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Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Doug Johnson came here from Milwaukee in August 2021 with a new mission: preach to as many promoters, musicians and artists as possible how good it is to perform in Rockford.
“I started throwing elbows and telling people how great Rockford is,” said Johnson, regional director of ASM Global and the assistant general manager of ASM Rockford.
ASM Rockford is responsible for booking the BMO Center, Coronado Performing Arts Center and Davis Park. He joined Steve Summers and Ryan Sartori on This Week in the Stateline to talk about all that goes into booking big acts at Rockford’s premier venues.
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Johnson discussed the challenges that come with booking, such as radius clauses some venues in Milwaukee and Madison have that could prevent performers from stopping here on tour. A radius clause is a type of non-compete contract in the live performance industry in which a promoter requires the performer to not hold another show within a certain distance of their venue during a certain amount of time.
Still, ASM has landed big acts such as the sold-out Old Dominion concert last year, comedian Nate Bargatze on Friday, May 17, and comedians Kevin James and Shane Gillis later this summer.
Johnson said his goal is to bring a high-profile musician here for a concert residency.
“My job is to pick out a wide range of genres and bring people in here,” Johnson said. “There’s limitations … Taylor Swift is not going to play Rockford, I’m sorry to say people. Not that I didn’t try.”
He books shows through both talent agencies calling him for dates and his own work to reach out and land performers he thinks will draw here.
“I was listening to my kid’s baseball game and this advertisement cut in and I listened to the song and I’m going, who are these guys? This is like my new favorite band,” Johnson said. “(I) did some research, put an offer in at them yesterday.”
The BMO Center has benefited from a $23 million multiyear capital campaign that was announced in April 2021 to make a multitude of improvements affecting everything from backstage to the fan experience.
Johnson said booking acts here is part perseverance, part cultivating relationships with talent agencies and the continued work to preach why Rockford is a good place to perform.
“There’s numerous reasons why you should play Rockford: a couple of them for a promoter is it’s less expensive, same thing for patrons,” he said. “When they get here in Rockford they love it: It’s easy in, easy out, you’re an hour away from the city.”
Listen to the full episode below: