Music Industry Panel with David Spero, Charlie Brusco, Danny Zelisko
online
Los Angeles, CA, USA
California
34.0522342
-118.2436849
Description
Join top Managers and Promoters David, Charlie and Danny as they share their stories of their combined 120 years in the music business.
Between them they have promoted John Prine, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, Jackson Browne, Alan Parsons, Frankie Valli, & Bad Company. In addition, their companies currently manage Styx, Poison, Heart, Dickey Betts, Patty Smyth and more.
The knowledge and stories you will get from this masterclass are invaluable, and subjects covered will include how to break into the music business, to ticket prices, to promoting a rock concert. They will answer the questions you have always wanted to know. GUARANTEED that you will be mesmerized, laugh and entertained!
ABOUT DAVID SPERO:
David Spero was destined to be part of Rock and roll’s history!
Starting at age 13, he worked on his father Herman’s Upbeat TV show holding cue cards and later serving as ‘Talent Coordinator’ and then Associate Producer. Upbeat was seen in over 100 cities between 1964 and 1971. He has since produced four Upbeat Live shows on Cleveland television garnering 3 Emmy nominations.
A radio career started in 1968 (at the age of 17) at WXEN-FM in Cleveland. Stints at WNCR, WMMS, M105 and WNCX helped establish him as a top disc jockey in, the then new and emerging, field of FM radio. He was inducted into the Ohio Radio and TV Hall of Fame in 2004.
Hanging around with recording stars evolved into a career in artist management. David Spero Management was formed in 1973 steering the career of local icon Michael Stanley and producer Bill Szymczyk (Eagles, Who, Bob Seger etc) as well as Father Guido Sarducci from Saturday Night Live.
David took a thirteen year break from Rock and Roll when he accepted a job as Managing Director/Midwest for Columbia/Tri Star Pictures. He coordinated the regional releases of such pictures as ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘The Natural’, ‘Tootsie’, and ‘Gandhi’ during his tenure.
But Rock and Roll came calling again in 1990 when Eagle Joe Walsh asked Spero to manage his career. He added other artists such as Harry Nilsson, Vanilla Ice, Eric Carmen and Ian Hunter. Spero produced ‘The Joe Walsh/Glenn Frey Tour’ which was the precursor to ‘The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over Tour’.
The rigors of touring took their toll and in 2000, Spero ‘retired’ and accepted the position of Vice President of Programming and Education at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In this position, Spero produced the successful MTV show “Live At The Rock Hall” which aired for two seasons and featured the first TV appearances of such artists as Linkin Park, John Meyer, Godsmack, Avril Lavigne and Alicia Keys.
But again, antsy for that Rock and Roll lifestyle, David Spero Management was back in business in 2003 representing the careers of Billy Bob Thornton, Hall of Famers Dickey Betts and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Survivor, Nelson, Don Felder, JD Souther and The Funk Brothers. After adding Richie Furay as a client, Spero helped put together the Buffalo Springfield reunion tour. A young, up and coming band The Empty Pockets fill out the current roster along with Albert Hammond, Patty Smyth and Scandal, Jesse Colin Young, Petula Clark, Ted Neeley, The Allman Betts Band, G.E. Smith and Bad Company.
David, 68, is a former (and original) member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Board of Directors. He lives in South Euclid Ohio with his wife, Ellen, of 42 years. They have a son Adam who is a graduate of John Carroll University.
ABOUT CHARLIE BRUSCO:
Charlie Brusco’s early love of rock and roll music has led to one of the industry’s most successful careers in artist management. In the early 70s, Brusco discovered and managed The Outlaws, who were the first act signed to Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1973. His work with this multi-platinum southern rock giant paved the way for his relationship with classic rock radio legend Lynyrd Skynyrd. His successful revival of Skynyrd’s career brought other classic rock acts to his door such as Bad Company, Peter Frampton, Survivor, Tesla, John Waite, Thin Lizzie and Styx.
Charlie was born in Pittsburgh, PA and at 14 formed his own band which won a recording session with RCA Records. After college he moved to Tampa, FL and founded Southern Bay Productions. After discovering The Outlaws he moved to Macon, GA and then to Atlanta, GA in 1976. He created High Tide Management, Inc. The company was wildly successful and in 1979 The Outlaws sold out Madison Square Garden.
During Jimmy Carter’s victorious run for the White House in 1976, Charlie arranged and produced many concerts for the benefit of Carter’s campaign. He began to promote concerts in addition to his managerial duties. During that time he promoted the benefit Amnesty International Concert at the Omni in 1986 with Bill Graham and Alex Cooley. Stars such as U2, The Police and Bryan Adams appeared.
Ten years after the tragic 1977 plane crash, Charlie reunited the survivors of Lynyrd Skynyrd and they have successfully toured up to the present day. In 1996 he also reunited the members of Styx and they had the most successful tour of their 20+ year career. At present, they are even hotter, selling out venues all over the country. They appeared at the Super Bowl twice in recent years.
