I have a big problem with this

[vivaelvis]

Someone tell me why The Beatles get this fancy state-of-the-art facility to tell their story and all EPE has ever done for Elvis is turn a small strip mall into a money pit?





It's been 30 years since Graceland opened and all we as fans who have kept them in business has ever gotten is the above.

I have a serious problem with this. It's time for them to start spending some of that $60 million a year they're making on the legacy and not those **** ducks.

[josephinebeau]

True story, I would like to see the financial statements over the last 35 years and see where the money has gone. It sure has not gone to creating a better experience in Memphis, I know they had to wait on the city to approve some measures, but it is time to get moving. If I was Lisa Marie I would not let anyone or thing stand in my way of protecting, and enhancing my father's legacy. Just sayin.

[vivaelvis]

True story, I would like to see the financial statements over the last 35 years and see where the money has gone. It sure has not gone to creating a better experience in Memphis, I know they had to wait on the city to approve some measures, but it is time to get moving. If I was Lisa Marie I would not let anyone or thing stand in my way of protecting, and enhancing my father's legacy. Just sayin.

I read somewhere that back in their first full year that EPE made over $12 million in 1983 of revenue. That would be equivalent to around $30 million in 2012. And they have never had a non profit year to date. That would mean that they have made more than $450 million in the past 30 years. They have spent only around $10 million combined, including $5 million on the Heartbreak Hotel purchase and renovation and $1 million back in 1983 to revamp the strip mall into the Plaza. The most money they ever spent on upgrades at the Plaza was for the Automobile Museum which cost around $3 million to build a 15,000 sf building.

I'm willing to bet that most of the money went to the Church Of Scientology. The word now is that Lisa Marie has left the church and is slamming it in her new song So Long and calls it fake.

I understand that they have planned an overhaul and are still planning to eventually build a massive state-of-the-art new visitor center, but that should have been done long before Sillerman bought the company back in 2005. I mean, my God! They have had 30 years and the above picture is all they have to show for it. Unreal!

I have noticed also that only 20% of overall visitors are returnees. That means that 80% of overall visitors do NOT return. And I don't blame them.

[boquo2]

Good point, though Graceland itself needs to remain the `mecca' for Elvis fans.

[josephinebeau]

"The word now is that Lisa Marie has left the church and is slamming it in her new song So Long and calls it fake."

If that is true then thank God, I don't think it is cool to bash other's beliefs but there is something very shady about their organization.
Hopefully she can be influenced more positively by her father's faith.

[King Of The Whole World]

I remember reading that Elvis once visited the Scientology Church and said that all they wanted was money. That it was just a place to bring in celebrities and rich people to take their money. I guess she should have listened to her dad and then they wouldn't have taken her.

They do need to remodel the buildings around there for sure. They need a nice big area to rest (cool off) and eat during Elvis week, it is so hot in August.

[KPM]

Elvis never asked for a state of the art museum, he never asked for anything to be done to honor him or his accomplishments in his will-that is the key to your question.......one I have pointed out many many times when you bring up things like this.
Elvis asked for money to be made-for his daughter-with no preconditions of any kind.
He did not ask that "Graceland never be opened to the public for ticket sales".....he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ask that "State of the art museums be opened in the future".............he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ask fans to second guess his decisions in his will for his daughter.......he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not say do not merchandise my image and likeness...............................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ban any certain approach to merchandising him image......................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not leave a detailed plan of any kind to protect the estate.....................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
I could go on and on with the things Elvis did not ask to be done after his death but it boils down to that one phrase I just used over
and over "He basically said protect my estate for my daughter"
Could Elvis have had preconditions to his will such as:
"No tasteless merchandising"
"Do not open Graceland to the public"
"Build a musuem to honor my career and accomplishments at all costs"
"Listen to my fans and their wishes-above my ideas for my daughters future"
"Rather than open Graceland -just let the estate collapse and thats a better ending to my life"
etc......etc......etc........ad infinitem.

Why didn't Elvis have a larger framework for what he wanted done with his estate after he died?
Because all that mattered to him was that Lisa was well taken care of forever......plain and simple.
He "may" have also realised that he did not manage money well, he had sold 90 percent of his catalogue to RCA and he did not own his films so income after he had died would mainly rest with merchandising and image.....or perhaps his lawyer pointed these facts out to him while preparing the will. A lawyer will always ask his clients in such matters-what is your goal with the will what are your wishes????
Elvis made it clear in no uncertain terms basically protect my estate for my daughter!
I can not and will not jump on or villainize EPE or Lisa because Elvis left such a simple request that did not worry more about we fans and less about his prime concern.
Talk about second guessing last wishes......for some EPE are the lowest of low-but they are doing what Elvis asked-his wishes not ours!

[KPM]

Whats the background to the Beatles state of the art facility?
One that tells us-who built it, how much did it cost, how long in developement, who owns it, what ticket prices are, are any of the Beatles personally financially involved, what was the extent of govenrnment involvement (grants, tax breaks, zoning problems, public money used etc.....)


Graceland became the center of everything Elvis after he died.......where would the center of everything Beatles be?
4 separate individuals, all with many homes locationed around the world. Liverpool was the roots of the Beatles, but not any certain location, not any certain home where all 4 lived together until death. So a single large facility for "tourists" to honor the Beatles makes a lot of sense and it will make someone a lot of money-it will be in essence a "Money Pit"
Graceland is in itself a museum-perhaps not ideally built, perhaps not ideally located for tourism but thats where Elvis lived and died most of his adult life.

[vivaelvis]

Elvis never asked for a state of the art museum, he never asked for anything to be done to honor him or his accomplishments in his will-that is the key to your question.......one I have pointed out many many times when you bring up things like this.
Elvis asked for money to be made-for his daughter-with no preconditions of any kind.
He did not ask that "Graceland never be opened to the public for ticket sales".....he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ask that "State of the art museums be opened in the future".............he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ask fans to second guess his decisions in his will for his daughter.......he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not say do not merchandise my image and likeness...............................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not ban any certain approach to merchandising him image......................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
He did not leave a detailed plan of any kind to protect the estate.....................he basically said protect my estate for my daughter.
I could go on and on with the things Elvis did not ask to be done after his death but it boils down to that one phrase I just used over
and over "He basically said protect my estate for my daughter"
Could Elvis have had preconditions to his will such as:
"No tasteless merchandising"
"Do not open Graceland to the public"
"Build a musuem to honor my career and accomplishments at all costs"
"Listen to my fans and their wishes-above my ideas for my daughters future"
"Rather than open Graceland -just let the estate collapse and thats a better ending to my life"
etc......etc......etc........ad infinitem.

Why didn't Elvis have a larger framework for what he wanted done with his estate after he died?
Because all that mattered to him was that Lisa was well taken care of forever......plain and simple.
He "may" have also realised that he did not manage money well, he had sold 90 percent of his catalogue to RCA and he did not own his films so income after he had died would mainly rest with merchandising and image.....or perhaps his lawyer pointed these facts out to him while preparing the will. A lawyer will always ask his clients in such matters-what is your goal with the will what are your wishes????
Elvis made it clear in no uncertain terms basically protect my estate for my daughter!
I can not and will not jump on or villainize EPE or Lisa because Elvis left such a simple request that did not worry more about we fans and less about his prime concern.
Talk about second guessing last wishes......for some EPE are the lowest of low-but they are doing what Elvis asked-his wishes not ours!

None of that has any relation to my point in this post. My point and argument was that after all these years that Graceland has been opened that they have put very little into upgrades and expansion, considering what they make annually and over a 30-year period of time. My post had nothing to do with what Elvis wanted or didn't want. But we as fans DO deserve much more than we are given by the estate when we visit and spend our hard earned money on their attraction. That cannot be debated. They make visitors sit in freezing cold or hot steamy August weather under an open air pavilion waiting for a tour bus to carry them over to the mansion. They are very fortunate that the fans have continued to want to go through that for 30 years and counting. They should invest more into their facilities instead of their merchandise, They would actually end up profiting more as more visitors would come. But they have no respect for those who pay their bills and give them nice livings that we only dream of having. Half the time fans can't even visit the planes when it's raining or it might be scorching hot outside to stand in a line to walk up inside of them. They should have invested a long time ago into a new center where they could put PEOPLE indoors and the planes indoors as well. Ken, I understand your argument, but there's no excuse whatsoever for the way they have treated the fans and Elvis' legacy over the years.

Sure, Graceland never had to open in the first place and we should all be happy that we've had the chance to see it. But that'
s beside the point. If you're going to run a business and refuse to put money into it, then don't expect it to grow much, if at all. EPE and Graceland could be on par with Disney Corporations as a business if they had invested into other things over the years instead into tacky cheap looking merchandise.

Like him or not, at least Sillerman showed that he cared enough to plan a massive overhaul to make visitors WANT to come back year after year. He saw that change IS needed. It's sad that it took an outsider to see this decades after the grand opening.

BTW, prior to this year, Graceland's attendance has been at a long time low. I wonder why? We know why. Poor neighborhood and surrounding areas, lack of needed upgraded facilities (such as a new hotel and visitor's center) and broken promises.

[Tommy]

I am glad to see this debate going on. Very interesting stuff.

[vivaelvis]

Whats the background to the Beatles state of the art facility?
One that tells us-who built it, how much did it cost, how long in developement, who owns it, what ticket prices are, are any of the Beatles personally financially involved, what was the extent of govenrnment involvement (grants, tax breaks, zoning problems, public money used etc.....)


Graceland became the center of everything Elvis after he died.......where would the center of everything Beatles be?
4 separate individuals, all with many homes locationed around the world. Liverpool was the roots of the Beatles, but not any certain location, not any certain home where all 4 lived together until death. So a single large facility for "tourists" to honor the Beatles makes a lot of sense and it will make someone a lot of money-it will be in essence a "Money Pit"
Graceland is in itself a museum-perhaps not ideally built, perhaps not ideally located for tourism but thats where Elvis lived and died most of his adult life.

I don't have the time to spend at the moment researching the cost and funding for their museum in Liverpool as I am too curious as to what it was, but here's a link to a recent plan for a $50 million expansion to it. EPE can't even invest a few million into a decent museum to tell the Elvis story. They could easily build a 25,000 square foot facility to the north, adjacent to the Graceland property next to the wedding chapel for about $5-10 million. The current Sincerely Elvis museum at the Plaza is only 4,000 square feet in size.

http://www.liverpool.com/news/bank-f...sion-plan.html

[KPM]

None of that has any relation to my point in this post. My point and argument was that after all these years that Graceland has been opened that they have put very little into upgrades and expansion, considering what they make annually and over a 30-year period of time. My post had nothing to do with what Elvis wanted or didn't want. But we as fans DO deserve much more than we are given by the estate when we visit and spend our hard earned money on their attraction. That cannot be debated. They make visitors sit in freezing cold or hot steamy August weather under an open air pavilion waiting for a tour bus to carry them over to the mansion. They are very fortunate that the fans have continued to want to go through that for 30 years and counting. They should invest more into their facilities instead of their merchandise, They would actually end up profiting more as more visitors would come. But they have no respect for those who pay their bills and give them nice livings that we only dream of having. Half the time fans can't even visit the planes when it's raining or it might be scorching hot outside to stand in a line to walk up inside of them. They should have invested a long time ago into a new center where they could put PEOPLE indoors and the planes indoors as well. Ken, I understand your argument, but there's no excuse whatsoever for the way they have treated the fans and Elvis' legacy over the years.

Sure, Graceland never had to open in the first place and we should all be happy that we've had the chance to see it. But that'
s beside the point. If you're going to run a business and refuse to put money into it, then don't expect it to grow much, if at all. EPE and Graceland could be on par with Disney Corporations as a business if they had invested into other things over the years instead into tacky cheap looking merchandise.

Like him or not, at least Sillerman showed that he cared enough to plan a massive overhaul to make visitors WANT to come back year after year. He saw that change IS needed. It's sad that it took an outsider to see this decades after the grand opening.

BTW, prior to this year, Graceland's attendance has been at a long time low. I wonder why? We know why. Poor neighborhood and surrounding areas, lack of needed upgraded facilities (such as a new hotel and visitor's center) and broken promises.

That is such a shame-Elvis' wishes and you think they should not be a factor???
The only reason their is an EPE is because of Elvis Presleys last will and testiment-fact.... no debate.... no if ans or buts.
The current EPE is in existence solely because of legal instructions that had to be carried out as Elvis stipulated-it is a major point-it is the reason for anything and everything since Elvis died in connection with Graceland, Lisa, and his image.
Instead of thanking EPE/Lisa, they get slammed, anything they do is downgraded as not enough, not to a standard proclaimed by others, not fair, not respectful..........isnt that the case-isnt that with your argument? If Elvis's will is an indication of what he wanted I would dare say Elvis is much happier that some fans-Lisa is rich beyond his wildest wishes so pardon me If I see that as a PLUS!
It was after all Elvis's life, his career, his home, his image...........and his daughter.
I recall not long ago I mentioned that this seemed to be your real fire-complaining about what EPE has not done, what EPE should do, and what they have done wrong.

