Lower drinking age could boost touring business

By Ray Waddell

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - In a development with implications for the touring business, debate about the U.S. drinking age has fired up again, sparked by a Vermont-based group that supports lowering the legal drinking age from 21 to 18.

Nonprofit Choose Responsibility's argument gained momentum in August when presidents at about 100 colleges and universities joined the campaign as part of what they have dubbed the Amethyst Initiative. They argue that current laws contribute to unhealthy drinking habits among college students.

It's a tough sell, though. A July Gallup poll says 77% of Americans would oppose federal legislation to lower the drinking age. In the '70s, drinking ages in various states were often below 21, but in 1984 the federal government passed a law that tied highway funds to the drinking age, and by the end of the decade almost every state had the 21-and-over law in effect.

But social issues aside, lowering the drinking age makes perfect economic sense for the music industry. Clubs are the fertile ground for artist development. Eighteen-year-olds seek hot new bands. Clubs host these bands, but usually make their profits off the bar. Do the math.

For younger-skewing bands that play clubs, the industry has adapted by staging "all-ages" shows, using wristbanding and other means to keep booze out of the hands of underage drinkers. But such practices are somewhat labor-intensive and require watchful security. Moreover, they can leave the venue vulnerable to lawsuits and bad PR if teen drinkers admitted to an all-ages show managed to get served alcohol anyway.

Lowering the drinking age "would be positive," says Tom Windish, president of the Windish Agency. "Think about it. It opens up the number of people that can attend a lot of concerts, all of the shows at 21-and-up venues. You would have a larger pool of people that could attend these events."

Bruce Houghton, president of boutique booking agency Skyline Music, wrote recently on his Hypebot blog that the music industry should follow the lead of the college presidents.

"Whatever the moral or scientific arguments for or against lowering the drinking age, there is one indisputable fact: A lower drinking age would be good news for music and the music industry," Houghton says.

Curbing drunk driving was the motivating force behind the current laws, but Houghton says the social stigma of drunk driving is well ingrained in the public consciousness. "It's only fair that when we bestow upon an 18-year-old the responsibilities of citizenship that we also give him the accompanying rights and privileges," he says. "Based on past experience, lowering the drinking age to 18 will lead to more venues presenting more music on more nights of the week. That's good for the touring industry and good for music."

Promoter Seth Hurwitz of I.M.P., who owns the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., says he never had any issues when the drinking age was 18. "Even when it was 18-only in the District (of Columbia) and it was 21 in Virginia and Maryland, it wasn't like busloads of kids came here to drink," Hurwitz says.

"I travel around the world a lot and I can tell you that where there is no drinking age, it's not as enticing to the youngsters because it's not taboo," Hurwitz continues. "I see when kids are told they can have it they don't want it just because they can't. You need to understand and accept defeat that kids are going to drink if they want to drink."

Houghton says the music industry needs to "be brave enough to acknowledge our own enlightened self-interest and actively support lowering the drinking age to 18 again."

Alcohol abuse at any age is a bad thing, Houghton stresses. "But I suspect that most of us in the music industry have always thought it was hypocritical to tell kids they could vote and fight in a war but weren't old enough to have a drink," he says. "It's time for both artists and the music industry came out in vocal support of lowering the drinking age to 18. Some will call it opportunistic or worse, but in our hearts we'll also know we're right."

Reuters/Billboard