$540,000. I've been told that's what ETSU paid Carrie Underwood to perform tonight on campus. That's one night, two hours. One night that costs half as much as they were "losing" on football in a year.

Sad isn't it?

What kind of revenue does ETSU get back from the show?

Okay, lets clear this up. ETSU didn't pay Underwood, the ETSU students did. Each Spring semester the students vote for a "major" event to be held the following Spring semester. Last year's students voted for Underwood. Her fee (reported in the JC press to be $400,000) was paid for from the activity fee that students pay each semester. According to the Johnson City Press, there was an additional $100,000 in costs associated with modifications needed at the MiniDome to accomodate the Underwood concert.

Last year the students voted for Ron White as their "major" event. White and ETSU could not work out details on the contract and Foxworthy was the student's second choice. Foxworthy could not keep the commitment when his TV show was renewed. Chris Rock was the "major" event last spring. I do not know the fee paid to Chris Rock, but as a point of reference Dan Whitney (aka Larry the Cable Guy) reportedly gets $300,000 per performance, so Underwood at $400,000 is probably not out of line. I don't listen to country music so I have no opinion of her worth as a concert act.

While it could be said that student fees are a potential source of revenue for ETSU Athletics, it is a stretch of the truth to say that ETSU paid for Underwood, in reality the students selected her and paid for her.

PittsburghBucs Wrote:What kind of revenue does ETSU get back from the show?

Pitt, each student could get one ticket free (paid for by their Student Activity Fee) and students could buy a limited number of companion tickets for $10 each. I don't know the total revenue from companion tickets.

What I find frustrating is that Carrie Underwood performing a concert doesn't put Johnson City on the map.

ETSU making a run like Davidson is, or ETSU leaving Division I-AA to try for Division I-A, or ETSU going to the College World Series DOES.

And that, we were told, is to be funded by student fees.

It just seems like an either/or- higher profile sports or Carrie Underwood/Chris Rock/Ludicis/whoever.

And I really wonder when the decision ISN'T higher profile sports!

The students would rather have Carrie Underwood, etc. than football. A few years ago all students voted whether they wanted to pay an extra 50.00/semester for a "major" performance like this. I believe the vote was about 80-20 in favor.

One of the biggest problems with the return to football campaign is that the students dont support it. Yes, I agree that Stanton shouldnt hold a vote on things like this, and yes I think it was poor leadership, etc. etc. etc. I agree with all that, and am as ticked off as anyone about our current situation.

BUT there also has to be a desire from the students to go to a football game. Any attempt to return football has to find a way for that to happen.

That's overstated.

Look, what is the percentage of students in the crowd at any college football program? Maybe one, two percent of a college football crowd is made up of students?

So why do you allow this group to make the decision regarding the region's athletic future?

I'll be honest. I think our mayor, Phil Roe, did as much to kill ETSU football by giving $2.5 mil to Austin Peay instead of pledging some of that money to the revival effort, especially when he was actively campaigning for football's return.

If the mayor announces he's putting $1.5 million of his own money behind the effort, then there's going to be football at ETSU.

BucDoctor Wrote:Okay, lets clear this up. ETSU didn't pay Underwood, the ETSU students did. Each Spring semester the students vote for a "major" event to be held the following Spring semester. Last year's students voted for Underwood. Her fee (reported in the JC press to be $400,000) was paid for from the activity fee that students pay each semester. According to the Johnson City Press, there was an additional $100,000 in costs associated with modifications needed at the MiniDome to accomodate the Underwood concert.

Last year the students voted for Ron White as their "major" event. White and ETSU could not work out details on the contract and Foxworthy was the student's second choice. Foxworthy could not keep the commitment when his TV show was renewed. Chris Rock was the "major" event last spring. I do not know the fee paid to Chris Rock, but as a point of reference Dan Whitney (aka Larry the Cable Guy) reportedly gets $300,000 per performance, so Underwood at $400,000 is probably not out of line. I don't listen to country music so I have no opinion of her worth as a concert act.

While it could be said that student fees are a potential source of revenue for ETSU Athletics, it is a stretch of the truth to say that ETSU paid for Underwood, in reality the students selected her and paid for her.