The day after the heartbreaking events of 9/11/2001 Charlie and Styx decided they could not just stand by and do nothing. During one phone call “Volunteers for America” was conceived. Charlie and his staff put together, in only 3 weeks, two benefit concerts. Appearing at the Atlanta and Dallas concerts were Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, Peter Frampton, Eddie Money, John Waite, Survivor, Mark Farner and was MC’d by Drew Carey. Charlie got hotels to donate rooms, airlines to give him lower prices, buses, trucks, sound and lights all donated or did the job at rock bottom prices. The artists and all the crew took no money for their efforts. These concerts netted $575,000 and in November 2001, Charlie, members of his staff, members of Styx, Journey and REO Speedwagon stood at the ruins of The World Trade Center and presented a check for $550,000 to the Port Authority Police World Trade Survivor Fund. $25,000 was given straight to 2 individuals which included Kelly Lee, widow of well-known tour carpenter Danny Lee who was killed on the flight from Boston going home for the birth of his second child.
In 2002 two concerts were done at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and in Cleveland. Participating in the proceeds that year was the Port Authority Police and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Educational Fund. Charlie was honored in 2005 with NARAS’ prestigious Hero’s Award along with Coretta Scott King and Usher. His good friend, Jon Bon Jovi presented him to the audience and Styx was his musical guest. In 2010 he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame as a non-performer with Styx James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw doing the honors.
In 2010, Brusco was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame for his achievements as a non-performer with Styx's James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw doing the honors.
In January 2012 Charlie joined the prestigious Red Light Management that manages artists such as The Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Alicia Keyes, Tim McGraw and many, many more. His office became the Atlanta Red Light Office. RLM has offices in NYC, Nashville, Los Angeles, Denver, London and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. He sits on the Board of TJ Martell Cancer Organization and NARAS. Charlie has been active in Grammys in the Schools and sat on the Board of Directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
ABOUT DANNY ZELISKO:
Danny Zelisko began promoting concerts in Arizona in 1974. He founded the legendary concert promoting firm called Evening Star Productions, that brought worldwide attention to the youngest state on the US mainland, by the entertainment industry. He became known as one of the world’s best promoters and talent buyers, a true rainmaker when it comes to discovering and booking talent in all sorts of situations.
Beginning with promoting concerts at Dooley’s Nightclub (700 capacity) in Tempe, Zelisko and his team promoted hundreds of new and veteran bands in facilities across the valley. Acts such as The Police, Cheap Trick, Pat Benatar, Talking Heads, KISS, Bon Jovi, No Doubt, and Nirvana (among many others) performed at the intimate venue from its opening in 1976, until it closed after several ownership and name changes (aka After the Gold Rush and Electric Ballroom) in the mid-1990′s. Nightclub concerts by recording stars began happening all over the country, with Zelisko leading his territory in this area of booking.
In the 1980′s Zelisko’s company and staff grew. He became the state’s most prominent concert promoter, producing hundreds of shows each year, while also becoming New Mexico’s busiest promoter. Evening Star also promoted shows in almost every state in the USA during the 80′s and 90′s, while promoting shows in every venue, small and large alike, all over the southwest, including Vets Memorial Coliseum, the original home of the Phoenix Suns, then America West Arena, now known as US Airways Center. Pink Floyd and Paul McCartney were among the stadium events promoted by Evening Star.
In 1990, Evening Star began promoting shows in the Desert Sky Amphitheatre, with its grand opening show with Billy Joel. The facility has undergone several name changes, including Blockbuster Pavilion, Cricket Amphitheatre, Ashley Furniture Homestore Pavilion, and finally now known as Ak-Chin Pavilion.
By the year 2000, consolidation of concert promoters began by SFX, as they bought up many of the country’s biggest promoters, including Bill Graham Presents from San Francisco, Electric Factory from Philadelphia, Don Law from Boston, Pace Concerts from Texas, and many more. Evening Star joined the ranks of these fabled promoters, by selling to SFX in 2001. Zelisko became President of the Southwest office of SFX. A few years later, Clear Channel Communications bought SFX, and Zelisko and his staff became part of Clear Channel Entertainment.
In 2006, Clear Channel spun the entertainment division and all of its promoters and venues into what is now called Live Nation, where Zelisko remained as President and then Chairman of Live Nation Southwest, until he left his post in 2011, to begin promoting shows as Danny Zelisko Presents.
Zelisko’s focus has always been on putting the right acts in the right places at the right time with the right ticket prices in order to maintain fun and excitement for audiences and artists alike. DZP continues to bring top name acts to the Phoenix area, as well as Las Vegas and Albuquerque.
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Start:
2020-08-22T17:00:00-07:00
End:
2020-08-22T18:00:00-07:00
Category
Music
Tickets
General Admission
100.0
USD
21
