July 3, 2007
Emo's: "Hey Neighbor! Wanna Be My Official Talent Buyer?"
In a (somewhat) surprising announcement via press release mid-afternoon Monday, Austin's legendary venue Emo's, announced a partnership with local talent buying firm, C3 Presents. The announcement arrives on the heels of another announcement: Transmission Entertainment's official bid in the Austin talent buying and event booking business.
In many ways, the partnership between Emo's and C3 is a match made in heaven: Stubb's, which is co-owned by Charles Attal, a partner at C3, is a neighbor to the three-stage club situated on 6th & Red River. Frank Hendrix, owner of Emo's, stated that the match was a "perfect fit," citing the venues' long-standing history of working independently to bring large-scale events to town. Local booking will continue to be managed by Michael Booher and Deb Gill.
C3 handles many large festivals, including Austin City Limits, and already has a strong footing in the larger venues around town, including Stubb's, and dabbles in artist management too, handling bands like Ben Kweller, What Made Milwaukee Famous and Blues Traveler. Transmission Entertainment, which is now effectively booking at ten locations around town, lets Graham Williams, the former head talent buyer at Emo's, handle their national touring acts.
So as you can see, this is all very interesting.
Photo courtesy Level9ganon on Flickr.
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Graham Williams used to book at Emo's
Graham Reynolds is the Golden Arm Trio guy
Weird. My brain totally floated off there. Thank you for catching that, Guest. It's corrected.
wow. where did you hear this news?
Press release.
Hrm, I wonder if this means ticket prices will go up for shows at Emos?
i think they intend to keep it all exactly the same with regard to prices, the way the club functions, etc. i think c3 is only booking national shows, so hopefully that means the local flavor will stay the same, by and large.
Here's to hoping this results in a fix up of the sound outside and of course the bathrooms.
Nah, I don't see why anyone would want Emos' bathrooms fixed. They're, like, totally legendary.
The prices already went up when they started using ticket web.
The prices already went up when they started booking worthwhile bands.
I hope they clean the bathrooms. I caught syphilis from the urinals.
Long live confusing paths to the potty and trough urinals.
this is great news. its is C3's new division of their company called 'C-street', where they keep it real for the street. their main talent buyer is cruisin a beemer talkin on blu tooth listening to hootie and the blowfish right about now.
i also heard casino el camino signed a deal with best buy to sell their burgers.
More consolidation will continue to marginalize every other club in town. It's a shame that a few people are going to control pretty much 100% of the roadshow booking in this town.
Emo's has grown so exponentially that it's headed for a fall - don't get me wrong, as a musician I love their sound, and they're always good to bands....but since they added the 3rd stage, they've got way too much dominance over roadshows in this town.
bye bye Emos.
this just in: new talent buyer for emos books her first outside show from her new iphone while shopping at the domain. while speaking with beyonce's management, she was quoted as saying "i think its over there by the chevron on barton springs and congress"
Um, read between the lines folks. It looks like Williams walked with Emo's lineup and is now peddling it via Transmission, leaving Emo's high and dry unless they pay off the middle man. Emo's is sticking to their guns by remaining independent of Transmission's booking (just wait, exclusive booking deals for venues are coming), but has had to strike up the deal with a national booker to replace the shows they just lost (in drops Attal until the club can find it's own booker). This is all nasty, nasty business.
Emo's has survived EVERY booking agent who has left the club (unless this is something financial). Band loyalty usually disappears when it comes to money and venues, so, I'm afraid, Graham's Transmission booking company is dead in the water. I just don't see any club letting a third party book their venue. Doesn't make sense in this town. (yes, I know other towns have successfully done this but Austin is ENTIRELY different and I'm not talking about C3 or Direct Events. They have their OWN clubs and festivals that they book exclusively.) This town is not going to let a third party book their rooms. (Of course this only applies to the ones who are showcasing music 365 days a year. The relatively unknown or unpopular rooms would ,of course, jump at the opportunity...however, that is the problem...they are unknown. Bands do not want to play at places that may seem unpopular with the locals. I also see Emo's closing in 6 months as this is generally a sign of money problems. So kids, the era of Emo's is over...welcome Stemo's or Emubb's or Stubmo's...either way Emo's is dead! So sad really...
Emo's closing? That's funny; I'm sure they'll be just fine.
there's an article in the latest billboard magazine that says three emo's people will still be doing the booking for (i believe) punk, metal and local.
