TheStreet Search RSS Feed: Jason Notte

10 Best Summer Music Festivals You're Not Seeing

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Giant music festivals haven't been a symbol of rebellion or free expression since the fences came down at Yasgur's Farm. In 2012, they're big-budget events that need corporate backing.

It's not always as overt as the Bud Light Summer Concert Series, but corporate involvement is as inextricably tied to the summer music experience as mud patches or fragrant puffs of smoke that occasionally emanate from the crowd. Those deep pockets helped the music industry increase global ticket sales 15% and boost attendance 1.2% in 2011 despite having 20% fewer live shows than it did in 2010, according to Billboard.

With average attendance up 27.3% and average gross profit soaring 45% in 2011, we took a look at some of the biggest festivals of summer 2012 to see which companies went all-in with sponsorship: ...

10 Apps and Gadgets to Take Out to the Ballgame

Wed, 09 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK MainStreet -- The 2012 Major League Baseball season is costing fans a bundle in ticket and beer money, but smartphones and tablets are two places where fans can slide under the tag a bit.

Teams have a hand in fans' wallets the minute they step to the ticket counter, but free and low-cost apps for stat geeks, fantasy baseball freaks and fickle game watchers make it a bit easier to enjoy the game without dumping a truckload of money onto the field. It's also an incredibly long season that has almost five full months left to go, which makes an app purchase a huge value.

We went flipping through the various app stores and found the 10 most essential baseball apps of the 2012 season. These apps are all top contenders for your time and money this season, even if your team isn't: ...

10 Friendly Faces of Corporate Giants

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK MainStreet -- What's the matter, big corporate behemoth? Upset because the local/organic crowd doesn't like you?

Well cheer up, because you can always buy your way back into their good graces. Ask fans of Seattle's Best Coffee, many of whom still prefer it to Starbucks despite the fact Starbucks bought its Seattle neighbor nearly a decade ago. The same holds true for Leinenkugel drinkers, who'll still visit the Leinie Lodge in Chippewa Falls, Wis., instead of visiting the Miller caves in Milwaukee even though SABMiller bought Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing close to 25 years ago.

There are a bunch of other earthy, mom-and-pop brands serving as fronts for far bigger companies these days. The following 10 are just the most well-hidden examples: ...

Click to view a price quote on CLX.

Click to research the Consumer Durables industry.

10 Essentials for Summer Travel Survival

Fri, 04 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK MainStreet -- If vacationers are already going to pay more for summer travel, they may as well pay to make it better.

Airlines have already attempted six fare hikes this year, with Delta alone attempting to boost prices three times since January. Delta was only successful once, but alleged "discount" carriers Southwest and JetBlue were behind the only other two fare increases that stuck.

All together, domestic airline ticket prices have risen between $20 and $40 this year regardless of fuel prices or demand. Since passengers' wallets aren't weighing them down anymore, they may want to consider springing for the following 10 items to cope with the stress and small spaces the airlines are charging a premium for: ...

10 Best Summer Travel Options on Two Wheels

Wed, 02 May 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK MainStreet -- Hear that roaring and buzzing outside your window? That's every scooter and motorcycle in a five-mile radius telling you summer's here.

Gas prices have dropped below $3.90 a gallon and are down from this time last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Even if you could get a gallon of gas with pocket change, though, rising temperatures would put two-wheelers on the road.

That said, there are some cycles and scooters out there that are clearly ahead of the pack. We took a look at the best the market has to offer and found 10 motorcycles and scooters that cut through beach and mountain traffic more capably than the competition. What we didn't find, however, was a Harley Davidson or Vespa that could make the cut: ...

10 Most Expensive Trips to the Ballgames in 2012

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- Major League Baseball season is in full swing, but some fans' wallets are already in late-season form.

The price of the average ticket to a Major League Baseball game hasn't changed since last season, holding at $26.98. It's a somewhat different story when it comes to the price of taking a family of four to a game and paying for parking, a program, a cap, a hot dog, a soft drink and a beer. The cost of the whole package is up 2.5% to $207.80, according to Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index.

Even early in the season, there are some fans taking a bigger loss on the cost of a ticket than others. We looked over the standings and found 10 teams whose ticket prices are hitting well above the league average: ...

10 Ways to Buy a Great Summer at Home

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- For outdoor enthusiasts who spent the past few weekends rolling grills out of storage and setting up deck, porch or balcony furniture, this time of year was worth the wait.

If your home's outdoor setup is just right, it gets really tough to leave. Couple a sweet grill and a comfortable chair with gas prices averaging more than $3.90 a gallon and warm summer weather becomes a strong argument for staying home.

Considering the impact of even a modest outdoor improvements, we've come up with 10 outdoor investments that can turn even the most modest real estate into an open-air resort: ...

10 Most Expensive Beers in Baseball

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:30:12 EDT

Correction: Due to inaccurate information from Team Marketing Report, the price of a small beer at the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park and Texas Rangers' Rangers Ballpark was misreported in an earlier version of this story. The smallest beer at both facilities is $5.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- We're roughly a month into the Major League Baseball season and baseball's beer drinking fans are already behind in the standings.

Major League Baseball's average price for a small beer rose from $5.81 last year to $6.16 this year. At this time last year, the highest price for a small beer was the $7.25 the Boston Red Sox were charging at Fenway Park. This year three teams have exceeded that price, with one team breaking the $8 barrier for the first time ever. ...

