We understand that the OU Daily, as an independent student voice, has the ability to write about anything they wish. However, we are disappointed in the recent article about the details of Jack White's contract for his concert on January 2, 2015.
Along with Jack White and his staff, we were frustrated that the OU Daily chose to focus on and mock the details of his contract in their recent story about the concert. White’s contract and requests were not out of the ordinary compared to other artists of his caliber. The real story about this concert was that OU lined up an 8-time Grammy award-winning artist and this year's Coachella headliner for a show at McCasland Field House.
This article creates a bigger issue for our university. If we want to continue to have major artists choose to perform at OU, we need to give them a ‘Sooner' welcome. We have already been contacted by several music industry professionals expressing their dismay at the OU Daily's reaction to such a popular concert on our campus, including William Morris Endeavor’s President of Music who was so upset about the article that he said WME would never play an OU show again. The music industry is small and word gets out quick. This puts every organization at OU trying to bring a speaker, artist, or comedian in jeopardy. Because of The Daily’s choice to publish and mock White’s contract, OU is gaining attention in the talent industry as a place to stay away from.
Our student body deserves the best. Bringing in a legendary musician like Jack White sets a precedent for other major performers to see if the University of Oklahoma is a viable venue. Jack White chose to play at only a handful of universities, so we were truly fortunate to have him here.
It is our hope that in the future, the OU Daily will continue to exercise their right of freedom of the press, while maintaining a reasonable level of respect for other prominent artists that choose our university and support CAC’s mission to strengthen the student experience here at OU. We were very pleased with the concert and hope that everyone who attended enjoyed the show. We hope that the OU Daily can join us next time in making beneficial decisions to support our university and students.
Layne Ferguson & Emilye Lewin
CAC Chair, CAC Concert Series Chair
