Tradition and budget constraints mean the Sunset Concert series will continue to draw crowds with its atmosphere, not headline acts.

“Yes, there could be better bands there … but when it comes to paying for all that, we’ve got a pretty good thing going here,” said Don Castle, associate director of the Student Center and adviser to the Student Programming Council.

The Sunset Concert series is made up of seven weekly free concerts that alternate between the steps of Shryock Auditorium and Turley Park Thursdays during the summer, and they’ve been held for the last 33 years. The concerts host a diverse set of smaller acts for large crowds. People fill the outdoor venues on blankets, in lawn chairs or even full living room sets and spend the time with drinks, grilled food, games such as bags and hanging with friends.

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This year’s artists range from tropical-rock group Conch Republic to hip-hop/jazz fusion artists Animate Objects.

The series’ four sponsors meet in the spring to plan the concerts and decide on bands, said Kevin Ruby, acting executive director of the SPC.

“We want to hit a bunch of different genres,” he said.

The total budget for the seven concerts of the 2011 series was $38,000. That price is divided between the four sponsors: the City of Carbondale, the Carbondale Park District, the Student Center and the SPC.

The talent budget for all seven of the 2011 Sunset Concerts was $12,250, or about $1,750 per act.

Popular college acts like Wiz Khalifa and Passion Pit go for $75,000 or $40,000-$50,000 respectively, said Chris Barber, senior college agent for Pretty Polly Productions, a booking agency and concert producer. He said emerging acts like Best Coast and Curren$y are in the $10,000-$15,000 range.

Castle said for the last two years the City of Carbondale has not paid the full 25 percent of the cost but rather a flat rate of $7000. Last year the remaining cost was absorbed by the other three sponsors, which Castle said he expects to be the case again this year.

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Of the SPC’s total budget of $60,000 for fiscal year 2012, $7,000 was allocated for the series. Ruby said the difference between that and the full 25 percent had to be made up for with other funds.

The price tag is the main obstacle in the way of a larger show for the Sunset Concerts,  Ruby said.

“It all comes down to funding,” he said. “Until we’re able to increase funding, there’s probably not a high likelihood of having a bigger-name band.”

Undergraduate Student Government President Brian Nelson said the concerts are a good way to bring together summer school students and the Carbondale community.

Ruby said one way to fund big-name talent for the concerts would be a new programming fee similar to one that SIUE has. He said discussions on such a fee are in the very early stages.

Castle said bigger acts would probably require better security, higher production values and tickets.

Damon Dermot, a senior from Northbrook studying human nutrition and dietetics, said he would be willing to pay for a ticket to see at least one big-name act per summer at the Sunset Concerts.

“If the price was within reason, yes. I’d pay some money,” he said.

Sam Bell, of Carbondale, said she comes to hang out with friends and people-watch, but she wouldn’t pay to see a bigger-name band.

Castle said he is open to bringing bigger acts to campus, but preferably not for the Sunset Concerts. He said the people he sees at the concerts are having a good time, and he isn’t sure the concerts should be changed at all.

“One of our key jobs is not to screw it up,” he said.