketball Assn's Utah Jazz, just refinanced his loan. Management is planning to begin self promoting concerts as one way to increase revenues and prepare for the Utah Grizzlies move to another stadium. That new stadium, which is to host the Winter Olympics in 2002, will mean more competition for the center., SALT LAKE CITY -- Closing out its fifth anniversary year, the Delta Center arena is taking an aggressive approach to position itself for the next five years. The last five [...]

Many new night clubs are opening which feature Christian music acts because there are a growing number of such acts and the demographic they appeal to is an easy one to reach. Club operators say youths age 14 to 19 are starved for activities and will happily frequent Christian nightspots. Several well known Christian entrepreneurs are opening clubs. John Thompson of True Tunes, a record store and music club in Wheaton, IL, is considering a franchise, as are operators of other popular clubs., One of the hottest stories in Christian music today isn't Amy Grant's record sales or Steven Curtis Chapman's SRO tour - it's a grass-roots movement involving live concerts that's on [...]

British rock band Bad Company has launched what it hopes will be a comeback tour of the U.S. The band is under new management and has recorded a new album. The band feels that they can appeal to younger audiences, and thereby expand their fan base. The tour opened May 11, 1995, and will also feature rock musician Ted Nugent., When '70s rock icon Bad Company rolls into town, don't expect to see a nostalgia show. The band's current tour, which opened May 11, is part of a 'complete revitalization [...]

MCI and country music band Sawyer Brown have formed a successful marketing agreement. MCI began offering its 1-800-COLLECT service in Jan, 1995, and signed Sawyer Brown to appear on TV and radio ads. MCI gets its name on signs and promotional materials for concerts, and it is sponsoring a sweepstakes for a trip to the band's Labor Day Weekend concert. Sawyer Brown has been seen in the service's national print ads, and sales of concert tickets and recordings have risen., Corporate America's love affair with country music is going strong and by all appearances, the honeymoon is far from over. Companies not traditionally associated with country music continue to mine [...]