Top 10 Records of 2011

Welcome to Anthems and Atleticos Top 10 Records of 2011 list, a collection of my favorite records from the year in music.

Click here for a playlist featuring select tracks from my top records of the year on Spotify

Honorable Mentions

• Washed Out- Within and Without
• The Black Keys- El Camino
• Adele- 21
• Holy Ghost!- Holy Ghost!

10. Real Estate- Days

 

Sun soaked and laid back, Real Estate’s Days is a fantastic reminder that bands don’t always need to resort to extremes to produce great music.  This is an easy record to enjoy, giving you the sense that it was effortlessly made to perfectly accompany those windows-down, sunglasses-on, stress-free moments of summer.  But don’t let the simplicity fool you, Real Estate has it all figured out on their sophomore offering- they’ve distilled a formula that’s as classic as it is refreshing. Listen to "It's Real":

Real Estate - It's Real 

9. Radiohead- King of Limbs

Radiohead is about the closest thing to an automatic qualifier as you’ll ever see on any year end list, mine included.  While King of Limbs isn’t even close to being one of their best albums, Radiohead is still leading a game that most bands don’t event know how to play.  Everything they do moves the needle forward, from how they record and release music to how they package it (KOL could make this list on they way it looks alone).  It’s a small sample size at just over 37 minutes in total length, but that’s plenty of time for Radiohead to remind you that they’re in a league all by themselves. Listen to "Lotus Flower":

 

Lotus Flower - Radiohead 

8. SBTRKT- SBTRKT

Beat-maker/producer Aaron Jerome’s sound may be as difficult to describe as his alias is to pronounce (It’s ‘subtract’, for all you vowel lovers out there). This record can be categorized as anything from post-dubstep to electronic pop, and each guest vocalist gets their own music styling to sing over.  Jerome’s Young Turks label mate Sampha deftly croons on a majority of the tracks, but the standout moment here is easily the mesmerizing lurch of “Wildfire” featuring Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano.  If songs this perfect are what SBTRKT is pushing out on a debut record, it’s easy to see how his sound (however defined) will be a major influence in years to come. Listen to "Wildfire":

 
SBTRKT - Wildfire 

What Sports Teams Can Learn From Tech Companies

(From "The Carter Files" on GameOps.com, originally posted on 9.26.11)

One of the greatest strengths of the sports industry is the willingness of its professionals to share best practices, ideas and concepts.  Despite competition on the field, sports marketers are usually eager to lend a hand to a counterpart with another team.  The common goal of succeeding in a heavily nuanced profession, with the same pervasive challenges and obstacles present in every game and market, bring sports minds together.  

While sports marketers may be well on top of what’s going on around their league, sometime the laser focus on what will and won’t work within sports prevents a full appreciation of other industries.  Maybe it’s the pressure of the season, the demands of the multiple hats that most must wear, or even a lack of desire to expand our business approach beyond the realm of what we have come to know best.  Whatever the reason, it’s just as important to understand the successes and failures of companies in other trades as it is to stay current on sports business trends.    The more influences you are exposed to, the more diverse your business knowledge is, the more curious you are, the more valuable you’ll be.

Tech companies are among the easiest to learn from, since their entrepreneurial philosophies often mean they aren’t afraid to push the envelope and test the boundaries of traditional business practices. Though seemingly disparate on the surface, the sports and technology industries actually have a lot in common.  Both essentially aim to connect people, be it through a ballgame or a social network.  Both are often entertaining diversions, making daily life more enjoyable by providing an escape or a simpler way of doing something.   They are both dynamic, constantly changing industries where creativity thrives. 

From Google’s renowned corporate culture to Apple’s unique ability to hype a product launch, sports teams need only look to the biggest names in the industry for inspiration.  Here is a closer look at three of those companies and what can be learned from them.

