No more singing the blues: Andre Farr is set to take House of Blues into the sports zone

Black Enterprise, Oct, 1996 by Erin Aubrey

It's safe to say Andre Farr isn't singing the blues. In fact, he's riding high as the CEO and president of the newly created House of Blues Sports.

A high-concept club and restaurant chain, House of Blues infuses new life into the blues with an aggressive marketing strategy. Now it hopes to do the same for sports with its new HOB Sports division. In keeping with its multifaceted image (House of Blues stages concerts and has retail operations and a jazz education foundation), the company's latest venture is a unique blend of elements. HOB Sports hopes to bring sports and entertainment together under a single marketing and promotional roof.

The 27-year-old Farr, who was given $10.5 million by House of Blues founder Isaac Tigrett to manage the company, calls this glamorous mating of music and sports the first of its kind. "Most often, sports and entertainment are represented by either a sports agency or an entertainment agency, and neither knows a whole lot about the other. This will be different because we're actually doing both equally. We're creating an entirely new culture," says Farr, who owns 51% of the division.

A lofty-sounding idea, but what HOB Sports boils down to is a service for corporation) looking to mount commercial campaigns via sports and entertainment personalities. In creating marketing vehicles for athletes and entertainers, HOB Sports will focus on three areas: retail, special events and broadcasting. The retail arm will manufacture HOB Sports clothing and license the images of famous athletes like Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Special events will be held regularly at House of Blues locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, New Orleans and Hollywood and at off-premises locations.

Some of the new HOB Sports corporate partners already in the fold include Disney, Nike and Vibe magazine. Farr wouldn't discuss exact figures but says the corporate deals are in the multimillion range.

While working as an agent for L.A.-based Stanley and Associates, Farr met House of Blues honcho Tigrett by chance. What began as a two-minute meeting turned into a two-hour discussion on a common vision: launching a company that could effectively wed sports to entertainment. And like that, HOB Sports was born.

Farr is optimistic about the viability of a sports/entertainment firm. Its policy of licensing individual athletes, not their leagues or teams, will empower blacks in new ways, he says. "Usually, the entertainment business surrounding sports doesn't have blacks in mind. This company will be different."

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