Backstage Spotlight™
Concert Promoter Gina Zamparelli
Gina Zamparelli has worked in the live concert
industry for 23 years and was the first woman in the Los Angeles market to produce
concerts with national-level artists. Shows she produced at the legendary Perkins Palace
are still talked about in rock circles, including a Guns ‘n’ Roses show credited
amongst GNR fans as being the one that put that band on the map. Gina is active in
historic preservation and has been a theater financial consultant for 13 theaters around
the US. She heads Friends of the Raymond Theatre, a non-profit group dedicated to saving
the former vaudeville theater (built in 1921) that was known in the 80’s &
90’s as the concert venue Perkins Palace (which Gina’s company managed for more
than a decade). Once her preservation work with the Raymond Theatre comes to a close, she
will start producing concerts in LA once again.
MBADC: Some of your shows at Perkins Palace, like Guns ‘n’ Roses, are
still talked about as putting certain bands on the map. Do you think a show can break an
artist now? Why or why not?
GZ: Do I think a show can break an artist anymore? No, I
don’t. Or if it’s possible, it’s certainly not as easy as it was in the
1980’s and early 1990’s. I think the issue is multi-layered, but when we
consolidated our concert promoters, we lost the independent promoter who cared about
nurturing artist’s careers. I was lucky to have experienced the benefits of
establishing relationships with artists and working one on one with them, taking them from
small club shows to major venue headliners and then releasing them out into the big world
to do tours. Today, it’s a whole different ballgame and like many in our industry, I
don’t think consolidation of concert promoters has been beneficial for our industry
as a whole. Artists used to be able to form a band, get a small club gig, do their own
advertising and promotion and if you brought in a good crowd, you had the ability to get
signed. Today without promoters invested in bands careers, I think it’s a harder road
for artists to progress from a club band to arena band without the support of a promoter.
MBADC: What are some of the things a promoter looks for when considering artists for
shows?
GZ: I wish I could say talent, but unfortunately being very honest,
it comes down to ticket sales. I have always done my best to break new talent and will
continue to do so, because I believe that is part of a promoter’s responsibility.
Yet, if we don’t sell tickets, we don’t make money and we can’t stay in
business. On a more personal level, when I find an artist or band who is great to work
with, you better believe they will be my top pick when they are ready to tour the
following year.
MBADC: What advice do you have for new artists on working with promoters?
GZ: Bands who are professional, well organized and reliable go a long way
towards winning promoters’ hearts. Promoters have enough details to contend with when
it comes to producing shows, not to mention a lot of money on the line. What doesn’t
make promoters happy is a difficult artist. What we don’t need is a venue filled with
people and the band who decides there is not enough pepperoni on their pizza and therefore
they are NOT going onstage. Promoters remember if a band was good or bad to work with. So
leave a good impression! For me personally, I like artists who are aggressive about their
careers and know how to help me market and advertise a show--that’s always an
extra-added bonus.
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