Ivy started her career in the music industry in New York City, working with management for Lou Reed, Mott The Hoople, Miles Davis, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Al Kooper, Badfinger and Melanie. She had a wonderful opportunity to learn all aspects of the industry including recording, promotion, booking, touring, contracts and publishing. She traveled extensively on tour and was one of a handful of women in the industry to become a road manager and an agent. On one of her trips she met John Bauer who was working for Northwest Releasing for a year and a half as a talent buyer and perviously was a local manager and musician. Their relationship developed and Ivy eventually moved to Seattle.
Ivy and her -then husband & business partner John Bauer together they started the John Bauer Concert Company. which went on to become the major concert company in 15 cities. The first shows they ever promoted were the Rolling Stones. "I remember people saying “you're doing what?" Bauer recalls. That was a first, in a long line of concerts including: Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Journey, The Who, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, AC/DC, Dolly Parton and many others. Bauer Concerts Inc. produced over 150 events per year from stadium-sized venues to clubs, in many cities.
Some personal highlights of the era for Ivy included developing new talent. She personally pioneered the "Rising Star" concert series with specially priced tickets $1.00 - $3.00, to expose new talent to a broad audience, in an acoustical 3,000 seat concert setting. The series debuted such artists as: 38 Special, The Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello, Sammy Hagar and the late Robert Palmer, the first "Rising Star."
After, years with her own firm, Ivy left the company and had some contractual restrictions on her buy-out agreement. She was prohibited from promoting shows in the categories of pop, rock, country and jazz, west of the Mississippi for ten years. Ivy being resourceful, and having two small children of her own, decided she wanted to work in children's entertainment. She was recruited for a position with a division of Lorimar/Warner Bros. booking and marketing family entertainment in North America: ThunderCats Live, Bug Bunny-The Menace from Mars and Bugs Bunny on Broadway (classical). That was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of her career to develop national marketing and promotions. "Each week was a new experience, a new city, a new strategy" Ivy recalls.
Today, Ivy looks at the entertainment industry with a different perspective and a broader horizon. She has taken the years of her combined skills: sales, marketing, production, media buying, public relations; and now works on projects in various industries. Ivy promotes some concerts and loves to launch new products. She manages trade shows and develops national marketing and promotional concepts. Ivy loves marketing new products," it has a shelf life and the ability to go back, regroup and adjust." Ivy knows that when you produce concerts and consumer-driven events, the advertising campaign must be on-target the first time. Most shows are only in town for one night or a limited engagement, therefore, you must work at lightning speeds to create advertising campaigns that are fun with a sense of urgency.
With the experience of her own personal financial risk, Ivy knows how to "turn over every rock" to create sales, branding and leverage all promotional opportunities.
ivy bauer
Q. Why was your name not on the company?
A: It was extremely important to John and not an issue for me. If you look at the logo above, it‘s a picture of a woman (LOL). I had a tremendous amount of national and international experience, working for over six years in Artist Management. When you manage talent it is like the foundation of a house, you work with everyone world-wide, the Record Label, Booking Agency, Attorney, Publisher, Tour Manager, Film Rights, etc.
Q. How come there is not a lot written about you?
A. I believe that people buy a ticket based on the event, not who is promoting it. I used every opportunity to promote the event and sell tickets. The two greatest compliments that I have received, one from Pat Morrow (Journey) and the other from the legendary Barbara Skydel, “She knows how to sell tickets better than anyone in North America.”
Q. What are some great highlights of your career?
A. Promoting 40 cities with Van Halen, David Lee Roth is just amazing with press.
A. Bruce Springsteen at the Seattle Arena, it was Christmas, the show ended and all of the encores were finished. Most of the audience was out the door and he went back up on stage singing “Santa Clause IS Coming to Town.” People were running back in from the streets and he played at least another half hour.
A. The opportunity to work with the late Dr. M. Scott Peck, the author of many extrodinary books, best known for “The Road Less Traveled.” My son Jesse was very dismayed that Dr. Peck smoked cigarettes and drank Vodka. When I mentioned it to Dr. Peck, his response was “tell him I am only human.”
Q. Why are Concert Tickets so expensive?
A. The band dictates the price and the higher the price, the more it costs their fans.
Q. What do you think happened to the Music Industry today?
A. The Industry was way behind the curve-ball of technology and the business model changed. There are so many more ways to spend disposable income. In addition, music is not a lifestyle anymore and corporate America invaded the industry. People only cared about the stockholders and the music became secondary. Many of the risk-takers in the industry had their hands tied. Artist development disappeared and one-hit wonders came in to place. The reason what is now known as Classic Rock, has some of the highest touring grosses is because those artists had the ability to build an audience and learn their craft.
Q. Who is your favorite Artist?
A. That's hard to say since my involvement and exposure is so broad-based. I have been so blessed to present and promote so many talented people.
Q. What recording Artist are you sorry that you never met?
A. Hands down, Leonard Cohen. I have every CD and only got to see him in concert twice. Both times I was mesmerized and I could have listened all night. When the CD entitled The Future was released, I bought so many copies, sent it to friends and played it over and over again. While driving to Canada with my Son & his friend, Jesse jumped from the back seat to the front. When I asked him what he was doing, “I’m on Leonard Cohen patrol so we do not listen to this the entire trip.” The joke became If he wanted to buy CD’s he would tell me that Leonard has a new CD and off we would go to Tower Records.
Q. What are you most proud of?
A. Single handily, raising a great child who is now is a wonderful adult, I am most proud of the love and respect that we have for each other.
That's all for now!
Ivy