Facebook

500 million active users and growing.  In the United States alone, users spent 41.1 million minutes on Facebook in August- almost 10% of all time spent anywhere online during the month.  The numbers are so ridiculous they’re almost impossible to comprehend at times.  Everyone would love to have that kind of customer base, right? Well imagine what it’s like when you want to make changes when you’ve got that kind of following.  Facebook just rolled out some layout alterations and announced more major profile updates that are on the way.  The response was as predictable as it was immediate.  People naturally resist change, but people vehemently resist changes on Facebook.  No matter the irony of people complaining about Facebook via Facebook, the site has become so entrenched in our lives that even the simplest of adjustments sends folks into a tizzy.  

Battling the Dog Days of Summer: Midseason Motivators

(From "The Carter Files" on GameOps.com, originally posted 7.1.11)

Everyone who has ever worked in sports knows the feeling. In every league, you reach the halfway point of a season where it seems like you have to dig a little deeper to make great things happen. Baseball offers the best description of that grind, where the expression “dog days of summer” succinctly explains the daily difficulty in maintaining a high level of performance amidst a marathon-like season.

For teams and players, the All Star Game in July is a symbolic break in the monotony. It’s a chance to take stock of stats and standings; it’s a moment to regroup before it’s too late. A few weeks later, the trade deadline offers teams a literal injection of fresh blood for the stretch run. For those in the business office though, the midseason pick me-up isn’t going to come from a new starting pitcher or a left handed bat off the bench. Sports marketers, like players on the field, need to consistently produce results and provide compelling reasons for fan support no matter how exhausting the season may be.

During those dog days, finding motivation to come up with fresh ideas can be tough. Naturally, it’s harder to get amped for a Tuesday game in July than it is for Opening Day. The ability to discover the motivation to continually try and improve marketing efforts can be what separates a good operation from great ones. Managers need to lead by example and find ways to energize their crew and keep morale high, while every staffer must take personal responsibility for finishing the season as strong as they started it.

Here are some quick midseason motivators to help encourage staff energy and spur efforts to continue producing at a high level.

Take a Staff Trip to Another Stadium

After a long homestand, hanging out with coworkers may be the last thing on your mind. However, taking a staff trip to a rival ballpark or stadium can provide a fun, camaraderie building experience. Even if it’s just a handful of people, this will give you a chance to let loose while also gaining more appreciation for the hard work put into running a sports team. Take notes on things the other team does well and borrow some ideas. It’s equally important to remind each other of the things you might do better than your rival. You’ll never know what you do well or where you can improve unless you have an actual basis for comparison. Most folks working in sports are incredibly competitive and a visit to another ballpark can easily spark a desire to one-up the team down the highway.

Utilize Social Networks to Help Generate Ideas

Even the most creative minds in the business hit mental roadblocks. Sometimes the ideas just don’t flow, no matter how many brainstorming sessions you have. During those times, the best answers usually come from the people you are trying to persuade- the fans. The most effective and personal way of conversing with your fans on a wide scale is through the use of social media, which makes it easy for them to suggest things they’d like to see happen. Whether it is asking their opinion on ways to improve partially-formed new promotions or taking polls on the most popular mascot skit or soliciting feedback on concession items, social media gives you the ability to immediately refocus efforts where they matter most. Also, hosting live social media events (tweetups, social media seating sections) at games is a great way to bring the most active members of the online community in direct contact with your team. It bumps up the pressure to be on point when you know you’ll have people critiquing every aspect of your operation for online consumption. The jolt of excitement these types of events bring can be a welcome change during midseason doldrums.

Keeping Your News in the News: 8 PR Tips for Sports Teams

(From "The Carter Files" on GameOps.com, originally posted 4.27.11)

Some would argue that this is the best time of year for sports fans. You’ve got the NBA and NHL playoffs going and baseball is only a month into the season. Throw in the NFL lockout and the occasional college football scandal and there is no shortage of sports stories to inundate your news feed. There are periods during the year though, where sports do not hold the collective attention of the Nation. In those times, teams fight a constant battle to keep a positive media spotlight on their organization.

