Made in America promoters paid full cost, Nutter says
The promoters of the Made in America concert on Wednesday delivered a large check to the city, which Mayor Nutter said means no taxpayer dollars had to be spent hosting Jay-Z and his friends over the Labor Day weekend.
The promoters of the Made in America concert on Wednesday delivered a large check to the city, which Mayor Nutter said means no taxpayer dollars had to be spent hosting Jay-Z and his friends over the Labor Day weekend.
The city's costs for the two-day concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway came to $505,124 for police, emergency services, sanitation, and other expenses, Nutter said.
The promoters paid a $200,000 deposit, followed Wednesday by a check of more than $300,000 for the balance.
Nutter cast the payment as the crowning moment for a successful festival, which brought 80,000 people and 30 artists to the city during a normally sleepy weekend.
"It's a great event for the city, showcasing once again that Philadelphia can put on big events," the mayor said.
The Parkway is no stranger to hosting large public events, particularly the annual Fourth of July Welcome America concert.
But Made in America, sponsored by Budweiser and promoted by concert giant Live Nation, was a paid, ticketed, private festival that took over treasured city ground for the better part of the three-day weekend.
That sparked some consternation about the proper use of city resources in still-challenging economic times, especially after the Nutter administration suggested there might be some "cost-sharing" with the promoters.
But on Wednesday, Nutter said that Live Nation had paid the city's bill in full. And he described the concert's impact on the city's economy and broader image in triumphant terms.
Philadelphia consulting firm Econsult estimated that the concert brought about $10 million in spending to Philadelphia, not including tickets and concessions.
City hotels are normally about 66 percent full on Labor Day weekend. Meryl Levitz, president of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., said hotels were more than 90 percent occupied during the concert.
She also trumpeted coverage of the concert, which was live-streamed on YouTube and Pandora.
"When you add in the global chatter on all social media platforms, the sound of Philadelphia will continue to resonate, giving strength to our great city's image," Levitz said.
Live Nation officials also seemed pleased with the event, which Billboard reported would likely break even - a success for a first-time event.
Other large music festivals, such as the Vans Warped tour and Coachella, lost money in their early years, the magazine noted. Live Nation also paid a premium to attract top talent to Made in America - Pearl Jam was given $2 million to perform, Billboard said.
Live Nation also promised a "significant" portion of the festival proceeds to United Way charities in Greater Philadelphia. It was unclear late Wednesday whether that payment has been made.
None of the Live Nation payment to the city will go toward the baseball fields at Von Colln Park, damaged by vehicles working in heavy rain to break down the stage and other structures, Nutter said.
The city had allocated money to refurbish the park before the concert, the mayor said.
"That work is actually scheduled to start very soon," he said. "There's no need to fix something that's about to be torn up."
Nutter, who has a policy forcing the Mummers and others who hold public events to pay for city services, said Live Nation paid their bill "earlier than anyone in our recent memory."
"No one pays in two weeks," he said. "We have a very positive working relationship. These are true professionals."
The mayor said he "would certainly like to" have Made in America in Philadelphia again.
"There's a lot of interest on both sides in having this again and those talks will be coming up soon," he said.
