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UMusic Hotels - Now There's a Concept


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Universal Music is partnering with Dakia U-Ventures to create experiential music hotels. It sure seems like a promising concept (if nothing else, it will provide more venues for musicians to play). The initial hotels are slated for Biloxi, Atlanta, and Orlando. It's smart they're starting off in secondary markets, LA and New York are too competitive.

 

I guess they're assuming that the pandemic will be over by the time the first hotels are ready to be open to the public. If their timing is right, people might like the idea of venturing outside the Covid Cocoon and taking not only a vacation, but a chance to get immersed in music.

 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out...

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I don't know why this is bugging me, but it is. I have a pretty high threshold for entertainment marketers high on their own supply. I earned that with some of my early work experience. That said - may I point out a few things about this PR release.

 

Most new enterprises focus on a message, a unique proposition. So, music. okay. Let's launch in three completely different markets that have absolutely nothing in common. Biloxi is mostly a driving destination with air service from the not huge Gulfport (GPT). Atlanta (ATL) is usually the busiest air hub in the US. Orlando is destination travel for competing theme parks.

 

Biloxi is the only casino market. The Seminole Tribe of Florida bought the Hard Rock Cafe and hotel brand in 2007 so there has been some crossing of music and gambling interests. This location gets - "The UMUSIC Broadwater Hotel in Biloxi will seamlessly integrate a stunning performance venue and a luxury hotel with an immersive architecture style." Biloxi apparently has an untapped appetite for luxury hotels.

 

Atlanta is a major market, famous for connecting flights. What do we get once we are there? "In Atlanta, the UMUSIC Hotel will include a holistic entertainment venue." Holistic. Holistic speaks to the famous beating neo-soul hip-hop crunk trap roots rock county gospel heart sound of Atlanta.

 

And Orlando - a kid-heavy travel destination with inter-generational travel features. So, is this a long term bet on K-pop survival?

 

If you already own or are developing a hotel property you can join this venture. "For hotel owners and developers seeking to join us, please contact development..."

 

This is a strange mishmash of licensing, international money parking, and aspirational trend glomming.

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I think what happened is they saw the huge amounts of money music-themed cruises were raking in, and figured they'd try the same thing on land. People are willing to fly to a port city to take a cruise, the same clientele probably wouldn't think twice about flying to Biloxi.
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I thought about the cruises. Like, for instance, https://www.sixthman.net/artists/profile/richard-thompson

So, perhaps they could do settled-in workshops. Workshops with stages.

 

Locations are locations everyday of the year. A cruise can change its face every time it sails.

 

I am also not sure about the generic music conglomerate angle. Everything the music business has done since the late 1970s has been directed toward bigger and bigger artists.

 

How does this platform work for the big artists? Do they want to go to Biloxi and Orlando?

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How does this platform work for the big artists? Do they want to go to Biloxi and Orlando?

 

Any place is on the way to any other place. Why not make a stop on the way and pick up some bucks?

 

For a lot of cruises, an artist will fly into someplace, play for a day or two, and fly out at the next port.

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Clever idea, and surely the result of brainstorming "what is the post-COVID consumer going to be interested in?". The problem would be utilization of space; I quit going to shows because the logistics of getting in/out were too much of a pain. Being immersed in the Human Soup aspect 24/7 would suck. But if they converted existing conference spaces to be more live-music friendly (and not on the mega scale depicted in the article) that would be a good move possibly.

 

There was a brief time in Augusta Georgia where bands would rent out hotel conference rooms, put on their own shows and play, since the club scene was so messed up at the time. Thinking back...it worked really, really well since the hotel handled the "infrastructure" of drinks/food and a place to stay if that was called for...

 

I would think there is a certain size venue, House of Blues situation whereby a hotel could build out a multi-purpose conference center to accommodate acts that might not fall into the "traditional" venues. It seems like in the south east there is a problem with places between bad/small club sized rooms to 1000 seat+ theaters; 20 years ago there were 350-500 seat places for a certain level act to make a tour out of, but now the economy doesn't support those places.

 

Hmm... most hotels have conference rooms that most of the time do nothing, particularly during the week. A clever hotel chain could fairly easily set them up to be music venues based around regional acts. The old school "Holiday Inn" gig adjusted for modern times.

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I would think there is a certain size venue, House of Blues situation whereby a hotel could build out a multi-purpose conference center to accommodate acts that might not fall into the "traditional" venues. It seems like in the south east there is a problem with places between bad/small club sized rooms to 1000 seat+ theaters; 20 years ago there were 350-500 seat places for a certain level act to make a tour out of, but now the economy doesn't support those places.

 

Hmm... most hotels have conference rooms that most of the time do nothing, particularly during the week. A clever hotel chain could fairly easily set them up to be music venues based around regional acts. The old school "Holiday Inn" gig adjusted for modern times.

 

That's pretty clever. The only downside I can think of is noise for a nighttime concert. It's one thing to have someone talking to a group of IT pros or doctors or whatever in a conference room, and quite another to have the Snot Puppies cranking everything up to 11. But for acoustic acts, singer/songwriters, and the like, I think it could work well.

 

It could also work well if the concert was played over wireless headphones, and people could adjust levels as desired. The health department would probably have a fit at headphones being reused, but perhaps they could be cleaned, or have replaceable pads.

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