Plain and simple, the media reaches far more people than a team’s marketing department could ever touch. Having an effective media and public relations strategy is essential in keeping your team in the public eye, whether it’s the busiest time of year or the middle of the offseason. Of course you could always sit around and wait for media to come to you, but usually that means something bad has happened. On the other hand, if you proactively and aggressively pursue better relationships with members of the media you can help shape the story being told about your team. After all, with the amount of work put into your product don’t you want the people in front of the microphones, cameras and keyboards selling the same experience you are?

Media and Public Relations personnel must do more than prepare daily statistics packages. They are the liaison between the media and the entire brand. Not only should they be informing media members about the players on the field, but they also need to publicize upcoming promotions, depict the game experience and push team marketing initiatives. 

Here are 8 PR tips to keep your news in the news:

The Repeat Customer Success Cycle

(From "The Carter Files" on GameOps.com, originally posted 3.29.11)

As the calendar turns to April, baseball executives around the country are switching gears from a planning phase to an execution mode. It’s time now to actually do all the exciting things you’ve talked about doing. For game operations professionals, this means a much brighter focus on delivering stellar entertainment, presentation and promotional events. Once gates open for the season it is the stadium experience that takes center stage, propelling everything from ticket sales to buzz in the community. So, let’s look at how these crucial organizational components fit into a larger picture during the season, where maximizing business opportunities is always the objective.

As my colleague Pat Walker pointed out in our Best of the Decade audio roundtable, the game operations department may not be the first folks to sell a ticket but they can be the best source of renewal that any organization has. The renewal, or repeat customer, is absolutely critical for any sports team. Sports marketing guru Jon Spoelstra laid it out in clear terms when he said, “Increasing the frequency of purchase by customers is the best and most efficient way of building a business. It is a quick-fix silver bullet.” Think about how hard your sales staff must work to get a first time customer to a game. Then think about that customer’s likelihood of returning to another game after they’ve been exposed to your team’s incredible stadium experience. Indeed, building your repeat customer base is easier and more economical than searching out a stadium full of newbies. While new business prospecting will always be imperative to an organization, moving a fan from the 1-2 game a year threshold to attending 5-6 games is simply more effective than recruiting people who have never touched your live product. During the season, game operations personnel must understand the vital role they play in building the all-important repeat customer base.

Think of building your repeat customer base as a never ending cycle. There are different points in the cycle where a fan may be introduced to your team, but all departments must work together to keep them moving towards increased involvement and more frequent stadium visits. Here then is the Repeat Customer Success Cycle, a simple strategy for building in-season business. During the season, we all know it’s incredibly easy to get caught up in day-to-day details. This cycle helps to provide perspective amidst that daily grind. It helps to show that the game operations staff is not just in charge of fun and games, but more importantly it is the catalyst in turning new fans into rabid, repeat customers.

The Repeat Customer Success Cycle

Each of the six points in this cycle is important. A breakdown in any of these phases could let a potential repeat customer slip through the cracks. While it doesn’t matter where or how a fan enters this cycle, it is essential that you work with other departments to constantly move them through the cycle as often as possible. The more a fan touches the following six points of the cycle, the more likely they are to buy frequently.

Thoughts On Losing A Friend

I woke up this morning to some stunning, tragic news.  It was the kind of news that's delivered by messages and calls from people you don't talk to everyday, where you look at your phone and immediately know something bad has happened.  I woke up to learn that a friend had passed away suddenly last night.  Darrell Copeland was 25 years old. The shock and senselessness of the news won't soon wear off, if ever.

We hired Darrell as a media relations intern for the Fresno Grizzlies in the spring of 2007. He was an absolute godsend. When thrust into a vastly increased role midway through that season, he handled himself like a seasoned veteran.  We worked side by side, every day that summer.  We learned together, laughed together, and made the most of unexpected situations.  After his internship, Darrell became the official scorer for the Grizzlies.  Seeing him at every game was one of my favorite parts of the day.  Whether we were trading cracks on his beloved Fresno State Bulldogs or my Dodgers, or trying out new superstitions to spur on a winning streak, his laugh and smile were always there to greet me when I got to the press box.  Darrell's easy going way made everyone feel welcome. He was a good guy, an honest guy, a guy you could always count on. 

