[Editor’s note: During its reporting on the likely impact casinos will have on the Valley arts scene, the Valley Advocate submitted questions via email to Iron Horse Entertainment Group owner Eric Suher, a man long thought to have an interest in developing a casino in Holyoke. The following is a transcript of the responses, as penned by IHEG spokesman Jim Neill on Suher’s behalf.]
Valley Advocate: In a general sense, what do you think the impact of a casino might be on IHEG and other Valley arts institutions?
Suher: If the casino makes live entertainment a priority, then we think the impact could be huge with respect to competition for talent and customers. The degree of impact will depend on who’s running it and its location. The bill attempts to address the community impact issue in several ways, some specific, some less so. As for the content related to the live entertainment area of the arts, they’re supposed to “identify impacted live entertainment venues” considering factors like distance, capacity, and types of performances and come to an agreement about “cross-marketing and coordination of performance schedules.” The casino can only build venues with less than 1,000 or more than 3,500 seats. Of the various fees included in the bill to offset the casino’s anticipated impact, a full 2 percent of revenues go to the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Twenty-five percent of that 2 percent goes to the MCC’s “organization support program” and 75 percent of the 2 percent goes into a fund that nonprofit municipally owned performing arts centers can apply for via grants. The bill specifies that that money can only be used to buy talent; to pay performers. This would seem to be some good news for local arts councils and venues like the Academy of Music and Symphony Hall. The gesture to independent and/or commercial arts and entertainment entities like IHEG are in the form of capacity limits and the cross-marketing, whatever form that may take. But whether they’re commercial or non-commercial, all arts and entertainment organizations contribute to the allure of a town and other businesses benefit from the traffic the arts generates as well. While the bill does address this concern, we feel the best formula for the casino and the community is to have someone who knows and is invested in the area and its culture involved with the entertainment.
VA: Since IHEG is a (perhaps the) major force in musical entertainment in the Valley, do you think the addition of a casino could impact availability of artists or lower audience numbers?
Suher: A live entertainment facility or facilities within the casino could absolutely compete with us for artists and for customers. Since gambling, not live entertainment, is their primary source of revenue, casinos are in a position to offer more money to artists than a stand-alone promoter like IHEG. They aren’t depending on ticket sales to survive. Artist guarantees are often very high and they have the funds to outbid us in an effort to book shows that give people more incentive to visit the casino.
It’s a volatile and fickle business, subject to trends, but if you look at the diversity of our calendar; the caliber of national and international talent we book, you’ll see we’re taking chances and booking a lot of different kinds of music and entertainment to appeal to many different tastes. That’s our reputation and we consistently have people coming to shows from considerable distances. Often they’re in Northampton for the first time and become repeat customers. This kind of loyalty and audience building enables us to do shows seven nights a week, averaging over 600 shows a year We’ve developed this company and invested in this city and region for over 30 years and it’s a remarkable resource for an area this size. It’s not an apple cart that we want to see upset and we feel it’s endangered if someone who’s not tuned into and fully invested in the community has control over the calendar.
VA: How might IHEG respond to the challenge of a major additional venue (or venues)?
Suher: It depends on a lot of factors that aren’t yet known and the booking philosophies of whoever is in charge. We have years of experience presenting entertainment in the Valley and long-standing relationships with artists, agents, and audiences to draw on. We have a lot at stake. We’ll stay true to our mission and our passions, bringing a wide variety of great entertainment tailored to all our assorted venues for the enjoyment of local residents as well as the tens of thousands of folks who travel here every year. We’d certainly compete as best we could, but ideally, if the entities are working together and both have a stake in the success of the town and the casino, booking can be done in a complementary rather than competitive fashion. The upside could be more shows and even bigger acts for customers to choose from with as little conflict as possible.
VA: Do you have any interest in owning or running a casino? Are you generally in favor of or opposed to the casino industry?
Suher: We have an interest by definition in having a voice in any entity that could impact us negatively or, conversely, enhance our mission. We are not opposed to the casino industry, but like any industry, including live entertainment, there are different philosophies and practices. Gambling is a volatile subject, just like drinking. Most people do it responsibly and have fun. Gambling in a casino is primarily for entertainment and recreation. We have to believe a casino complex can be tailored as a resort to suit Western Mass., and become a big part of drawing more people into our region who would also take advantage of the proximity of the towns. The bill specifically addresses promoting the business and culture of neighboring towns, so it would seem the state has written responsible legislation that addresses the concerns of residents. It has allowances and funds to mitigate the issues that typically come up in a conversation about casinos with respect to being good neighbors. And given its recent passage and the certainty of the project, it only makes sense to shape this as an opportunity, not a threat, with as much local employment and contracting as possible. Its best chance at being a positive venture for all parties depends on the direct participation of those who are already invested in the area’s continued prosperity and cultural health.
