changes in today's touring scene August 31, 1992 - Amusement Business by Linda Deckard (Fred Bohlander, co-owner of Monterey Peninsula Artists) CARMEL, Calif. -- In today's talent scene, there are "fewer arena shows and more theater shows, with acts playing multiple dates rather than one big show," in the opinion of Fred Bohlander, co-owner of Monterey Peninsula Artists here. Bohlander has seen a lot of changes in 25 years as a booking agent, and that is a predominant trend in his opinion. "In the '70s, bands toured every year. In the '80s, with major record success, they toured less often. In the '90s, records aren't really as big and they are looking at traveling more often." But, while they are on the road, they are not necessarily in arenas and stadiums, and Bohlander thinks there are two reasons for scaling down: the economy and MTV. "In the '70s, there was a mysticism and excitement about seeing something you hadn't seen before. Now, it's all exposed on video and television. The excitement may not always be there, or it's not as exciting as people thought." He has no doubt the result has been to "water down" live shows. While young kids still go, the act is under pressure to give them something truly exciting. Bohlander believes the younger bands are better commercially than many of their predecessors. The young acts have grown up with more exposure to music. Each generation identifies with its own style of music, and this age is no different. Phish, a Monterey Peninsula Artists client, is one example of a band that's "on the road all the time developing an audience. Kids identify with them." Phish appeared in a package tour called "The Horde," which included Blues Traveller, Spin Doctors and Widespread Panic. It played six dates in New England, then went south. It was all over in a month, but it was successful, Bohlander said. "All the bands had something different to say musically but they appealed to the same audience" -- 18- to 29-year-olds. It's common in country music to have two or three acts packaged together, but it's "slow to develop on the contemporary side," he said. "I think it's more likely bands will pair up. Agents want to do packages, but..." Bohlander is an agent, first and only. He does not promote and he doesn't deviate. "I still believe in the agent-promoter-arena formula," he said. "There always will be clients who eliminate one, but I never, ever sell to halls or national promoters and I don't sell a whole tour." That's not to say the business isn't changing in Carmel along with the rest of the world. "The deals are getting tighter," Bohlander noted. "Expenses do go up. Everyone is sharper and more knowledgeable of expenses. Promoters have computers. There are faster ways of communication. I have a file of day-to-day touring expenses. It's not guesswork. We have information to make the deal on." Bohlander also believes strongly that "our deals won't put anyone out of business." Overall, for Monterey Peninsula Artists, "business has been very good; '91 was a fairly good year; '92 has more dates being played, but, as I said, in more theaters, the 2,000- to 3,000-seat houses," he said. That has translated into what Bohlander calls a "higher rate of success, more sellouts." "Acts are happier if they are doing capacity business or close to it, no matter what size the hall." Another sign of the times is in the fair market. "The fair market is very strong," Bohlander said. Nashville has been an important part of that phenomenon. "Country artists are happening." Monterey Peninsula Artists opened its Nashville branch -- Monterey Artists -- several years ago and it has proven to be a wise move. The crop of new country acts who have not been overexposed and the current popularity of country music results in the perfect scenario for fairs. "It used to be the same artists over and over again. Now we have Travis Tritts and Alan Jacksons and people are out to see what they're all about. Country radio plays a lot of music, too. It's different on the contemporary and rock side." The business is somewhat cut and dried today. Bohlander says there "aren't that many tricks anymore." Artists can make good deals with everyone from sound and light to the promoter. Merchandise is a shifting sea, though. "It has cooled off considerably," Bohlander said of the T-shirt business. "How many can the kids buy? It has gotten very costly (for the fan)." Every deal is a fight "for everything you can get." It's just a more businesslike fight today.