With a student population of about 42,000, it's hard for the Bryce Jordan Center to know exactly which artists students want to see brought to Happy Valley.

Toby Keith, Yellowcard, Counting Crows and the Dave Matthews Band have all visited State College, but new politics behind the way venues book bands may impact what bands come to Penn State.

Bernie Punt, public relations, marketing and sales director for the BJC, spends much of his time researching and booking acts that seem to please the Penn State crowd, he said changes in the business side of the musical industry have made it more difficult to get shows.

"It's so much harder to bring acts in now versus in the past because the promoters were independent," Punt said.

He explained that in the past, State College's central location made it a good spot to attract tours, causing promoters from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to compete with each other.

"They'd call us and say they're bringing this act -- check your schedule," he said.

In recent years, however, larger media corporations, such as Live Nation, have bought out many of those promoters, eliminating much of the competition and affecting the way promoters look at the BJC.

Large promoters, such as Live Nation, buy a whole tour and then decide where they want to take the tour based on marketing research. From a business standpoint, the companies want to take it to large markets with less risk of not selling out, but the BJC is considered a medium-sized market, Punt said.

Punt said in the past, Live Nation brought tours here, including the Counting Crows, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and No Doubt, but some of the tours didn't sell out.

"Live Nation brought in Dave Matthews last winter and it didn't sell out, and guess what? He's not coming back," Punt said.

He said although college students said they can't afford tickets, the promoters see the students' cars, designer clothes and the money they spend at clubs, bars and restaurants downtown and conclude that students don't want to see their show.

"It's safer for them to keep it to three shows in Philly versus two nights in Philly and one in State College," said Punt.

Punt said the Jordan Center typically holds about 20 to 30 concerts a year, which is very respectable for a secondary market.

Instead of working through other promoters, the BJC has now taken on the role of the promoter, and it has to go out and find its own shows and take a proactive approach to promoting the building.

One way they do this is through the classroom. Punt teaches a class and also gives guest lectures on campus. Another efficient way is through Facebook.com.

"I know it sounds creepy," he said, "but all we do is search to see how many students put someone like The All-American Rejects in their list of favorite music. We want to see what's popular."

They also use other Web sites, such as MySpace.com, to search local social networks to see if there are active chats about specific bands within 10 miles of the university zip code.

He said they have to gather information about the amount of interest quickly when they hear from talent buyers.

"We have to do this in an hour, not days," he said. "There are hundreds of other buildings, so it has to be done really quickly. And they want a marketing plan of how we're going to sell the show, not just an offer."

With every request for a band, there is a list of criteria that has to be met for it to be a possibility.

"First of all, are they on tour?" Punt said. "And if they're on tour, where are they touring? If they're in our area, do we have dates available, and what day of the week is it? And also, can we make it affordable for students?"

In addition, the BJC is a member of the Arena Network Theatre Group (ANTG), a group of arenas that work together to create more business at each venue. The group's goal is to create more intimate concert settings.

Punt said some bands would rather play to smaller crowds, and this allows for more medium-sized venues, like the BJC, to accommodate them. He used the upcoming All-American Rejects show as an example, saying the tour usually only plays to about 5,000 people, and although the BJC fits nearly three times that number, curtains and staging can create a smaller feel.

Punt said the BJC knows students have a lower income, and they try to make the prices lower for students. He said that about three years ago, they established a relationship with the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC).

"We asked them to help us make it possible for students [to go to concerts and other events]," he said. "And because of the student activity fee, we are able to make prices lower."

He said prices for tickets are in the $20 range, the same as prices in 1997.

"Where else can you get that? It's such a deal. Some students don't know that, but it's such a great deal," he said.