In difficult business environment, Rock Kyiv organizer hopes for the big time
Strelnykov knows, musicians can be a difficult bunch to deal with.
For instance, when Metallica came to Kyiv last year, the heavy- metal group brought with them a long list of demands. Their contract detailed everything, from how many inches their beds ought to measure to the amount of soy milk the bassist wanted. No less than seven luxury rooms were required: one for each band member, one for the lawyers, one for any stray friends and one for their guitars.
One slip up and their agreement to play would be void. Strelnykov, the managing director of event promoter Millenium Music, made sure this didn't happen.
'The stress was incredible,' he recalled. 'No one in Ukraine knew how to deal with stars of that caliber.'
This year, when Western stars descend on Kyiv for the second annual Rock Kyiv festival from June 9-11, Millenium Music will be prepared. Among the biggest names expected are the Pet Shop Boys and Iron Maiden.
Rock Kyiv, Ukraine's largest music festival, is organized by Millenium Music in an attempt to bring concerts in Kyiv to another level. In fact, Strelnykov claims that it attracts the largest gathering of big name groups in all of Eastern Europe.
Nonetheless, he is convinced there is a niche in the market for such huge events, even though Ukraine's economy lags far behind many of its neighbors. His rationale is that by building a successful brand name out of Rock Kyiv, Millenium Music will reap the rewards through lucrative sponsorship deals in future years.
'It's all about projecting the right image,' said Strelnykov, talking like a seasoned public relations manager. 'We target the younger generation, Ukraine's future.'
Millenium Music goes all out to create this youth-oriented image. For last year's concert in Olimpiysky Stadium, Strelnikov claims to have erected the biggest stage in the history of Ukraine. Through Millenium Music's Baltic mother company – The Baltic Development Group – the organizers had access to world class promoters, high quality imported sound equipment and top-notch instruments. 'You can't play Gershwin on a Casio,' Strelnikov said.
He did not disclose the final cost of the three day festival last year, citing commercial secrets, but said that it was substantially more than $1 million.
The event's main sponsors were Lucky Strike and Taller beer.
In spite of all the money and hype, last year's production was a flop due to extremely low attendance. While organizers hoped for approximately 100,000 spectators, only 15,000 people showed up for the third, most-hyped up day.
The problem was a combination of bad timing and expensive tickets. The weekend of the concert last year coincided with several free concerts around Kyiv and tickets to see Metallica, the headlining band, started at Hr 70. Also, skeptics who didn't believe that stars like Coolio and Zucchero would actually show up took a wait-and-see approach.
'People didn't think it could happen, but it did,' Strelnikov said.
Despite the low turnout last year, Rock Kyiv wasn't a complete failure. A survey of 300 music industry insiders from around Ukraine – Rating Prof: 1999 – overwhelmingly voted Rock Kyiv both Best Festival of the Year and Event of the Year.
'The musicians didn't let anyone down,' Strelnikov said. 'They played like real professionals.'
This year, Millenium Music has completely restructured the festival. Instead of a random jumble of groups, each day will have a theme. June 9 will be dance music, June 10 romantic rock with the Pet Shop Boys, and June 11 will be hard rock, featuring Iron Maiden and Green Grey.
It will be the only big show in town that week and ticket prices have been slashed. Tickets start at Hr 10 and a three day package cost only Hr 20.
'From a business point of view, it's suicide,' said Strelnikov.
In fact, Strelnikov hopes Rock Kyiv will remain very much alive in future years – especially if the cut-price tickets attract a sizeable audience.
And by focusing more on emerging Ukrainian and Russian talent this year, such as groups Los Dynamos and Areoplan, Millenium Music hopes to appeal to a broader crowd.
Strelnikov consistently hits on the theme of working with the festival's sponsors, whom he refers to as 'partners.' Through cooperation, they would be able to maximize the sponsors' commercial appeal, he said.
'We want to reinforce the connection between our audience's lifestyle and the products they consume,' Strelnikov said.
He said his company was presently negotiating with sponsors for the event, but he declined to name them.
Rock Kyiv also gains support from those in the music industry who want to see it become more legitimate. Andry Dakhovsky, the managing director of Universal Music Ukraine, a partner of Universal Music, Int., said that such festivals help build trust between the West and Ukraine.
'Everything sold there will be legal, and will serve as an example of an anti-pirate action,' Dakhovsky said.
Even with months to go before the festival, Millenium Music is shifting into high gear. A calendar ticking off the days until June 9 already hangs in the company's office. Advertisements are scheduled to appear across a broad spectrum of media starting a month and a half before the show. The media onslaught will include bombarding radio stations in 40 Ukrainian cities, as well as covering print media. TV channel Studio 1 + 1 will, in a repeat of last year, broadcast the concerts across all of Ukraine.
Plans to sell tickets and tour packages in 10 Ukrainian cities have been developed, along with a guide of where to stay and eat. Millenium Music wants to utilize Ukraine's central location to attract spectators from all over Eastern Europe, as well. 'We want a full stadium,' Strelnikov said, 'and with these prices, it will happen.'
