My Yahoo!Doubling Down
Back to The Road to Riches.
Hit records come and go, but the acts that sang them can tour for years on end--especially if they are willing to play the Indian casino circuit. Some 80 of the nation's 320 Native American casinos boast professional-quality stages. In addition to the cash--payouts start at $25,000 and climb to $100,000--the shows offer artists from The Temptations to The Turtles a chance to stretch out their fame just a little bit longer.
"A lot of artists, by being routed among the Indian casinos, have rejuvenated their careers," says Kip Ritchie, marketing director for Potawatomi Bingo Casino, the $120 million, 250,000-square-foot complex in downtown Milwaukee. Early Eighties icon Olivia Newton-John fell off the pop charts long ago, but all 500 tickets for her June 16 show at Potawatomi sold out in ten minutes.
Most entertainers foot their own travel bills, which can add up when you have to get from, say, Fort Yates in North Dakota to Bowler, Wis. But the casinos guarantee a minimum fee regardless of the gate. Onetime Prince protégé Sheena Easton gets her money no matter who shows up to see her. Free room and board are nice, too.
The casinos have a bit of additional leverage: In many regions of the country, they are the only game in town. "They're out in the hinterlands," says Howard Silverman, who books Easton and other faded stars, like Taylor Dayne, at Indian casinos about a dozen times a year. "Indian casinos don't compete with city bookers."
The casinos book top comic talent, too. Bill Cosby makes $65,000 to $100,000 per show up to 30 times a year, pulling in up to $3 million a year in guaranteed fees. Jay Leno, who is on the road nearly every weekend, stops by Indian casinos a dozen times a year, at $100,000 a pop.
Back to The Road to Riches.
 |
||
| 1 of 1
| ||
Subscriptions >
| Free Trial Issue of Forbes | Forbes Gift Subscription | ||
| Subscribe To Newsletters | Subscriber Customer Service | ||
| Buy Audio Version of Forbes |
| Magazine Archives |
| Trading Center |
|
|||||||||
| CEO Book Club | more > |
The Philosopher Kings Of HedgingSteven Drobny reveals insights from the hedge fund all-stars. |
||
Laissez Faire In The StudioAt Columbia Records, John Hammond made some of the greatest discoveries in American music. |
||
| Advanced Search | New & Notable | ||
|
|
|
