Students will have to wait at least another month for the much-anticipated announcement of the acts that will headline this year's Ivies concert, according to the Entertainment Board (E-Board). Nonetheless, to tide students over, the E-Board is bringing DJ/rap trio The Dean's List to play Smith Union on February 18 for its winter concert.
The Dean's List is a "lyrical hip-hop group," explained E-Board member Morgan Andersen '12. The E-Board decided to bring the group to campus to "compliment Ivies without duplicating it."
The E-Board is withholding any information pertaining to Ivies until contracts are finalized. E-Board Co-Chair Ruiqi Li '13 stated that the E-Board is still "waiting to hear back from agents currently and the process is really stalled until we have all contracts at student activities."
The Ivies selection process began last term when students completed the E-Board's online survey about Ivies preferences. The E-Board members carefully went through the results, which demonstrated that "most people wanted three acts," according to Li.
The Board works with a booking agent, who is contracted by the Office of Student Activities to approach bands and their agents.
There are a number of constraints on the process. The Board and the booking agents have to consider the E-Board's budget for Ivies—$90,000—and can only select from acts who are willing to come to Maine, or whose tours already take them to the area around the time of Ivies.
The booking agent then begins negotiations with possible acts, after which contracts are drawn up and have to be approved by lawyers for the College, the Office of Student Activities, and the bands themselves.
The E-Board is taking a reticent stance to avoid "acts pulling out because of premature release," said Li. Potential performers and their agents prefer to keep the negotiations under wraps until the deals are finalized. Moreover, the E-Board does not want to announce the acts too far in advance to avoid disappointing students if an act cancels. One act, Local Natives, had to drop out of last spring's concert after the deal had been signed and Dr. Dog was selected to perform instead.
This year the E-Board hopes to only make one announcement regarding the Ivies performers, possibly "pre-spring break, but definitely by late March," according to Li.
While contracts are being negotiated and finalized for Ivies, the E-Board has been putting together a show for this semester along the lines of last February's performance by The White Panda, a mashup duo.
While in the past, the winter concert has taken place in Pickard Theater and featured singer-songwriter acts, last year the E-Board split its budget between a concert in Pickard and The White Panda show in Smith Union.
"This year we wanted to create that same type of environment again because people loved it," said Li. "There's nothing like having hundreds of people in that space."
The Dean's List will perform at 10 p.m. on February 18. Jay "D Jay J" Tulchin '13 will open for the group at 9 p.m.