Jason Geisinger knows that the entertainment business can be fickle. After all, he's practically married to it.
Geisinger is one of five AU students who work for the Student Union Board. As part of SUB, he books musicians to perform for the AU community and takes care of their needs while on campus. He spends almost all his time outside of class in the SUB office on the second floor of Mary Graydon, starting early in the morning and sometimes staying until 10 or 11 p.m.
Geisinger has planned four shows for this semester, starting with rocker Andrew W. K. in the Tavern Feb. 18. More than 400 students attended, making the show a success according to Caitlin Williams, SUB's hospitality manager.
Another band, the Dresden Dolls, who offer punk-cabaret-style music, will play in the Tavern on April 8. Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday will grace Bender's stage on April 20, in what Geisinger describes as "the biggest independent production at AU in a while." He also said that he hopes to have a much smaller Tavern show for a singer-songwriter later this spring.
Student opinions of SUB are varied and cover every inch of the spectrum, from the die-hard fans that attend every show to those who don't go to see any artists that SUB books.
Michael Borja, a sophomore in the School of International Service, was enthusiastic about seeing Andrew W. K. perform earlier this month in the Tavern.
"I like his intensity. It's kind of unprecedented, especially because his genre died out about 10 years ago," said Borja. "He reminds me of all the metal friends my older sister had in the early '90s."
"It's very refreshing to see someone like Andrew W. K., because the music industry has become extremely commercialized and prefabricated in order to make that extra dollar," Borja said.
He said he is impressed with the array of musical or comedy shows hosted by SUB, from comedian Margaret Cho to last year's N.E.R.D., Dashboard Confessional and Talib Kweli performances.
"I was a little upset this semester, because there don't seem to be as many concerts as there were last year," Borja said.
The biggest problem Geisinger and SUB have faced this year in trying to book shows is the fact that nobody is going on tour. A multitude of artists, especially rock and industrial bands, went on tour across the U.S. this past summer, so most have either stopped touring or have gone overseas.
Last summer there was too much supply and not enough demand, Geisinger said.
Because so many of the bands or artists on tour this last summer were of the same genre, they competed against one another in terms of audience size and ticket sales, so hard-core rock fans were forced to pick which concerts to attend.
According to Geisinger, the effect of all these bands going on tour at the same time meant that they did not generate as much revenue because of increased competition. The end result is that nobody is going on tour this semester, so there are fewer artists that SUB could convince to perform at AU, he said.
Booking and scheduling the shows is challenging. Geisinger said it is difficult to get acts to commit to play at AU, and the process involves mountains of paperwork and signing thick stacks of contracts. He works with AU's legal department to plan out the details of the show and determine what is in the school's best interest.
Sometimes Geisinger will work with a middle agent who can act as a liaison and mediator between SUB and the artist, especially in the case of more popular artists. Other times, if he sees a local band he likes, Geisinger will let them open for a more popular act, as the band Throne did for N.E.R.D. last year.
It is the minor details of those multi-page contracts that determine whether the two parties will come to an agreement.
"We have a saying that goes for every show we plan: 'It's definite after it already happened,'" Geisinger said.
Geisinger said that the problem with planning a concert is the cost associated with it. Some popular artists, especially those in the rap or hip-hop genres, are the most expensive, so SUB can't afford to have them come with its limited budget.
"People might accuse me of booking only bands I want to hear," Geisinger said. "I don't need to do that. I could make a few calls and see them myself.
"I want people who are going to be famous two months after my show, but before they come at a 'famous' price," he said. "Realistically, we run a business here. I'm not going to spend a whole year's budget on one show."
Hospitality manager Caitlin Williams also defended SUB's choice of entertainers.
"Those people who say we don't have anybody famous are forgetting we did have big names here," she said. "We've had Bob Dylan; we've had Margaret Cho, we've had Gavin DeGraw."
"Besides," she said, "That's the great thing about college: you get to see people you've never heard of that are really good. Just because you don't see somebody on MTV doesn't mean that they're not worth seeing."
Kyle Taylor, SG President-elect, has proposed a student "soundboard" to help give feedback to organizations like SUB and the Kennedy Political Union. This appointed board would advise SUB and KPU on speakers and bands to bring to campus according to public opinion.
"I'm hoping to get more people involved in the process of selecting bands and speakers that come to campus. After all, it's their student activities fee," Taylor said.
Eric Friedlander, volunteer coordinator for SUB, is open to the idea of the soundboard.
"I like the idea. I think it's important for students to have access through channels to SUB," Friedlander said.
However, Friedlander said he feels that the proposed plan is "not a cure-all, end-all."
With the help of the feedback, SUB should be able to bring bands that will satisfy a large portion of students.
"An open lane of communication is key," Friedlander said.
Besides costs and contractual stipulations, there are other factors over which SUB has no control that affect the college concert industry.
Geisinger said that illegal downloading via the Internet undermines the recording industry in favor of the concert industry. As a result, there is less demand for CDs and more demand for tickets to live events, which then causes ticket prices to increase.
Poor attendance at college concerts nationwide also contributes to the problem, because students aren't going to shows if they can see the same act at a "better club." That's why Geisinger tries to bring bands that will draw student crowds and put on a good show.
"Basically, I'm trying to get the best band we can get for the amount of money we have," he said.
Staff writer Rebecca Armendariz contributed to this article.
