This past year has been tumultuous, to say the least, as our industry has continued to endure great changes. It seems that 2007 was finally the tipping point!

Live performance has become the business and those in position to take advantage of this may well lead the charge into the future.

The old music business is dead. So now what?

Music analyst Gil Kaufman recently wrote: "Letting fans choose how much to pay for your album. ... Leaving the label you've called home for your entire career to hook up with a concert-promotions giant for a $100 million-plus deal. ... Recording iTunes-only one-off singles not slated for inclusion on an album. ... Offering "artist subscriptions" to fans, who pay a flat annual fee for more intimate access to their favorite acts. ... Serving up the millions of songs in your label's catalog to MP3 players and cell phones for one all-you-can-listen-to price per month....

These are just a few of the game-shifting changes the music industry toyed with in 2007, a year when the old model of signing with a major label and releasing an album every few years finally began to look like a relic of the distant past. As artists stretched their minds to imagine new and innovative ways to get their music into the hands of fans faster, cheaper and on the fly, what some have called the death of the music business is being viewed by others as the opportunity of a lifetime."

Add to this equation the fundamental changes that are taking place in the ticketing industry and the recent announcement by Live Nation that it will utilize CTS Eventim to launch its own ticketing business in January 2009 and that Ticketmaster will lose its biggest client at the end of 2008, further compounds the monumental changes in our industry.

So CelebrityAccess asks, where does this leave us all? It certainly leaves us with a far different playing field then previous years, but for those that stay informed and find ways to adapt, they will be the first to benefit from these opportunities.

It has always been our goal at CelebrityAccess to be your information source, especially regarding the live entertainment business. You’ve made us the place to go where you can really see the opportunity. We have worked hard to ensure that you are informed about industry changes as they take place - not after the fact.

Whether it is a new story in Encore on a corporate merger, updated box office scores, or a one line blurb on a new agent in VitalSigns - we make sure that our number one priority is tracking information so you have the knowledge you need to make the decisions that make a difference.

This past year at CelebrityAccess will go down as our best year ever, and we believe our tremendous growth is attributed to you, and YOUR word of mouth, that has spread our product across the globe.  Because of this we want to thank you for your continued support, and to let you know that we view our relationship with our customers as a partnership - we work hard at making your goals our goals.

We wish you and your family a very happy holiday and a prosperous new year. We look forward to continuing to work with you and serving your needs each and every day.

- Peter Denholtz & Marc Gentilella

CelebrityAccess respects your privacy. If you choose not to receive future issues of ENCORE, please click here:

© 2007 Gen-Den Corporation. All rights reserved.
CelebrityAccess^SM and Gen-Den^SM are service marks of Gen-Den Corporation.

** ENCORE readers and those that utilize ENCORE features are bound by the ENCORE NEWSLETTER USE AGREEMENT. If you choose not to be bound by this agreement, please discard the e-mail and notify us of your desire to be removed from future mailings. **