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In the last decade, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, owned by the city of Denver, has nearly tripled the number of paid shows it hosts each year. (Denver Post file)

In the last decade, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, owned by the city of Denver, has nearly tripled the number of paid shows it hosts each year. (Denver Post file)

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, long a national icon as a live-music venue, increasingly has become a cash cow for its owner, the city of Denver. An explosion in paid shows over the last decade has resulted in a doubling of annual crowds from a pre-recession peak, to 1 million last year, and has driven income generated by the 9,525-capacity amphitheater to new heights.

Last year, 138 paid shows — mostly concerts, plus 10 Film on the Rocks screenings and a half-dozen other events — helped generate $23.5 million, according to data provided by the Denver Department of Arts and Venues, which oversees the venue. That’s three times as much as in 2007, before a recessionary dip in bookings.

That income come from rental fees, food and beverage sales, parking fees and ticket taxes. Even free-admission events, from graduation ceremonies to the annual Easter Sunrise Service, generate some income.

But last year, bookings by concert promoters AEG Live and Live Nation — which receive partial rebates as incentives — made up 96 percent of rental fees.

So where does the money go? Red Rocks is self-sufficient and doesn’t rely on any taxpayer money to operate, said Arts and Venues spokesman Brian Kitts, though exact expenses were unavailable. And extra revenue from that venue and the Denver Performing Arts Complex helps pay for department employees’ salaries, operation of other city-owned cultural facilities and some city arts programs, he said, including aid for events such as the Five Points Jazz Festival.

[Original article contains photos and lots of graphs for easy comparison.]

By Jon Murray | jmurray@denverpost.com

Follow Jon Murray @JonMurray

Jon Murray is The Denver Post’s city hall reporter. His coverage focuses on Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, the workings of the Denver City Council and interactions between the city’s government and its people, from neighborhood issues to regulation of the marijuana industry.

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/03/growth-in-booked-shows-makes-red-rocks-an-even-bigger-cash-cow-for-denver/

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