I don_t spend any time on the Web, really," admits rock singer
Rod Stewart. The fact that Stewart is no Webhead doesn_t mean he has no Web presence, though. You can download Stewart_s latest single, buy Rod-themed mousepads and magnets, check out an exhaustive discography, listen to live shows presented several times a year, get tour information and join his "CyberClub". "It is kinda cool, though, for the fans … because it makes what is basically a huge worldwide venue into an intimate one-on-one. I don_t know of many concert halls that can do that." Though Rodstewartlive.com is one of the Web_s more advanced "official" fan sites, Stewart is hardly alone in cyberspace. Thousands of performers and production companies are trying to fuse the star power of the entertainment world with the Web_s convenience and worldwide reach. Of course, making money in the entertainment field has been a fickle goal almost since Aeschylus first put pen to papyrus - and the expense involved in building and maintaining a Web site does not make the financial side any easier. Nonetheless, constructing entertainment-related sites has grown into a sizable cottage industry. The architects of the sites argue that the medium offers unprecedented business opportunities in fan and customer relations, brand building and direct marketing. Stewart_s site was developed by MediaX, a Culver City, Calif., firm that primarily develops video games. But the paradox is that the Web_s very ability to attract a mass audience appears to work against the entertainment industry_s traditional business model. The thinking is that every fan you attract to a free concert on the Web may equal one fewer concert ticket sold. One possible way to harness a profit on these huge online Webcasts is through corporate sponsorship. The theory is that, just as Michelob and Reebok in the last 15 years have leapt into the business of sponsoring rock stars_ concerts in America_s hockey rinks, they should be similarly interested in sponsoring online concerts. That business, however, remains unproven. The return on investment for entertainment sites, as with many other Web arenas, can be elusive. Rodstewartlive.com, for instance, has yet to generate much revenue for anyone. The site, which carries no outside advertising, declines to provide specific traffic figures. Rock promoters insist, however, that there is value in simply having an independent publicity outlet under an artist_s control. Most music-industry publicity is handled by record labels, or firms they hire. If a band or artist falls off a label_s priority list, or begins the often-lengthy process of switching labels, no one is there to keep cranking the star-making machinery. The official fan sites, by contrast, "work for the artist," says V. Hustwit, director of marketing for Rodstewartlive.com.