I don't think anyone can really do a suitable job of making sense of the loss of someone so young.  Darrell didn't drink.  Didn't smoke. Never got into trouble.  He was just a clean cut, friendly kid who loved sports and his alma mater. I guess the only thing any of us can take away from such terrible news is how precious life is.  None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.  Each day is a gift that must be spent enjoying our loved ones.  

While I can't even fathom the heartbreak Darrell's family is going through, my only hope is that the thoughts and prayers of all the people he touched somehow reach them and provide comfort sooner rather than later.  

Until we meet again DC3. You will be missed.

My Coachoosings

In a matter of minutes I'll be out the door on my way to the desert, getting a head start on what surely will be another epic weekend at Coachella. With the help of the official Coachella Coachooser, I've got a decent idea of how I'm going to navigate the landscape out there. I may need to clone myself a couple times or master the art of freezing time like Evie from Out Of This World, but there are no rules that say you have to take in a whole set...portion control is the key here. That being said, beer tents and weirdo art displays will do their best to distract me from my mission. Do not fall victim to their advances! Follow the music!

Here's how my Friday schedule stacks up, with !!! leading everything off, fresh off a super intimate show that the wife and I thoroughly enjoyed in Visalia last night.

!!! (Chk Chk Chk) 2:20-3:10

Titus Andronicus 3:30-4:10

The Drums 4:10-4:45

The Morning Benders 4:45-5:20

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart 5:20-5:45

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti 5:50-6:15

Lauryn Hill 6:15-6:50

YACHT 6:50-7:10

Sleigh Bells 7:30-8:10

The Black Keys 8:40-9:30

Crystal Castles 9:30-10:20

Robyn 10:50-11:40

Saturday:

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down 1:55-2:35

The Tallest Man on Earth 3:00-3:30

Foals 3:30-4:05

Delta Spirit 4:05-4:45

Two Door Cinema Club 4:45-5:20

Cage the Elephant 5:20-6:05

Broken Social Scene 6:05-6:55

first bathroom break of the entire weekend 

One Day as a Lion 8:15-8:45

Mumford & Sons 8:45-9:15

Wire 9:15-9:30

Animal Collective 9:45-10:55

Arcade Fire 11:20-close

And finally, Sunday...

Twin Shadow 1:10-1:40

Menomena 1:40-2:00

CSS 3:30-4:00

Wiz Khalifa 4:00-4:35

Nas & Damien Marley 5:00-5:50

Death from Above 1979 6:10-7:00

Foster the People 7:00-7:25

The National 7:25-8:15

Chromeo 8:15-8:55

The Strokes 8:55-10:00

Kanye West 10:30-close

Is there any way I'll come close to sticking to this itinerary? Not a chance. But, that's the beauty of this festival. You get pulled in so many surprising directions and pleasant discoveries are all around you. Hopefully when I get around to recapping the weekend, I'm not burnt to a crisp. Time to double check that I packed sun block...

Our Wedding- One Month Later

Photo courtesy of Walmer Medina

Saying that time has flown by would be a monumental understatement. One month ago today, I married the love of my life and my best friend. The days leading up to our big day, the wedding itself, our incredible honeymoon, and the weeks since then have moved at light speed. It’s really hard to comprehend at times. We spent so much time planning everything and just like that, we’re sitting in line at the Social Security office waiting to get her named changed.

As surreal as it all has been, it has been equally perfect. It all happened so fast though, but perfect days aren’t meant to last forever I suppose. Perfect days are the ones where you close your eyes and try to burn images into your mind, telling yourself that you need to remember things exactly as they are. I found myself looking at the time during our wedding reception, as if trying to slow down time by concentrating on the hands of the clock. Of course, before we knew it, the night was over and we were married. With us though are those images forever burned into our memories: our wonderful families and amazing friends coming together to celebrate, a gorgeous atmosphere colored brighter by touches of our personalities, a perfect day more magical than we could have ever imagined.