10 Great Convertibles for This Summer

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- With temperatures rising and the sun sticking around longer, commuters shouldn't be spending their summer drive in a dark cabin built to withstand a blizzard.

And indeed, the sunroofs are sliding back and the windows are rolling down. Still, drivers who want to soak up the sun should cultivate more than just a farmer's tan this season.

We spoke with Brandy Schaffels, senior editor at car pricing site TrueCar, and put together a list of the top 10 convertibles on the market. If you're feeling cramped in your rolling cave, drop the top and step into the light: ...

The Beer Dance: How Schlafly Craft Beer Shook Up St. Louis

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:55:51 EDT

ST. LOUIS (MainStreet) -- Schlafly Brewing Co.'s win against Boston Beer Co.'s Samuel Adams in our Beer Dance craft beer bracket last week looked like an upset. But just beneath its head was an outpouring of local pride that's been brewing for quite some time.

Schlafly has grown from an 880-barrel-a-year operation founded in a small St. Louis taproom in 1991 to a 15,000-barrel bottling operation in 2003 to a nearly 50,000-barrel enterprise with two restaurants, almost 50 styles of beer and distribution in 12 states. It doesn't give its beers wacky names -- its Biere De Garde saison and Oktoberfest Marzen seem downright quirky compared to its straightforward Pale Ale and Hefeweizen. Schlafly's production is still well below the nearly 2.5 million barrels of Samuel Adams brewed at facilities in Boston, Allentown, Pa., and Cincinnati, but looks a bit bigger when you compare Schlafly's 16,000 followers on Twitter to Samuel Adams' little more than 8,000. ...

Click to view a price quote on SAM.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.

The Beer Dance: The Championship Of Our Craft Beer March Madness Bracket

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:29:13 EDT

NEW YORK -- (MainStreet) -- Our craft beer bracket is down to two brews and two fervent fan bases. Let the final beer battle begin.

Just a few weeks ago, we had a full 14-pack of craft beers from NCAA tournament host cities. Much as the NCAA's field of 64 winnowed down to the University of Kansas Jayhawks and University of Kentucky Wildcats, our case is down to just two beers sharing the top shelf of our fridge: Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Schlafly Dry Hopped APA. ...

Click to view a price quote on BUD.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.

The Beer Dance: The Final Four Of Our Craft Beer March Madness Bracket

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:25:29 EDT

NEW YORK -- (MainStreet) -- Craft beer is a fickle mistress, and nowhere is that more evident than among our Beer Dance beer bracket's Final Four.

It's an industry where favored beer styles change with season and whim. Where a long-established brewery can be immediately challenged by a fresh-faced upstart, but can turn the tables with one small batch of the right brew. It's a world where, as Boston Beer founder Jim Koch has said on several occasions, the favorite beer of a large subset of the consumer base is the beer it had last. ...

Click to view a price quote on SAM.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.

March Madness Is a Suite Deal For Corporate Clients

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EDT

NEW ORLEANS (MainStreet) -- The Final Four is presumably about the NCAA men's basketball championship, but some of the best games in New Orleans are being played on smartphones, in luxury suites and behind the flaps of corporate hospitality tents.

The Final Four is one of little more than a handful of in-demand events routinely circled on the corporate calendar, as regional vice presidents and chief executives all too familiar with the Pareto Principle (80% of sales come from 20% of your clients) try to impress their most valuable vendors. Jacob Turnage, co-founder and vice president of marketing for Atlanta-based organizer of high-end sports hospitality EB Corporate routinely counts the Final Four among the "Big Six" corporate hospitality events that include the Super Bowl, the Masters Tournament, tennis' U.S. Open, the Kentucky Derby and, this year, the Ryder Cup. The action on the court is great, but the NCAA tournament's biggest plays are made in corporate suites and at celebrity meet and greets.

Back in 2003, when the Final Four was last in New Orleans, city native Turnage sold a client from Kellogg's a package so he could entertain one of his top clients, an executive from Kroger. The supermarket bigwig was a Syracuse University alumnus and wanted to see his Orange and star freshman Carmelo Anthony make a run for the national title. ...

Click to view a price quote on K.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.

7 Travel Spots That Avoid Spring Break

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) -- You didn't make it through a long, gray winter just to spend your spring break avoiding a can-strewn hotel pool and cleaning a co-ed's vomit off your rental car.

Much like hurricanes, brush fires, blizzards and various other seasonal anomalies, spring break is best accepted as an unfortunate reality at this time of year for travelers whose best beer-bong building days are behind them. As with any destructive force of nature, the best way to approach spring break as a traveler is to avoid it as best as possible. ...

Click to view a price quote on AXP.

Click to research the Financial Services industry.

The Beer Dance: Our Craft Beer March Madness Bracket

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:30:00 EDT

NEW ORLEANS (MainStreet) -- Oh, the sports world has March Madness all right, but you know what March Madness doesn't have? Beer. Not one drop.

No Anheuser-Busch InBev and Budweiser signs scattered throughout arenas. No MolsonCoors ads imploring fans to tap the Rockies. Nothing. What the big guys see as a loss, however, should be craft beer's shot at a Cinderella Story.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is the biggest event in a college sport played by athletes predominantly below the legal drinking age. The NCAA bans alcohol sales during all its championships except football's postseason and bowls -- which it doesn't run -- and limits alcohol ads to malt beverages, beer and wine products with a sessionable 6% alcohol by volume or less. Even at that, beer ads made up less than 6% of all advertising during last year's Final Four. ...

Click to view a price quote on BUD.

Click to research the Food & Beverage industry.