The tighter speaking market

THE ARTS: "Speech! Speech! But Could You Please Cut the Price?" by Motoko Rich, New York Times, 27 November 2008.
Bad news: lower prices.
Okay news: lower primarily for celebrities who trade mostly on their celebrity.
Better news: demand for serious speakers remains.
What have we found? Frequency down some (not too bad yet), but the big difference is the far shorter fuse on gigs. Used to be, the big talks were sked months in advance, but now we're talking weeks. People have to have their money in hand and a clear sense of their budgets, apparently, and then they decide at the--relatively--last minute whether or not they're going through with the event.
Upshot?
Some sense of certainty for 2009. Obviously, I hope Great Powers is a game-improver.
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