Dive into the economics of live shows. This talk expands on how revenue is assigned to cover event production, how to analyze overhead, staff, equipment, merch and product while maintaining a healthy profit and loss balance. If you’ve ever wondered where the $25 service fee goes – this is also for curious minds.

Confluence panel discussions have no cost to attend, but have limited space. Please reserve your seat here.

Moderator

Having spent over 10 years in the industry planning, marketing and executing live music events, Taylor Winchester is also a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. After 6 years with Live Nation as Director of Sales & Special Events and Jr. Talent Buyer at the Fillmore Charlotte, Winchester has also held the role of Executive Director for Queen’s Cup Steeplechase, as well as the Director of Sales & Partnerships for the ACC Football Championship. Taylor currently splits his time between touring with mandolin player Elonzo Wesley, producing concerts & festivals with Midwood Entertainment while running his own freelance marketing company Dubya Creative.

Panelists

Gregg McCraw is the owner and founder of MaxxMusic – the largest independent concert promotions company in the Charlotte, NC area. MaxxMusic started as a hobby for a music-loving organic chemist almost 24 years ago. Years later, that chemist woke up to find he owned a company producing 500+ concerts each year with a dedicated staff helping hold everything together and making sure he didn’t drop too many balls. After years of producing concerts in Charlotte at Neighborhood Theatre, Free Range Brewing, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Oven’s Auditorium (and numerous other venues), MaxxMusic has gone regional in conjunction with Midwood Entertainment, actively promoting concerts in Asheville, Greensboro, High Point, Wilmington and Lynchburg (VA) and assisting venues in other markets on the east coast with professional buying services. MaxxMusic and Midwood Entertainment anticipate significant growth in the coming years and expansion into other markets.

Michael L. Kitchen is the founder of The Sol Kitchen, an events promotion and production business based in Charlotte and is an expert in branding, marketing, and urban music. Over the course of his decades-long career, Kitchen has successfully worked with a diverse roster of musicians and performers from many different genres to produce concerts and large-scale music festivals designed to bring people together.

Most recently, Kitchen curated stages for both the Charlotte Jazz Festival and Charlotte Shout in collaboration with the City of Charlotte and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. In addition, in celebration of the musician Prince, he brought “Purple Note 4,” the fourth edition of his much-heralded jazz tribute – featuring local artists and former Prince associates – to Charlotte and Durham. Kitchen is a sought-after consultant in the music business sector, seeks out innovative artists, is a U.S. Navy veteran, and holds a double degree from University of North Carolina, Charlotte in English and Graphic Design.

Jim Mallonee is currently the Senior Vice President of Southeast Booking for Live Nation Worldwide, Inc/House of Blues Entertainment, Inc. He oversees 18 Live Nation venues’ talent booking across six states. In his 30+ year career there, Jim has booked artists in every genre with artists including John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Sheryl Crow, Bob Dylan, Sugarland, Jimmy Buffett to No Doubt, Widespread Panic, The Killers, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Coheed & Cambria, Korn, Motley Crüe and Dave Matthews Band. Jim has also been the main talent buyer for festival shows such as WJRR’s Earthday Birthday, WHTQ’s Blues BBQ, WMMO’s Downtown Concert Series in Orlando, FL and the multiple-day Azalea festival in Wilmington, NC.

After touring the world with his rock band, Brazen, in the late 70’s / early 80’s, Jim’s first-hand experience in the concert industry catapulted him to becoming the president of Showtime Agency in Raleigh, NC from 1982 to 1992 where he was responsible for the southeast portions of national country tours in over twenty venues. While at Showtime, he booked over 800 events in one year alone and was nominated as Talent Buyer of the Year by Performance Magazine. From there, he went on to partner at Cellar Door Productions in Virginia Beach, VA, the top promoter of talent nationwide at the time. Before his 5 year stint at Cellar Door came to an end in 1997, he was nominated again by his colleagues for the Talent Buyer of The Year award, presented by Pollstar, the concert industry’s leading publication. He joined House of Blues Entertainment, Inc. in 1997 and has been there ever since.