Summing up everything that happened on our wedding day would be impossible. But I did want to go through some of the bigger things, music being one of them, and document them for posterity. After all, writing helps one to remember.

Our ceremony started at about 5:00, just before sunset where the sky seems to change color by the second. Kianey’s mom and step-dad and my mom and dad were the first down the aisle, as we played Vitamin String Quartet’s version of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows”. It seemed so appropriate. God only knows where either of us would be without them. I followed our parents, accompanied by Richard King, a great family friend and the man who would marry us.

Once in my spot, I had to keep reminding myself not to lock my knees, since that’s a great way to faint. The emotions were in check while I was taking my place, but I started to lose it a bit when the wedding party started to make their way down the aisle. We stayed with another Vitamin String Quartet cover for their entrance and it was awesome. The pure passion embedded in Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” made for an incredible instrumental as our best friends took their places in front of our guests.

Now, Kianey was pretty adamant about not walking down the aisle to the traditional bridal chorus. She decided on “Something,” one of the greatest love songs ever written. It just so happens to be a Beatles song, written by my favorite Beatle- George Harrison. The string version of the song had an amazingly dramatic opening to signal her arrival, so we kept things consistent with a Vitamin String Quartet cover. I’ll never be able to listen to either version of this song again without getting misty eyed. As the song started and our guests turned to welcome Kianey, I can’t explain the feeling that came over me. Every single pair of eyes in the place was staring at my beautiful bride, and hers were locked on me. I’ve never been happier than I was at that moment, to see her walk down the aisle towards me and our new life together. In that instant, the world was a perfect place and it seemed like we were the only two people in it. 

After the ceremony, while we took pictures and caught our breath, was cocktail hour. For me, it was the only part of the wedding where I was allowed to script all of the music. I consider it to be the most important-and difficult- playlist I ever created. Here it is:

The Black Keys- “Everlasting Light”

• An awesome opener to an album we both love. The Black Keys were one of the first bands of mine that Kianey admitted to liking, so they hold a special place in our hearts.

Mayer Hawthorne- “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin' Nothin'”

• One of the best live shows we’ve seen together, Mayer Hawthorne is a true soul throwback. Try not liking this song, I dare you.

M. Ward- “Never Had Nobody Like You”

• True-to-the-letter lyrics from one of the best songwriters out there. Plus, Kianey thought he was a snazzy dresser when we saw him live with Monsters of Folk.

John Legend- “Save Room”

• Another song that’s impossible not to love. It’s also sexy as hell, like my wife.

Father MC- “I’ll Do For You”

• As children of the early ‘90s, we both listened to a ton of hip hop from the era and this is one of those songs that just takes you back to being a kid recording tracks off the radio to a cassette tape. When you listen to it though, it’s really just about a guy who’s professing his love and commitment for a girl and asking for hers in return. Fitting.

Marvin Gaye- “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You”

• We chose to have Motown and soul artists played during dinner, otherwise there would have been a lot more on this list. This song was kind of a nod to my dad, who isn’t shy in telling you how much he loves Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duets.

Dave Sitek- “With A Girl Like You”

• The slowest song on the mix, but a powerful, straightforward plea from TV on the Radio’s mastermind: “I want to spend my life with a girl like you…can I dance with you?”

The Beatles- “Got To Get You Into My Life”

• I’m pretty sure this is self explanatory from all angles. There was going to be at least one Beatles song at every major junction of the wedding.

Passion Pit- “Little Secrets”

• One of our favorite bands and always something we can listen to together. Just a happy, happy song to reflect the mood of the day.

Arctic Monkeys- “Baby I’m Yours”

• Wait, this is the slowest song on the mix. But, it’s one of my favorite covers ever recorded. A classic love song updated by an underrated band who sings it every bit as tenderly as the original.

