Nintendo Fusion Tour Strengthens Bond Between Music, Videogames

Organizers of the Nintendo Fusion Tour hope the third time will be the charm for this year's installment.

The third annual trek, which features headliner Fall Out Boy and Nintendo videogame stations at each venue, speaks to the continued strength of the bond between gaming and music.

The 31-date trek, which begins Sept. 28 at the State Theater in Detroit, also features up-and-coming rock acts the Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Boys Night Out and Panic! at the Disco. Tickets average $20. More dates may be added.

"Videogames drive the culture," says Rich Levy, VP of talent rights acquisition for Clear Channel Entertainment Properties, the three-time producer and marketer of the tour. "This pairing is an incredibly positive thing for the right artists."

Levy notes that the tour's first two years, which featured headliners Evanescence and Story of the Year, respectively, reached more than 75,000 fans and did "over 85% business" each time out. The tour has not reported any figures to Billboard Boxscore.

CCEP works closely with Nintendo each year to determine which bands would be the best fit. It provides Nintendo with radio, download and retail sales data in evaluating appropriate acts, Levy says.

Fall Out Boy's sophomore album, "From Under the Cork Tree" (Island), has sold 406,000 copies since its May release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. First single "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" has sold 171,000 digital downloads and is No. 6 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The track is No. 11 on the Modern Rock chart and No. 22 on The Billboard Hot 100.

Fall Out Boy bassist Peter Wentz says that not only are the band members fans of Nintendo games—the quartet dressed up as various "Mario Bros." characters last year for Halloween—but their fans likely are too.

"Videogame fans are buying our records," he says. "We're always trying to reach out to that demographic."

APA's Andrew Simon, booking agent for this tour and Fall Out Boy's other treks, says Nintendo Fusion gives the band an opportunity to expand its headlining prowess.

"We want to grow into the next size building from our previous headline tour," Simon says. "We were looking for ways to take the next step."

Nintendo Fusion is being routed to 2,000- to 6,000-seat venues in a mix of major and secondary markets.

Larry Sells, owner/manager of the 2,100-seat Uptown Theater in Kansas City, Mo., which will host the tour Nov. 10, says presales are looking strong.

"We've gotten a tremendous number of phone calls and e-mails, and usually we get very few," Sells says. "This will offer great marketing for Nintendo, but it's really the main act that is the draw."

Tour marketing, which is spearheaded by CCEP and Nintendo, is being stepped up this year.

New efforts include tour merchandise, which is being negotiated individually with each act. "The merch is the single biggest thing this year because it lets the tour live outside of the actual experience long afterward," Levy says.

Nintendo may also create Fall Out Boy faceplates for the new Game Boy Micro, one of the products featured at each tour venue.

Nintendo spokeswoman Beth Llewelyn adds that the company will give away limited-edition Micros to tour attendees. "The tour certainly helps build sales and awareness for our products," Llewelyn says. "The possibilities are there for year four."

Tour sponsor Blender will run print ads, and radio stations in each market will hold gaming-oriented contests. Each stop will likely feature a gaming challenge where winners compete with bands on the tour. Details are still being finalized.

Levy also says a CD sampler featuring tracks from participating acts may be made available to retailers for consumers who purchase full-length albums from one of this year's Nintendo Fusion bands, though specifics are still being determined.

CCEP and Nintendo are also talking with Island to create TV ads for such channels as MTV and Fuse. ••••