Chris Rock never came to ETSU, David Spade came in place of Foxworthy. Whats funny is that this entire series started when Ludacris came back in 06(amid all the controversy) and his price was in the 100,000-150,000 range(he purposely lowered his price BTW). Its a stretch to say that the students picked Underwood and paid for her to come because most wanted to see her. She was picked from a group of singers just like her, if you aren`t into that style of music you're just out of luck. The only time that the vote has purely been pick who you wanted was back when Ludacris was chosen, after that they started throwing out categories of artist like country, rock, alternative. Ludacris was chosen from among a bunch of different kinds of artist not just rappers. Half the people at last nights concert weren't students, I drove past the dome last night while people were in line, for every 1 student there were probably 3 other non-students. I saw more high school aged kids, and 40+ people than I did people who looked college age. There are large groups on face book blasting Carrie Underwood's choice.

Actually this all started back in 2005 when Everclear came and performed in front of about 300 people on the soggy intramural field. What a joke that was.

BucNut22 Wrote:Chris Rock never came to ETSU, David Spade came in place of Foxworthy. Whats funny is that this entire series started when Ludacris came back in 06(amid all the controversy) and his price was in the 100,000-150,000 range(he purposely lowered his price BTW). Its a stretch to say that the students picked Underwood and paid for her to come because most wanted to see her. She was picked from a group of singers just like her, if you aren`t into that style of music you're just out of luck. The only time that the vote has purely been pick who you wanted was back when Ludacris was chosen, after that they started throwing out categories of artist like country, rock, alternative. Ludacris was chosen from among a bunch of different kinds of artist not just rappers. Half the people at last nights concert weren't students, I drove past the dome last night while people were in line, for every 1 student there were probably 3 other non-students. I saw more high school aged kids, and 40+ people than I did people who looked college age. There are large groups on face book blasting Carrie Underwood's choice.

I stand corrected, Spade filled in for Ron White. I also stand by my point that ETSU didn't pay $540,000 for Carrie Underwood, the students did. No to football, yes to Underwood, enough said.

etsubuc Wrote:The students would rather have Carrie Underwood, etc.

So would just about every heterosexual male in the United States!

Seriously, half a million for her is a joke, they could have paid the same 540,000 and probably got three to four concerts on campus and had alot mroe fun, she's overrated.
Point is though it's time to get things righted in JC, that's ridiculous.

What really ticks me off about this whole thing is, there was never a vote to change the money being used for football to go towards concerts. Football was dropped without a vote, and this activity fee was used towards concerts without a vote. The only thing the students get to vote on is who is performing.

As the president, Stanton should say that the majority of the students would receive more value for their money from a football team instead of a concert. This is the point the Tennessee senate needs to raise with THEC. No confidence in the leadership... Brian Smith needs to make this the topic of his next ETSU piece.

If the students paid that price then I believe it was way too much for a single concert. I like the way they let students let decide who will perform but I am still upset with the student "vote" on football. There are always students at every university that do not like football. The point is that the future of the entire university should not have been decided by a vote where students were led to believe that football was being brought back entirely upon their backs. Remember that earlier in the year the students voted overwhelmingly that they favored a return of football. The decision should have been made by fans, alumni and everyone concerned about the school.

Carrie Underwood isn't worth that much money, she just isn't. If they were going for a country music concert, a three day festival with acts like Taylor Swift, Jason Michael Carroll, Bucky Covington, James Otto, Kelly Pickler, etc... and maybe have Blue Highway and/or Allison Krauss play, along with some country legends (i.e. Willie Nelson, John Anderson, Ronnie Milsap) and get the community involved.
Or better yet, if you want to blow that much money, why in the world not get football back, bring that act in to perform at halftime, and sell about 30,000 tickets to the game/concert?

Maybe if she got naked it would be worth the money. But we all know that won't happen. :

Buccaneerlover Wrote:... why in the world not get football back, bring that act in to perform at halftime, and sell about 30,000 tickets to the game/concert?

That might be the only football game in history of college football were people only showed up for the halftime show and left at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.

I say that because MTSU did something very similar to that a year or two ago with Outkast or some rap group like that. I think the main difference was it was a postgame concert, and you HAD to go to the football game to get into the show.

WCYB reported tonight that ETSU has overdrawn the university account that was to pay for the concert by more than $200,000 and that there are additional bills to be paid that will total approximately another $10,000. Where is the money going to come from to make up the difference?

BucsFan Wrote:WCYB reported tonight that ETSU has overdrawn the university account that was to pay for the concert by more than $200,000 and that there are additional bills to be paid that will total approximately another $10,000. Where is the money going to come from to make up the difference?

Hell, probably men's basketball.