$37,000 loss actually an improvement for SPEC

Although this year's Spring Fling concert was among the worst-attended concerts in Spring Fling history, economically speaking, the Social Planning and Events Committee's Concerts branch is better off this year than previous years.

"We lost a whole lot less money this year than we lost last year," said College senior Tom Kurland, one of SPEC Concerts' co-directors.

Lower expenditures on talent and production were some of the main factors contributing to the improvement. The change in venue from Franklin Field to Wynn Commons also made a significant difference in costs.

This year, the concert committee spent around $40,000 on talent and $67,000 on production. Due to the relatively small number of tickets purchased, only $10,000 of revenue was brought in from ticket sales, as compared to $60,000 last year.

The University allotted $60,000 for the concert. SPEC lost about $37,000.

"We're expected to make back a certain amount of money in revenue, but everyone's aware of the risk," Kurland said. "The reality of it is that these concerts will basically always lose money."

In order to break even, SPEC Concerts would have had to sell 2,200 tickets, but it only sold about 400.

"I'm a little surprised at how low the attendance was," Kurland said. "The number [of ticket sales] that I had in my head was about 1,000."

Last year's Spring Fling concert, which featured Wyclef Jean as the headlining artist, lost almost three times as much money as this year's.

Given the same budget of $60,000 by the University, SPEC Concerts spent around $200,000 on talent and production but only made back $60,000, therefore accumulating a loss of $80,000.

"Considering all the variables, I think this was one of our more successful shows despite the way it was perceived by the campus," Kurland said. "The feedback we received was more overwhelmingly positive than anything we've ever seen."

According to Director of Student Life Fran Walker, SPEC Concerts loses money on about 80 percent of its concerts.

"The problem is that concerts are extraordinarily expensive events," Walker said. "It's an incredibly difficult thing to do because you never know what's going to happen with the size of your audience."

This year's concert will have no effect on next year's budget, which has already been determined. In fact, the Undergraduate Assembly -- which funds SPEC -- decided to allocate an additional $35,000 to SPEC's Spring Fling budget after the group decreased its estimated ticket sales to a more reasonable level, according to UA Treasurer and Wharton junior Sean Walker.

Walker said he thinks next year's concert will be a good gauge of whether the UA will decrease SPEC's budget in future years, adding that the group should be able to make a profit.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.