I hope not. Its such a huge part of the scene here. The thing is, Graham was at Emos longer than Frank. Frank handled booze, Graham handled music. The music part is why I go. There must be some reason he is leaving. Clearly, the lounge is not doing well, some staff left, and it doesnt help for a indie joint to have sign a deal with Wal-Mart booking. Somethings up. Im sure it will all blow over, Im gonna keep the faith.
Self explanatory: you can find emos right next to house of blues and harrahs casinos. Maybe they will have a nice shrimp cocktail buffet. Bummer for us all...
http://www.c3presents.com/concerts.aspx
Word through the grapevine is that Michael Terrazas (Clud De Ville) and James Moody (The Mohawk, next door) have been talking for months and months about building a music venue in the area between their two bars. This music venue, in theory, would compete most directly against Stubb's (similar size of venue)....but probably also against Emo's. The question is whether they can pull this off. Austin's music scene has always been - and remains - extremely loyalist. One thing is for sure, though; Transmission doesn't have a chance in hell of competing with C3 Presents in this city unless they own their own large venue.
Whoever said above that no venue in this town will be down with 3rd party booking....spot on.
to whomever wrote this:
"I just don't see any club letting a third party book their venue. Doesn't make sense in this town."
Um...transmission is made up of some of the bar owners AND graham. so he is not a third party booking agent. he is working WITH the owners of those bars (Devillle, Mohawk, Beerland, etc) to get them music. get your facts straight.
Transmission has nothing to do with Beerland according to their own press release. Get your facts straight. Hardeeharharhar.
And, who the hell wants to see shows at Mohawk (worse sound than Emos), Deville (not a venue), or Lamberts?
Wasn't Emo's supposed to be opening up shop in Vegas with Beauty Bar down on Fremont Street? the Harrah's comment made me think of that.
transmission has been shady.. and unethical. there's the reason for the Emo's / C3 marriage.
i don't see how they're going to be able to pull off having live music at devillehawk when those condos go up across the street....
That's true about the condos. New zoning laws will be going into effect that will not allow them to have live music anymore. That is also the reason why Stubb's is being "renovated" and a new wall is being built. They helped write the new zoning as to make sure they will be in complaince and most of Red River will not - they will not be allowed to have live music after 9pm starting next summer.
Well, we all know austin. Book the butthole surfers reunion in a muddy cotton field and people will go out of their way to get there. The 'where' doesnt matter as much as the 'what' around here. At the end of the day, its about the bookings. Whoever gets them, has the most fun. May the best man win. Im headed to Hooters.
People are trying to book more music for our fine city. Who cares where it is or who booked it - Yay for us. Time to hug it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGg6EHotg3E
so why is moh-ville spending all of that dough to expand? unless it's going to be enclosed....ahhhhh.....
what "shady" stuff does transmission, a new company that hasn't booked a show, do? did you mean "shady" in reference to C3?
anyone who's worked with graham williams knows he's a stand-up guy.
This is a bit sad, seems like it'll reduce the character of Emo's a bit - not sure about killing it...
Someone told me once that C3 and the Emo's guys were rivals, for some reason? Is this something y'all have heard before?
I won't say C3 (Charles Attal/Stubb's) and Emo's were rivals so much as different size rooms/clientele - but early in Stubb's beginning they outbid for shows that Emo's would have normally booked. You can't blame the bands for taking more money (band loyalty only runs as far as the bank account! Hello Graham!) But there were rumors of Stubb's telling booking agents that no matter what Emo's offered - they (Stubb's ) would beat it! Rumor? Maybe. But for a time I heard Emo's had it rough as their pockets weren't as deep as Stubb's. Emo's redirected their booking to be more "minor friendly" which most clubs stay away from for legal (TABC) reasons (which can't be all that profitable for Emo's when you have a bar! Not to mention the potential for problems when dealing with All Ages shows!) Still, Stubb's books shows that Emo's can't handle production wise, capacity, and, more or less, "adult". For these two to join forces is a little odd as I thought Emo's is/was supposed to be "DYI/Indie" and not aligned with ANYTHING corporate or "outside" house? I give it a few months and one of these two parties will "blink" and the union will be over. Sad to see this happen to one of Texas' legendary punk rooms (Emo's was always greater than it's booking agent! No one person is Emo's. A monkey answering the phone at Emo's could book a show. Emo's was (is?) an entity on itself. Seems to me the union was unnecessary. To quote an old baseball movie 'Field of Dreams': "If you build it... they will come!" Seems Emo's was already built. Why the course change? Hmmm? Sounds to me as if lazy or insecure people are running this place. (Haters...it's just an opinion! If you have some facts, then please share...)
signed,
a long time teary-eyed Emo's patron who just lowered his "punk flag" at half mast.