By: Jaclyn Wickersham

I joined the Campus Activities Board in the fall of my freshman year and always heard people discussing the Spring Weekend Concert. At the time, I was unsure what that meant, but having served multiple Spring Weekends on the CAB Executive Board, I now have a pretty good understanding. As the current CAB President, I have been working in tandem with our concert committee to plan for the Spring Weekend Concert of 2024. We have spent a lot of time publishing and analyzing the responses to the survey that was released this September. Since the concert is kept a secret until a week or two before the event, I can not disclose any top-secret information. I can, however, offer a detailed insight into the importance of student feedback and suggestions regarding the talent booking process by reviewing the responses to last year’s Spring Weekend Survey.

It begins with the annual concert survey sent out at the start of every fall semester. The survey is meant to gather feedback from the previous concert while gauging who the student body wants to see performing for them. The questionnaire begins by asking what genre of music would be preferred. Nearly every year, pop music is the most suggested genre. Last year, the survey indicated Pop was favored by 75% of individuals who completed the survey, and Rap was favored by 55%. In the concert committee’s “Artist Interest Survey Summarization,” the committee justified the significance of the genre question by stating, “By understanding the preferred genres of music among students, we can ensure that we are booking an artist that will appeal to the majority of their audience, leading to higher attendance and overall satisfaction with the event.” To adhere to the student’s requests, the committee selected the rapper “Cochise” and the pop band “Coin.”

The following question asked the student body if they preferred to have the event in the traditional one opener, one headliner style, or if they would rather it be a festival style with 3-4 acts. A majority of the participants said they wanted a festival-style event. Thus, the committee invited the student band “The Wave” and student DJ “Ms. Worldwide” to open the event. Another vital survey question asked respondents about the best concert they had attended and why it was so great. The committee identified the most informative and common responses were those that stated their favorite show was amazing because the performer was engaging, theatrical, enthusiastic, entertaining, and loved performing. Coin being a high-energy pop band, and Cochise is known to engage with and energize the crowd made the pair very appealing to the committee as it directly addressed what the student body enjoyed in a show.

The arguably most important question on the survey asked students to name artists they would like to see considered for Spring Weekend 2023. The question also reminds respondents that the committee will look at smaller artists rather than household names like Drake or Taylor Swift. The concert committee indicated that the top survey responses last year were Steve Lacy, Tame Impala, Wallows, COIN, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Dominic Fike, and Lana Del Rey. The committee explores all highly suggested artists as options for Spring Weekend; however, there are a lot of factors when booking artists. Budget is the main factor, and artists like Steve Lacy, Lana Del Ray, Tame Impala, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie are simply too popular that they were not viable options. Popularity is not the only thing that determines prices; some artists do not enjoy playing a college show, or their management does not want them to go in that direction, leading them to price themselves at a very high number. Another factor is artist availability. Since the concert takes place in the Spring semester, the committee has to ensure the talent has general availability in the Spring and is available specifically on the show date. Additionally, talent must be approved by the university administration and deemed a good representation of Fordham’s values.

Many factors go into booking talent, and although an artist may be the top result on the survey, it’s not always guaranteed that they will be able to headline the show. Even though not all suggested acts will be possible performers, the committee will explore all options the student body offers. The Artist Interest Survey is crucial to the booking process and ensures CAB is bringing talent that a majority of the Fordham community will enjoy. While it can’t be guaranteed everyone will be happy with the committee’s selection, it is encouraged that everyone offers their opinions through the survey. Last year, Coin was the most suggested, viable talent option by the community, leading to the band headlining a very successful Spring Weekend 2023.