Louis Messina, CEO of TMG, during his Q&A with Eric Church at the IEBA conference in Nashville. (Photo courtesy of IEBA Conference Youtube.)
Legendary promoter Louis Messina, Founder and CEO of Messina Touring Group, regaled attendees at the International Entertainment Buyers Assn. (IEBA) convention with his stories about how he was kidnapped, what leads to new clients, and what motivates him every day. Eric Church, one among his roster of premier clients, asked the questions.
The October convention drew a sold-out crowd of 1,650 in Nashville, Tenn. Filled with trending concerns for buyers of talent, from arenas to festivals to clubs and theaters, the annual event also showcases up-and-coming talent each night. An awards ceremony that saw Messina inducted into the IEBA Hall of Fame closed the event.
That same night, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., was named IEBA Arena of the Year; Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, and Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Fla., tied for Theater of the Year; Hollywood Bowl, Calif., won Amphitheater of the Year; and Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, Minn., won Fair/Expo of the Year. Venue Executive of the Year was David Kells, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville.
During the exclusive Q&A, Church was quick to ask Messina how he selected the people he works with.
“I have to have passion for what the artist does,” Messina said. “I have to have a connection.” He watches the artist interact with the audience, and with Church, he saw that connection, watching the audience’s eyes locked on the artist and their lips mouthing the words to all his songs. “I see it as a spiritual connection. When I see that, I know I’ve got to be a part of this.”
He said he only works with artists who want to work with him. “It’s got to be more than I want to go out and make money with you. We have to want to go on journeys together.”
Serendipitously, every artist Messina works with was the opening act for someone he already represents, apart from the Lumineers. Church opened for Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift worked with George Strait. “Through Taylor, I met Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendez; through George I met Kenny, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. That’s how I built “our” career. You have to trust me, and I have to trust you. It’s not just an artist/promoter relationship,” Messina said.
On Nov. 3, Messina celebrated 52 years in the industry, having learned the business with the late Allen Becker and PACE Concerts.
In the 70s, it was a different business, and a young Louis Messina was just attempting to make it in live entertainment. He was living in New Orleans and pretty much broke. He partnered with Shelly Finkle and Jimmy Koplik to promote a Led Zeppelin concert at West Palm Beach Speedway, Fla. Both thought the other had deep pockets, but that being a non-starter, they had to be creative. They decided to do mail order ticketing so they could use all that money to pay the deposits. They still had to borrow $100,000 — which would be like borrowing $5 million today — to get the ball rolling. They found Phil, a wise guy out of New Jersey, to advance the funds.
“The big day comes; the mail was coming. We must have had 20 people around the table waiting for the mailman to come so we could open sacks and sacks of mail. Finally, the mailman comes, and he didn’t have a sack. He had like 50 letters in his hand. The next day, he had 100. After a week, my partner and I went to New York to figure out how we would get money,” Messina remembers.
So they’re in their hotel room in New York, and there’s a knock on the door. These two guys say, ‘Phil wants to see you.’
“Fine, we’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Phil wants to see you now.”
Messina and his partner were packed up and on their way out the door in minutes. Where are we going? West Palm Beach.
They ended up in Florida at Phil’s place for several days. Phil finally let Messina’s partner leave to “find the money,” while Messina stayed behind as insurance. He finally said this is silly and talked his own way out.
But, it’s a great story. Messina was “kidnapped” and can say with assurance that “I’m the only concert promoter in the history of music who ever canceled Led Zeppelin for lack of ticket sales.”
Church noted that Messina has always been honest with him about his business and artistic opinions. He recalled that on his Heart & Soul tour, they started with a less-than-ideal stage that “looked like a Mardi Gras barge.” They were playing in the round, and the top of the barge, where everyone could “see” Church, was up really high with a railing. After rehearsal ahead of a sold-out show, Messina came into Church’s dressing room and started his hemming and hawing, “Whoo, whoo, well, do you like the stage?” he asked. It’s the night before the show. “I’m kind of getting used to it,” Church said. “Well, I hate it,” Messina declared.
“We played the show, which was incredible given the circumstances, and later we modified the stage,” Church said. “But what I want to know, Louis, is: are you as honest with all your other artists as you are with me?”
“It depends on how much I’ve had to drink,” Messina whipped back, adding, to applause, that he “stopped drinking 22 months ago, but I have to tell the truth. We’re in partnership; we’re professionals. We have to be honest with each other.”
Asked about his legacy, Messina said, “I got involved with artists who believed in me. I’ve been with Strait for 30 years, Taylor 10 years, Chesney 25 years, you a dozen years. I want this to continue.
“I’m not a tour promoter; I’m a career promoter. I say tell me about your next 10 years. The first time I met Taylor, she was 17. I love being part of the dream.”
Church confirmed: “That’s what you’ve always said: ‘Tell me your dreams and I’ll out-dream you.’”
To watch the full IEBA 2024 Louis Messina Keynote, you can view it here.
Jeff Davis, CVE, College Park Center, Arlington, Texas, and Evelyn Ingram, Prism.fm, were among IAVM members attending IEBA. (VP Photo)
Lexie Boone, left, Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, S.C., and Scott Johnson, of the re-branded Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum Complex which now includes First Horizon Coliseum, shop IEBA for ideas. (VP Photo)
Other 2024 IEBA industry award winners included: Club of the Year —Troubadour, W. Hollywood, Calif.; Casino — Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Fla.; Festival — Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville, Ky.; Club Buyer — Sonia Grover, First Avenue; Casino Buyer — Andrew Saunders, Hard Rock/Seminole Gaming; Special Events/Corporate Buyer — EastCoast Entertainment; International Buyer — Jim Cressman, Invictus Entertainment Group; Fair/Expo Buyer — Lacey Hayes, Romeo Entertainment Group; Festival Buyer — Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice; Young Professional — Kelly Mosiman, Wasserman Music; Music & Entertainment Industry Educator — Chuck Morris, Colorado State University; Agent — Keith Levy, Wasserman Music; and Promoter — Rich Schaefer, AEG Presents.