Feist- “Inside and Out”

• Speaking of cover songs, this Feist track got picked because Kianey wanted more female singers…and because it’s awesome.

Ray LaMontagne- “You Are The Best Thing”

• The chorus pretty much says it all: “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings- “Tell Me”

• Love, love, love Sharon Jones. Love this song and everything it means.

Dirty Projectors- “Stillness Is The Move”

• Not a traditional love song in most senses, but a beautifully offbeat track that really feels like “us” to me. Plus, it’s got some gorgeous lines in it: “There is…noth-ing…we can’t…do.”

Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill- “Turn Your Lights Down Low”

• We both loved this song while in college and discovered it again together. It really takes on new meaning when you’ve found the person you want to marry.

For the reception, our wedding party made their grand entrance to Daft Punk’s “Digital Love.” Kianey and I made our entrance as husband and wife at the 1:02 mark of “Pretty Please” by Estelle. While it’s tough picking out the favorite part of a day filled with memories, making our entrance into the reception to this song was definitely in the top 5.

Team Carter

Selecting the song for our first dance was tough at first. We considered “Something” but obviously decided to use that for the bridal entrance. When the song came to us though, it hit us like a ton of bricks. The Princess and The Frog is a movie that means a lot to us and Neyo’s “Never Knew I Needed” from the soundtrack really summed up how we found each other. It’s about finding love when you least expect it and how your life can be turned upside down when you do. Plus, it wasn’t super slow so it was easier for me to dance to.

Other favorite musical selections for the evening included “I Could Die For You” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers during our cake cutting, “I Want You” by The Beatles for the garter removal and toss, and Paula Abdul’s “Forever Your Girl” for the bouquet toss. The very last song of the night was “Two of Us” by The Beatles, naturally.

We had some fantastic help in planning our wedding and none of this would have been possible without our incredible vendors, who made years of dreaming come true:

Padua Hills Theatre

The tone of our wedding all began when we picked our venue. We fell in love with the Padua Hills theatre the second we stepped foot on their grounds. It reminded me of Santa Barbara. Kianey loved the ceremony site, the view, and the charm of the place. The theatre itself, where our reception took place, was stunning inside. It was simply the only place we could imagine getting married. I won’t even get started on how good the food was, as it may have gotten the most compliments of anything on the day.

Palos Studio Photography

Louis and Erin Palos were our incredible photography team. They made everything so easy on us and captured the perfection of the day. Considering how much we loved our engagement pictures, we know our wedding photos will be amazing. Super talented, super down to earth and one of the best vendor decisions we made.

Entertainment Express

I don’t envy anyone who helms the music at my party when I don’t have a finger on the playlist, but these guys did a phenomenal job. Not just from the DJ booth, but also as our master of ceremonies. They let us get our special tracks in there while making sure the party was happening. Plus, keeping a bride and groom calm and on task can’t be easy, but Brett from Entertainment Express was about as on point as you get. Music, lights, effects, flow of the entire day was-again- perfect.

 

Honey and Poppies

Trying to decide what your wedding “looks” like is a lot harder than it seems. Kianey and I had a bunch of initial ideas we loved that reflected our personalities, but we didn’t really know how to put them all together. We wanted the vibe to be unique and eclectic but colorful and memorable. Megan at Honey and Poppies, our truly talented florist, nailed it. We knew we wanted to incorporate succulents and peacock feathers into our arrangements, but couldn’t have imagined what she came up with. I never thought I would be so pumped on flowers…well, just saying flowers doesn’t do them justice. Megan helped build the atmosphere of the entire day and really made it feel like us.

As soon as we get our pictures back, I’ll be sure to post some, as it’s so hard to try and describe what an incredible day it was without having visual assistance. For now, it’s just fun to sit back and remember the exceptionally perfect start to our lives together.

