Relix Live Music Conference 2017 Keynote: Ron Delsener, Peter Shapiro and David Fricke on Music Industry Highs and Lows
The 2017 Relix Live Music Conference came to a close with an intimate and candid conversation between legendary promoter Ron Delsener and Brooklyn Bowl co-founder Peter Shapiro, moderated by longtime Rolling Stone rock journalist David Fricke, who introduced the duo by saying, “Right here I have live music in New York at its best.”
Delsener spoke frankly about the industry and the job of promoter, saying, “First of all, you have to be an ass-kisser” and “It’s called beggars and caterers—we beg for the act, then we have to cater to them.” He also talked about his start in the industry and how difficult it is, as promoters lose much more money with failures than they gain with successes, but showed an obvious love for the business of bringing music and high-quality events to the fans.
Shapiro, for his part, discussed his own start in the industry when he took over New York’s famed Wetlands venue in the ‘90s, all the way to his acquiring of the Capitol Theatre, his founding of Brooklyn Bowl and his orchestrating of the Grateful Dead’s Fare Thee Well reunions in 2015. He also expressed his reverence for Delsener, saying how much he respects that he still sees the elder promoter at shows around the city. “I go to a show, and Ron’s there,” he said. “That’s it. That’s what you want.”
Watch a video of the RLMC 2017 Keynote: