Bon Jovi, NFL See Profit in an Intimate Fan Experience

rocknation · #1 12-07-2015, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Bloomberg.com: Jon Bon Jovi was bored. Rock legends get a lot of days off between shows and studio sessions, and the icon of the 80s got to thinking: He’d play an acoustic set at a smaller venue and see if that didn’t create a more satisfying connection with his audience.

It worked. So well, in fact, that the 53-year-old rocker still known for big hair and even bigger spectacle turned it into...Runaway Tours...five years (ago)...(T)ravel packages that included lodging, concert tickets and after-parties, along with Bon Jovi photo ops, autographs, and other swag. Its motto: "We super-serve the superfan."

...Bon Jovi is now selling Runaway Tours to On Location Experiences, the independent spin-off of the National Football League’s event-and-hospitality business. Bon Jovi will join On Location as an investor and board member, sitting alongside NFL owners, as they try to turn events of all kinds into deluxe, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for superfans.

“I realized it was much bigger and broader than me -- and therefore any artist,” Bon Jovi said in an interview. “You became just a tent pole, an opportunity to get together like-minded folks under one roof and share something -- in this case it was my music. Then we as a business started to create other opportunities. I knew I could do this with any flag pole, i.e., the NFL, which is the cream of the crop."

The business aims at a generation that would rather spend money on experiences than things, said Paul Swangard, the former managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.

“As their discretionary income grows, so too will the market for experiences,” he said. “Building this business now, with the team and connections in place, gives them first mover advantage in what I expect will be a lucrative market.”

Some rumors have started floating around about Jon wanting to buy the Tennessee Titans American football team, but of course they're false -- thanks to his adventures trying to buy the Buffalo (Toronto?) Bills team, Jon has hopefully learned that it's billionaires, not "mere" millionaires, who can buy major league sports franchises. Perhaps he's come up with the next best thing. But he should keep in mind that a) though most Bon Jovi fans aren't super RICH, it was they who put up the money that PAID for Jon's "seat" next to those NFL owners; and b) while there may be no limit to what the super rich are willing to pay, there IS a limit to how much they need to buy...

Kathleen · #2 12-07-2015, 08:28 PM

So he is still trying to make enough money to fund that football dream. I always wondered why the prices were so ridiculous for those tours. And now he makes even more money by selling the business.

If I sound cynical it's because I am

It's my faith · #3 12-07-2015, 10:55 PM

This is a thing I have never understood: Why Jon has the obsession to buy a team? What's the point? It's like a hobby, or he would have any other profit from this situation?

rocknation · #4 12-07-2015, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by It's my faith

This is a thing I have never understood: Why Jon has the obsession to buy a team? What's the point? It's like a hobby, or he would have any other profit from this situation?

Well, he says he deemed too small to play football, so music was the next best way to get girls. Now that he's deemed too poor to buy a major league franchise, I guess selling event packages to their richest fans is the next best thing!

liljovi93 · #5 12-07-2015, 11:10 PM

He needs to sack wanting to buy a NFL team for a bit now. For me, it was the purpose of the 'What About Now' album/tour, to get some extra income (not that he needs it but it all helped) and now we have another album/tour coming up and again, he is interested in owning a team.

Sack it off Jon and focus on your vocals, a solid album and a bloody good tour!!

bonjovi90 · #6 12-07-2015, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liljovi93

He needs to sack wanting to buy a NFL team for a bit now. For me, it was the purpose of the 'What About Now' album/tour, to get some extra income (not that he needs it but it all helped) and now we have another album/tour coming up and again, he is interested in owning a team.

Sack it off Jon and focus on your vocals, a solid album and a bloody good tour!!

Yeah and this leads me to thinking that the next album is as much of a poor excuse as the last one was. Put something, anything out and tour the shit out of it with overprized special packages - maybe this will bring him enough money to buy that team. Way to go...

liljovi93 · #7 12-07-2015, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonjovi90

Yeah and this leads me to thinking that the next album is as much of a poor excuse as the last one was. Put something, anything out and tour the shit out of it with overprized special packages - maybe this will bring him enough money to buy that team. Way to go...

Yeah, we could be totally wrong but this is the second time now and he's gone on about how 'heartbroken' he was about losing out last time. His main focus certainly seemed to be buying a team and nothing else.

Becky · #8 12-08-2015, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by It's my faith

This is a thing I have never understood: Why Jon has the obsession to buy a team? What's the point? It's like a hobby, or he would have any other profit from this situation?

Why questions someone else's dreams? He's already reached one "unobtainable" dream in life, becoming a rock star. I'm sure you have "unobtainable" dreams too. I think we all do if we let ourselves have the freedom to dream them.

The Rock · #9 12-08-2015, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liljovi93

He needs to sack wanting to buy a NFL team for a bit now. For me, it was the purpose of the 'What About Now' album/tour, to get some extra income (not that he needs it but it all helped) and now we have another album/tour coming up and again, he is interested in owning a team.

Sack it off Jon and focus on your vocals, a solid album and a bloody good tour!!

Interesting that the football talk has began again, when we are heading into the 2016 being the year of a new CD/Tour. Coincidence, I think not.

Kathleen · #10 12-08-2015, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Becky

Why questions someone else's dreams? He's already reached one "unobtainable" dream in life, becoming a rock star. I'm sure you have "unobtainable" dreams too. I think we all do if we let ourselves have the freedom to dream them.

It's not a matter of questioning dreams Becky - if that is what he wants he should go for it. BUT - I became of fan of the music - and if he is only pimping the music out for his football team - he is gonna lose me. He is not even bothering to keep his voice up. I know that he will never sound like he did in the 90s. But he still can sound damn good if he works at it.

I have hopes that the next album is good - we shall see.

Bon Jovi, NFL See Profit in an Intimate Fan Experience

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