Ticket Stub Tuesday- Arcade Fire

Photo courtesy of K.C. Douglas

Arcade Fire

Ukrainian Culture Center

February 11, 2011

To say that Arcade Fire had a good week would be a bit of an understatement. As unforgettable as the last several days have been for them, it has been equally memorable for me. I started crafting this post in my head on Friday morning, when I found out for sure that my name was 1 of about 500 on a list to see a secret show at the unlikeliest of venues. In a word, the feeling that comes to mind most when recalling Friday night and the days that followed is lucky. I feel lucky to have incredible friends, one of whom camped out over night on the streets of Downtown Long Beach for a shot at tickets. I’m lucky to have seen a show that was amazing on so many levels its hard to express. I’m lucky to have shared such an intimate moment in time with a group of artists on the precipice of wildly unexpected worldwide acclaim.

Since Friday though, I’ve rewritten this in my head over and again. Not only because the show has already become legendary in my mind’s eye, but Arcade Fire then went out and won themselves a Grammy- for album of the year no less. I felt compelled to write about the significance of The Suburbs and what it means for the musical landscape to have such a haughty honor bestowed upon a band on an independent label. It’s all really pretty amazing and as far as I can remember, unprecedented. While most people ask how a band they’ve never heard of won the biggest Grammy, I’ll contend that no one deserves it more. In my sphere of influence, Arcade Fire are the heavyweights, as opposed to the underdog no one saw coming.

Building the Perfect Promotional Schedule

(From "The Carter File" on GameOps.com, originally posted 1.31.11)

For every baseball fan, there are four words that can automatically ease the pain of a long, dark winter. Pitchers and catchers report. It’s a tangible end to the offseason, but more importantly it’s the beginning of a new year filled with optimism and excitement. After months of planning, tweaking, and move making, it’s about time for the rubber to hit the road. It’s time to see how the newly shaped rosters of our favorite teams will actually perform. It’s also time when the business side of baseball puts their own roster to the test. That roster is the promotional schedule- the sports marketing equivalent to a team’s starting lineup.

The promotional schedule not only serves as the creative backbone for your sales force, but it also says a tremendous amount about your team. Taking pride in perfecting your promotional calendar tells your fans and community that the organization is invested in continual improvement of their product. Especially over the past couple of years, reductions in budget and soft sponsorship sales have been tough on promotional personnel. So now more than ever, it is essential to step up creatively to provide new and compelling reasons for fans to get excited about your season.

Building a perfect promotional schedule can start with something as simple as a change in mindset. Back when I was a young and impressionable baseball executive, I clearly remember one of my mentors describing his job to a client. “We throw 72 parties a year,” he said. That one line changed the way I developed a promotional schedule. Every home game is a party and you’re inviting the entire neighborhood. If you look at the plans for one of those parties- say a Tuesday night in June- and you aren’t excited about it, good luck at the gates. You must have goals for every single promotion in order to convince fans that attending a party multiple times at the same place is a worthwhile expenditure of their time and money.

What then are the most significant things an individual promotion needs to do? Here are five:  

1) Sell tickets

2) Enhance the game experience

3) Elevate the team brand

4) Create partnership opportunities

5) Generate publicity and attention. 

Arcade Fire Secret Show Setlist

Oh. My. Gawd. There are not enough words to describe how incredible tonight's Arcade Fire show was. A million thanks to the man who made it all possible, Mr. K.C. Douglas. The full scope of this show will be transcribed in detail soon, very soon.

For now, the pertinent details. Show was top secret. Tickets went on sale at 3 locations in LA today at noon. Most camped out over night to scope out the 3 spots based on clues tweeted by AF last night. Show location wasn't divulged to anyone but those who got on the list.

Show was here, at the Ukrainian Culture Center on Melrose:

Inside of said venue looked like this, before the show:

Here's my spot for the show:

And finally for tonight, the flawless setlist:

Month of May

Rebellion (Lies)

Neighborhood #2 (Laika)

No Cars Go

Haiti

City with No Children

Intervention

Suburban War

Wake Up

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)

Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

We Used to Wait

*Encore*

Ready To Start

Keep the Car Running

Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

...more on this next week!