I accepted my position as Orange Peel Director understanding that if Orange Peel 2007 lost money, Orange Peel would likely be canceled permanently. Because of expenses associated with the show, Orange Peel has broken even only four of 11 years. Artists charge universities and casinos more than any other venue, increasing costs substantially because it is a stadium show. Additionally, it costs OSU more to host a concert than it does the Ford Center. For example, the matting that protects the football field costs $13,000.
Clear Channel has been Orange Peel’s partner for the past two years, splitting expenses and any profit or loss. Orange Peel 2005 lost $160,000. However, in 2006 Alan Jackson was a huge success with attendance of 18,000, yet Orange Peel’s profit was only about $1,000. This April, Clear Channel decided it was no longer viable to be our partner because of university related expenses.
The situation was presented to the OSU Student Union. The Union demonstrated great support, indicating its willingness to solely finance OP. It should be clearly understood that we did not cancel this year’s show because my team and I couldn’t choose a band. We couldn’t get a quality band to agree to perform given the budget and dates available. In 2006, we spent more than $400,000 on artists. This year we had $200,000.
The OP Committee was negotiating for Brad Paisley to headline OP 2007. We did not specifically set out for a country act; however, we felt that Paisley, a top five-ranked performer, would appeal to students as well as the community. This is crucial to justify a stadium show. The Union gave OP approval for Paisley, informing me that any other show would have to be specifically approved.
Negotiations fell through with Paisley July 1 because of talent costs and production issues. We immediately explored dozens of artists, attempting to find a show that we could both afford and sell. We made many offers, both verbally and contractually, but nothing materialized. To my knowledge, we had more offers on the table than any other OP team before us.
The Ford Center has impacted OP’s ability to sign talent. As of August 1, we had exhausted a long list of artists, and no artist had said “yes.” Instead of risking Orange Peel’s future, my team and I made the difficult decision to step back and consider the possibility of a 2008 show.
In the meantime, it should be noted that no one is more disappointed with this outcome than my team and I. They have worked tirelessly, and I fear that instead of being rewarded by seeing the stands fill up and the stage lights glow, they will receive complaints and insults, which they simply don’t deserve. There were many decisions that were entirely out of our control. Consequently, the purpose of this article is to try briefly to inform you of some of the factors that played a part in this year’s cancellation.
If you have any further questions or would like to apply for next year’s team, please visit http://www.osupeel.com.
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