Bumbershoot hopes new partnership will bring big headliners

One Reel, the non-profit arts organization that produces Bumbershoot, has announced a five-year deal with national concert promoter AEG Live, hoping it will bring more headline acts to the annual arts festival at the Seattle Center.

Under the agreement, AEG will share the financial risk (and profit) of booking music headliners, help secure sponsors and become an underwriter of the three-day fall festival. It is unclear what effect, if any, the new relationship will have on ticket prices.

"This will enable us to preserve a healthy Bumbershoot and help us stay competitive," said Michele Scoleri, Artistic Director of Bumbershoot. "AEG is a massive entertainment company, so they're working with artists of all levels at all times, rather than being a company in one city doing one event. This really opens up a lot of things."

Bumbershoot will remain independent and is not merging with or being "bought out" by AEG, nor will AEG be billed as a title sponsor — as in "AEG presents," Scoleri said.

"One Reel is still going to book Bumbershoot," said Scoleri.

As the concert business has consolidated, it has become more difficult for annual festivals to compete for major rock acts. In the past, Bumbershoot has booked artists on the way up or established acts without a recent popular album. One Reel also enjoyed extra booking clout when it presented the Summer Nights concert series. But that series was sidetracked last year when a lawsuit prevented it from being held at Gas Works Park and there are no plans to hold the concerts in Seattle this summer.

With a promoter such as AEG sharing the financial risk — and the profit — major pop music acts may become more available.

"That is the goal," said Scoleri, though she hastened to add that the festival still maintained its commitment to local and less commercial fare.

"Headline talent is important because it brings people into the festival," she said, "which gets them exposed to all the other great things they might not know about."

Bumbershoot turned a profit last year of $200,000, even after shortening the festival from four days to three. It drew about about 40,000 people a day, according to estimates. In 2005, because of bad weather, the festival lost close to $300,000.

"It is not in direct danger," said Scoleri. "But festivals are a risky business. One bad day of rain can really hurt."

AEG Live is part of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which operates the Staples Center in Los Angeles and concert venues in Manhattan and a Dallas suburb. AEG also books the huge California rock festival, Coachella, and works with Festival Productions to produce JazzFest, in New Orleans.

Bumbershoot ticket prices (which started at $25 last year) should not be affected directly by the new agreement, said One Reel publicist Kate Jackson. "Bumbershoot has remained far below the average ticket price for other comparable national events," said Jackson.

"If there is any template, it's JazzFest," said Paul Tollett, President of AEG Live's Goldenvoice and founder of Coachella. "You can't just walk in and take that show over. You have to be loyal to the event. (But) if we can drop a band or two on them that they didn't think they had access to, it helps the show."

Tollett cited Bruce Springsteen and Jack Jackson as recent examples.

The relationship with Bumbershoot benefits AEG, he said, because "bands are looking for different kinds of options."

Though Live Nation is the top concert promoter in Seattle, AEG is moving into the market. It recently became the exclusive booker of the new WaMu Theater, formerly known as the Qwest Field Event Center. The company also presented the hard rock group, Nickelback, Tuesday night at the Tacoma Dome.

Bumbershoot ticket prices (which started at $25 last year) should not be affected directly by the new agreement, said One Reel publicist Kate Jackson. "Bumbershoot has remained far below the average ticket price for other comparable national events," said Jackson.

Is Bumbershoot, a small, local arts festival, selling its soul to a big, for-profit conglomerate?

"I'd be really careful with that message," said Josh LaBelle, executive director of the non-profit Seattle Theatre Group, which operates the Paramount and Moore Theatres. "I see this less as an alliance between a corporate giant with a little arts festival and more as a very shrewd move on Bumbershoot's part to ally itself two other great arts festivals (Coachella and JazzFest)."

Bumbershoot will be held Labor Day weekend, September 1 -3, at Seattle Center. The 2007 lineup and ticketing information will be announced this spring.

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com