Veteran Country Artists Profit from Corporate Concerts

Despite a string of hits in the 1970s and '80s, Larry Gatlin knows he isn't top of mind on Music Row. "Record companies want the next big thing," Gatlin said. "That means the next 24-year-old. In traditional terms, it does not mean the next 59-year-old thing, like Larry Gatlin is." But while they're no longer burning up the record charts, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers still tour, and some of their best-paying gigs are playing for country fans in business suits, not blue jeans.

Gatlin, whose last top 10 country hit, "Love of a Lifetime," came almost 20 years ago, is among the scores of country artists doing well on the corporate circuit, playing for companies such as AT&T and 3M. Blowout Poster Sale!

People who plan corporate events say private shows have become popular in the past two or three years as companies look for creative ways to reward workers or impress clients. Older country acts such as the Gatlins are especially sought after in part because they have a friendly image but also because the executives they're playing for are older, too, and know the songs.

Chris Karbowiak, a spokeswoman for Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire LLC, said the Nashville-based company's event planners look for artists who'll play music from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. "We look for something that will be upbeat and positive," she said, something that "appeals to everyone, crosses generational lines very easily."

Performers such as Gatlin say they enjoy playing corporate shows because it keeps them working. "When we were red hot and could fill up auditoriums, we didn't do corporate dates," Gatlin said. But "I'm a small businessman. Usually, when people say, 'Oh, it's not about the money,' it's exactly about the money.'"
Companies often pay a premium for an entertainer with name recognition.

Ronnie Milsap, who placed 40 songs atop the country chart in the 1970s and '80s, said about one-quarter of the shows on his recent tours were for corporate clients such as Ford Motor Co., IBM and the National Association of Realtors.

Milsap, whose last No. 1 record was "A Woman in Love" in 1989, said corporate shows have become a significant part of his income. "I make more money today per show than I did 20 years ago, thank God," he said.

It isn't just stars who can make a good living playing corporate shows. Rick Vito, a veteran rock and blues guitarist who has played with Bob Seger, Roy Orbison and Fleetwood Mac, among others, is part of a group called Island Rumours, formed by Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood primarily to play corporate shows in Hawaii, where Fleetwood lives. "There's a lot of advantages for someone like Mick, who's got a high-profile name and image, to put together an ensemble that people in our boomer age bracket would find recognizable and interesting and fun," said Vito, who lives in Franklin.

Performers and their agents don't like to talk about exactly how much money artists can earn playing corporate gigs. Lee Maxey, a partner in Prime Source Productions, a Nashville company that books corporate events, estimates that a typical act would get something in the $20,000 range, although he said some established artists can demand a lot more.

The Rolling Stones, for example, earned $5.4 million for a private concert this summer for about 500 guests in Barcelona, Spain, according to Agence France-Presse. The show was organized by Deutsche Bank.

Brian Jones, an agent with Nashville's Bobby Roberts Co., which represents Gatlin, said artists usually charge a 25 percent to 40 percent premium for a private show than they would one for a paying audience. "The artist has no benefit to do this other than the money," Jones said. "They get no media value. If they're doing a normal show, they get record sales, they get radio promotions, they get print media, TV promotions. If they're doing a corporate show for State Farm Insurance, they could have Gladys Knight tomorrow night, and you and I don't know about it."

Indeed, State Farm spokesman Phil Supple in Bloomington, Ill., declined to discuss which artists it has hired in the past to play events, citing a clause in its contracts that prohibit the insurance company from publicizing the shows.

Despite the money, some performers balk at playing corporate events because they may be asked to change their act.

"Many times, artists will get off the stage, walk through the crowd, sit on a lap, dance with an old lady," Jones said. "Some artists don't want to interrupt the artistic integrity of their music."

But musicians who do play corporate dates say company demands are simply a test of being a good entertainer.

"Sometimes they request … certain songs, or they may request they want us to talk about certain things," Milsap said. "We roll that into the show with no problem. They usually want also a lot of meet-and-greet before the show. They want to talk to you; they want you to meet the CEO of the company. They may even say, we want you to shoot a minute video before the show. So backstage, you'll get made up and shoot a video and talk about the company. But that's not hard to do."

Corporate shows can challenge artists, who sometimes find themselves playing for audiences who've never heard of them. "It's a different animal than doing a regular country show," said John Conlee, a Grand Ole Opry member best known for the 1978 country hit "Rose Colored Glasses." Wolfgang's Vault Vintage Country Joe Posters and Memorabilia

People at corporate shows "are not all necessarily country fans. Some are not country fans at all," Conlee said, but "at the same time, it's an opportunity to gain some new fans."

Thanks to Jenny Song