Concert promoter Terrance "T" Roberts Sr., 33, Minneapolis native and graduate of Grambling State University,  has definitely earned the title of "one of the top concert promoters in the Twin Cities." With a long list of successful shows under his belt, featuring artists such as KEM, Dwele, K-CI & JoJo, and Babyface just to name a few, taking his upcoming events to the "NexLevel" should be a walk in the park for this local entrepreneur.  Although a lot of people have heard the name NexLevel Entertainment, they  really don't know who the actual Man behind it all is. So, I decided to give them a little history and let them in on Mr. NexLevel himself.

Mrs. MaXX: What's up Terrance! After the successes of the K-Ci & JoJo and the Babyface concerts I just had to get you in here.  Let's start off with the name.  Where did the name "NexLevel" come from?

Terrance: I came up with the name NexLevel as a company name because I like to take everything I do to the NexLevel. I am a local track & field legend at Washburn High School and I went on to play football and ran track in college, so I have a very competitive edge about myself, so the name NexLevel exemplifies my personality.

MM: Is it just you or are there other partners in the business?

T: I am the CEO & President of NexLevel Entertainment. I have no partners currently, but I am in the process of putting together a team.

MM: So what made you get into concert promotions and how did you start?

T: I got into the concert promotion business because I saw a need for quality entertainment that the Twin Cities was not getting. When I say quality entertainment, I mean booking an artist that's going to give the audience a very good show with a live band, having the concert in an intimate venue where the audience can feel the close connection with the artist - possibly whom they've never seen before in concert, but have all their music and know all their songs.  People really appreciate that. I started off helping local promoters with their concerts by providing promotional assistance such as being a driver for artists, security, coordinating radio interviews, tracking ticket sales, etc. So one day I said to myself, you know what, I can do this, and so when I did my first concert, with an R&B neo-soul crooner named KEM, the show sold out.  People around the Twin Cities really appreciated that show and told me to bring more artists of that caliber to town.  I listened and NexLevel Entertainment became an instant success.

MM: Well congrats! That had to have been exciting to have your very first show sell out.  So who were the big time concert promoters at that time? Did you ever feel intimidated coming in as a new promoter?

T: At the time I came on the scene, there were a few promoters doing their thing as far as bringing acts to the Twin Cities.  I would often go to their shows and show support. I always attend concerts, because I get to see first hand what I feel worked and what didn't for that particular show. The questions I would ask myself were, is the venue too big or too small for this artist? Did the audience enjoy the show?  Is the sound in the venue of good quality, and so on and so forth. I would gather all these different pros & cons, break them down and implement them into the way I do business. I never felt intimidated as a new promoter on the scene because of my will to be the best in all that I do. I am a very laid back and humbled individual on the surface, but when it comes to getting down to business, I'm focused.  Get out of the way.

MM: I hear that. How do you feel about the promotion game right now with the rise of local promoters?

T: There are many local promoters on the scene right now trying to promote various events.  Some of these promoters are what I call fly by night promoters.  They come into the game with no experience and not a clue about how to promote a show. They pay some of these artists astronomical amounts to perform in the Twin Cities when in fact they get 40% less in other markets. It takes more than just throwing out money and booking a show. I've seen great artists come to the Twin Cities, but because the promoter's didn't know how to promote the show, it wasn't successful and lost a lot of money because of poor promoting, planning, and over-paying artists. I tell people all the time, you have to know what you are doing when you come into the promotions game.  You can falter very quickly.  It's about staying consistent and knowing your market.

MM: So with that said, do you feel like they [other promoters] are doing too much by flooding the market with so many concerts in a short period of time?

T: Yes, some promoters are absolutely flooding the market with multiple shows within the same month, and other promoters are booking shows on top of each other to compete. I suppose it could be an ego thing, but that has caused great financial losses to some promoters here in town, because of the lack of communication between promoters and ego. I don't get tangled up into all the negative stuff.  I just stay consistent and continue to bring world class entertainment that people like.

MM: Interesting...Men and their egos...lol just kidding. To be honest, I really don't mind there being so many concerts coming through.  I mean, I remember back in the day, Minnesota hardly EVER had concerts.  You had to go to Chicago or New York to catch a show.  Now that there is an uprise of local promoters, concert-goers now have options.  I may not want to see T-Pain this week so I'll save my money and see Babyface the next.  To the consumer, that makes sense, but to the promoter, that small decision from a lot of people could cost lots of money.  Luckily for you, that really hasn't been a problem.  I heard that the KCI & JOJO and the Babyface show were both sold out shows, Congratulations!

T:Thank you, you are right, the K-Ci & JoJo and Babyface concerts both sold out due to hard work on promoting them. It takes so much to sell out a show, but since I've started promoting, all of my shows except one have sold out. Again thank you.

MM: That's a really big accomplishment. A lot of new promoters don't really understand or put in the grueling hard work that it takes to sell out a show.  Having my hands in some of the larger shows, I got a chance to see first hand the grind from beginning to end, so I respect anyone who can pull off shows like you do. Anyway...based on your resume,  I see that most of your shows are more on the mature audience, Neo-Soul/ R&B tip. Do you have plans of maybe tapping into other markets? Ever think of promoting any rap concerts?

T:  Most of my shows are geared towards a mature audience, so that's why I bring all neo-soul r&b artists to town.  People really appreciate these shows. I know the market and my audience. I have nothing against rap, I love rap music, but I just don't do rap shows because I don't cater to a young audience. I found my niche and it is bringing legendary r&b artists to town.  However,  NexLevel Entertainment is diverse in promoting, I am currently looking into Latino and country acts right now.

MM: So with that said, what's new for NexLevel Entertainment? Any upcoming shows we should know about?

T: I am currently putting together the NexLevel entertainment team, I think global not local. I am planning other shows in different cities throughout the U.S. to really establish my brand. The upcoming shows that I have in association with Trocaderos are Chico Debarge on March 7^th 2008, Lenny Williams April 4^th, and Mint Condition May 9^th & 10^th.

MM: That's definitely what's up.  I'm sure we over here at MaXX will be having our hands in some of those projects... ;) So I'm excited. Any advice to upcoming promoters?

T: My advice to promoters is to stay consistent.  I can't give any other free advice.  If promoters want my consultation, they should send me an email at info@nexlevelonline.com

MM: I hear that! Well I really appreciate the time.  Thanks for the great interview....very informative.  I even took some notes. lol

T: Anytime.

 Mrs. MaXX
"I'll make your business, everyone's business."

If you would like to get in contact with Mr. Roberts or see images of prior events, visit his myspace page at myspace.com/nexlevelentertainment
or by email at info@nexlevelonline.com.