University Union released its survey for 2012’s Juice Jam concert on Friday. Run a finger through the list, and big-ticket names abound. Pitbull. Ke$ha. Deadmau5.

But the survey isn’t intended to bring in superstars – it’s intended to use the superstars as an accurate depiction of the genre of music students want to hear.

‘We aim to give students realistic expectations for our programming,’ said UU President Lindsey Colegrove. ‘When we select an act to bring to campus, we program directly off the survey results.’

A total of 3,200 students participated in the organization’s fall 2011 Juice Jam survey, Colegrove said. Approximately 3,700 completed the survey for possible acts to bring for last year’s Block Party show. The headliner, DJ Kaskade, wasn’t among the options listed on the questionnaire.

‘Since Rock the Dome featured two hip-hop artists, we wanted a big electronic headliner for Block Party,’ said Kenny Consor, UU’s concert director. ‘This year, we had an opportunity to secure Kaskade, and we secured him. He put on an incredible show.’

But with a survey covered in big-time musicians, it is often unlikely those musicians will actually make it to the stage. In past years, Consor said UU placed some massive names on the survey for the sake of gauging genre interest.

‘Although certain big names were on the survey last year, we had no intention of booking them,’ he said.

Because students made assumptions when they saw huge names, Consor said, UU removed artists from this year’s survey that would be impossible to secure.

To determine which artists to add to the survey, UU’s Board of Directors looks at artists who are scaling the Billboard charts, who have considerable Top 40 airplay, and who other comparably sized college campuses have booked, Colegrove said.

Colegrove said two of the most important factors in booking large-scale concerts are availability and cost.

‘There are some instances where no matter how much students want to see an artist, we cannot bring them,’ she said.

This year’s survey was tagged with a disclaimer that the artists on the survey are not confirmed, and have not agreed, to perform at SU.

When the survey results are tallied, UU reaches out to artists from the top down.

‘The number of acts we reach out to varies,’ Colegrove said. ‘But we always start with the highest scores and work our way through other options.’

Recent headliners fared well on UU’s surveys. Rapper Kid Cudi, who headlined 2011’s Block Party, garnered 36 percent of first-place votes and 30 percent of second-place votes. Hip-hop as a genre has fared well on the survey, bringing artists like Ludacris, Rick Ross and B.o.B as recent headliners.

But openers haven’t been pulled from the surveys as of late. Block Party’s last two years’ worth of opening acts indie-pop duo Phantogram and alternative rockers Cold War Kids in 2012 and hip-hop artists Damian Marley and Nas in 2011 were not options on their respective surveys.

Colegrove said UU concert openers tend to be smaller acts that are just breaking onto the scene. The organization also tries to bring acts in genres that are underrepresented on campus.

‘Kanye opened for Fergie in 2006 before he became Kanye,’ she said. ‘It was before he became a household name.’

Results from the survey also play a part in which acts are selected for smaller Bandersnatch Music Series concerts, Colegrove said. Students can write in artists they’d like to see perform on campus, and UU representatives look for artist names that show up repeatedly.

Some bands are new to this year’s retooled survey. Others, like Vampire Weekend and LMFAO, make their fourth appearance in as many semesters. Consor hopes to build on numbers from last semester and swears by the process.

Said Consor: ‘The survey has certainly been a reliable tool.’

ervanrhe@syr.edu

 

Published on June 2, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman