Casinos and local performing arts venues

Over the last few months, I have been involved with a number of my fellow performing arts center collegues in addressing the concerns the performing arts center community has with the casino legislation that is being considered on Beacon Hill.

Our small group of performing arts center professionals has had countless meetings with members of the house and senate to express our concerns that the performing arts centers in Massachusetts will lose the opportunity to promote certain acts and touring shows if resort casinos are allowed to present live entertainment as well.

Here's what has happened in many other states... Resort casinos come into a state. Entertainment venues are built within the casinos. Because casinos have so many more revenue streams than a performing arts center (via gaming, their own restaurants, etc), they are able and willing to pay much more to performers to perform at these casinos venues.

In exchange for writing "the big check," they are given exclusive rights to that performer or show within a radius (usually around 90 miles) for an extended period of time (usually 6 months). This "radius clause," as its called in the entertainment business, robs the local performing arts centers of the opportunity to present these acts in their local venues.

If performing arts centers aren't able to secure shows to present on their stages, the performing arts centers suffer greatly in terms of the amount and quality of their programming. As a result, lower attendances at these venues hurt not only the performing arts centers, but also area restaurants, businesses and municipalities.

I'm happy to say that many members of the senate and house took our concerns very seriously and at this point we are hopeful that there will be some language in any casino legislation that is passed, that will allow local performing arts centers to continue to be vibrant entertainment and economic engines across the state.

The process of meeting with members of the house and senate has been very eye opening. I've learned a heck of a lot about the real way that legislation works its way through the halls of the state house. I've also been happy to learn that our legislators understand the value that venues like Lowell Auditorium, and other performing arts centers in throughout the commonwealth, have in our communities.