Last Minute Surprises

Keep in mind, the artist’s management company works for the Artist. Two weeks before Billy Joel confirmed our bid for a performance at a university in Chicago, we were notified by the artist’s reps that another school in the area had approached Mr. Joel to perform for them as well, and indicated they would be willing to share the playdate.

Since we had made sure the offer had a proximity clause, we told Mr. Joel’s rep that this arrangement was unacceptable and not in the best interest of our university client.



Concerned that we could lose the show over this issue, we made sure to point out that our venue was the right facility (where the local symphony practiced) for this artist and the event. After some back-and-forth, the event was confirmed as an exclusive performance for my client with limited outside guests. In the end, it was a smooth running, sold out show.

As your college booking agent, ConvergEvents will always have your back, act in your best interest, and troubleshoot on your behalf. You don’t need to ask, we are unequivocally on Your side. Sometimes unexpected things happen from within, but having ConvergEvents as your event consultant, you are always in good hands.

You can have a sold out show, but if you have a ticked off artist it is not going to be a fun day. At another University performance with this same artist, somebody had already released all the comp tickets Billy Joel had reserved in his contract. Fortunately Mr. Joel did not show up with an entourage- only his mother- but she did not have a seat reserved! This would have made for a very unhappy artist. Mr. Joel never found out because we intervened in advance by giving her the seats the building had held for the middle agent, who seldom has a chance to sit down anyway during a show!

Lesson learned. Advisors and concert committee chairs need to be vigilant and make sure that items, such as comp tickets, remain available to the artist, as intended in the contract. Always be prepared to fulfill your negotiated, contractual obligations to the Artist.