feat(web): flatten frontmatter — drop slug, flat tags/cats, auto-bump updatedDate [skip ci]
diff --git a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md index ec45ec6..939b9f6 100644 --- a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md @@ -1,17 +1,16 @@ --- title: "The events are the loss leader" -slug: the-events-are-the-loss-leader pubDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z updatedDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z draft: false excerpt: "Most promoters measure success by whether an event made money. We measure success by whether an event grew the asset. The events themselves are not the business. They are the … Read more" categories: - - { name: BTS, slug: bts } + - BTS tags: - - { name: financial, slug: financial } - - { name: format-opinion, slug: format-opinion } - - { name: growth, slug: growth } - - { name: tone-philosophical, slug: tone-philosophical } + - financial + - format-opinion + - growth + - tone-philosophical featured: src: https://cdn.slist.net/posts/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/cover.png alt: "Dark empty venue stage with dramatic red spotlights suggesting investment"content: rewrite image URLs from slist.net/wp-content to cdn.slist.net/posts/<slug>/
diff --git a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md index 749174f..ec45ec6 100644 --- a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ tags: - { name: growth, slug: growth } - { name: tone-philosophical, slug: tone-philosophical } featured: - src: https://slist.net/wp-content/uploads/ai_69d2a5f52f8df0.11922589.png + src: https://cdn.slist.net/posts/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/cover.png alt: "Dark empty venue stage with dramatic red spotlights suggesting investment" legacy_wp_id: 16129 ---fix(web): point upload URLs at slist.net (cdn.slist.net not wired up yet)
diff --git a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md index 3918e65..749174f 100644 --- a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ tags: - { name: growth, slug: growth } - { name: tone-philosophical, slug: tone-philosophical } featured: - src: https://cdn.slist.net/ai_69d2a5f52f8df0.11922589.png + src: https://slist.net/wp-content/uploads/ai_69d2a5f52f8df0.11922589.png alt: "Dark empty venue stage with dramatic red spotlights suggesting investment" legacy_wp_id: 16129 ---feat(web): visually mirror slist.net blog (index + single post)
diff --git a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md index 9e9641e..3918e65 100644 --- a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md +++ b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md @@ -4,6 +4,17 @@ slug: the-events-are-the-loss-leader pubDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z updatedDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z draft: false +excerpt: "Most promoters measure success by whether an event made money. We measure success by whether an event grew the asset. The events themselves are not the business. They are the … Read more" +categories: + - { name: BTS, slug: bts } +tags: + - { name: financial, slug: financial } + - { name: format-opinion, slug: format-opinion } + - { name: growth, slug: growth } + - { name: tone-philosophical, slug: tone-philosophical } +featured: + src: https://cdn.slist.net/ai_69d2a5f52f8df0.11922589.png + alt: "Dark empty venue stage with dramatic red spotlights suggesting investment" legacy_wp_id: 16129 --- Most promoters measure success by whether an event made money. We measure success by whether an event grew the asset. The events themselves are not the business. They are the customer acquisition cost.feat(web): full posts+pages sync, browseable UI, curated pages allowlist
diff --git a/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9e9641e --- /dev/null +++ b/content/posts/2026/the-events-are-the-loss-leader/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,35 @@ +--- +title: "The events are the loss leader" +slug: the-events-are-the-loss-leader +pubDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z +updatedDate: 2026-04-05T20:04:46.000Z +draft: false +legacy_wp_id: 16129 +--- +Most promoters measure success by whether an event made money. We measure success by whether an event grew the asset. The events themselves are not the business. They are the customer acquisition cost. + +## The real math + +A typical SLIST event costs roughly $2,550 to produce: $1,000 for the lineup, $750 for Instagram ads, $600 for SMS blasts, and $200 for door staff. If we clear the bar minimum and sell enough tickets, we might make a couple hundred in profit. Sometimes we lose money. That is by design. + +Every event, profitable or not, adds contacts to our SMS list, email addresses to our CRM, custom audience data to our Meta ads account, and reputation to the brand. A single event that loses $300 but adds 200 SMS subscribers is a bargain. Those 200 subscribers will buy tickets to future events at a $4.28 acquisition cost each. The math works on the second and third event, not the first. + +## Thursday as the clearest example + +Our Thursday events do not make money. They exist to keep the brand visible, give emerging DJs stage time, and maintain momentum between profitable weekend events. The frequency signals dominance in a scene where most collectives throw one event per month and disappear between them. + +The Thursday pipeline also serves as an audition system. DJs who perform well on a low-stakes Thursday night get promoted to weekend lineups. Merit-based progression that reduces risk for the main events. The Thursday night costs money. The Saturday night it feeds makes money. You cannot evaluate one without the other. + +## The guest list investment +Diff truncated (42 lines total). View full commit on GitHub →