Heres a link to a retrospective of the history of EPE since Elvis died, quite a few updates and additions mentioned all cost money......planes bought and renovated, car museum, buying strip malls, renovating those, raquetball court renovation for hall of gold, hotel, restaurant, charitable foundation set up (hope thats okay)finding and buying back Elvis autos, jewelry, costumes, property etc...... and many that are unmentioned have taken place.
The Sillerman deal was suppose to be that next big step.....and now Apollo......EPE/Lisa proclaimed they wanted to go further but admitted they needed the "expertise" of an outside entity-boy thats really worked out.
Its not just enough to have grand visions, you have to follow thru and stick to a plan....not jump from point to point, idea to idea.........and let your new ideas keep you from acting till all you have is the ideas (indeed he is not calling the shots anymore)
Tourism is at an all time low in the world (as I have pointed out several times) not just for Graceland.
Although Graceland is still the most visited private home in America.
EPE has spent money-has made improvements, has worked to make the visits better-just not on par with what "YOU" want.
I have ofter wondered what it is that makes the Graceland renovation issue so important to you........its your number one issue.
The number one issue for me concerning Elvis is his talent and charisma-his accomplishments as an artist-those are things that do not depend on renovations-because they will exist as long as his voice and performances are available.
If I was Lisa-I would close it up..... she will never win, EPE will never win.... the will put them in the position of "villains" and yet they have fullfilled what what they were "legally bound to do" They did not own the music, they did not own the films......yet they succeeded.
Shame more people do not realise how easily it could have went the other way.

http://www.enotes.com/elvis-presley-...nterprises-inc

[KPM]

I don't have the time to spend at the moment researching the cost and funding for their museum in Liverpool as I am too curious as to what it was, but here's a link to a recent plan for a $50 million expansion to it. EPE can't even invest a few million into a decent museum to tell the Elvis story. They could easily build a 25,000 square foot facility to the north, adjacent to the Graceland property next to the wedding chapel for about $5-10 million. The current Sincerely Elvis museum at the Plaza is only 4,000 square feet in size.

http://www.liverpool.com/news/bank-f...sion-plan.html

...... who developed the project, who spent the money, where the money came from, how the government aided in the plans with tax breaks or grants, how much tickets cost, how long it was in developement......it just did not come into existence because Beatle fans wanted it-someone is making money from this place-and it cost money time and thought to get it built.
If its a government museum-thats one thing, if its private owned that is another, it the surviving Beatles and families of the deceased ones are invovled that another angle that tells some of the "how of this museum"
I do know that no ones last will in testiment seems to have started the plan for this facility, no legal necessity, no make or break angle was involved.
Apples and oranges (I'll let the Beatles be Apples for obvious reasons)

[KPM]

I am glad to see this debate going on. Very interesting stuff.

thanks Tommy.
I really understand the idea that things must be updated, they must have some degree of upkeep and expansion in order to stay fresh... but it is unfair IMO to label EPE as not having spent money, not having made efforts to do those things......and it should always be remembered that until Lisa officially took over her the estate-EPE was bound by its legal mission-to protect and grow the estate-without the music nor movies.
Sure EPE has made mistakes but they have done very very well for Lisa, which was their prime mission.

[Tommy]

Wonderful to see this great debate..........thank you all.

[King Of The Whole World]

To some degree you could say that if they don't rebuild things around Graceland the attraction could lose a lot of tourism. So that would be protecting Lisa's future even though she probably has enough money to last her and her kid’s future. They can do whatever they want to do with their money but there could become a time that they lose people coming to Graceland over conditions, and then it might be to late.

[vivaelvis]

To some degree you could say that if they don't rebuild things around Graceland the attraction could lose a lot of tourism. So that would be protecting Lisa's future even though she probably has enough money to last her and her kid’s future. They can do whatever they want to do with their money but there could become a time that they lose people coming to Graceland over conditions, and then it might be to late.

Good point. Let me add that even though Lisa owns the estate including the archives and planes, she cannot shut down Graceland as it's a business that would affect the local economy. She would get sued if she tried to and most likely lose. Therefor the owners which would be CKX and Apollo would be the ones to suffer financially. Apollo could afford it but CKX could not.

[rocknroll]

Scientology fake??? Noooooooooo!

Sillerman is Satan. All Elvis meant to him was dollar bills.

[Joe Car]

Some excellent debate here. Well done gang!

[Snake Eyes]

I remember reading that Elvis once visited the Scientology Church and said that all they wanted was money. That it was just a place to bring in celebrities and rich people to take their money. I guess she should have listened to her dad and then they wouldn't have taken her.

They do need to remodel the buildings around there for sure. They need a nice big area to rest (cool off) and eat during Elvis week, it is so hot in August.

I was watching the E! True Hollywood story avout Lisa Marie the other day when scientology came into it, and Elvis was supposed to have said "It's all about the head and not the heart". Off topic, but scientology is all about the money, to get further up the food chain so to speak, depends on the amount of money you put into it.

Where is this Beatles thing supposed to be? Has it been made already? I could google it, but I'm not really into the Beatles.