Like most large cities, Las Vegas gets its fair share of touring concerts. For a night or two, the performers set up shop and entertain crowds before moving on to the next city. But in Vegas, a city that sees millions of visitors pass through every year, there is another option.
For Vegas, the residency performance model, whereby properties sign musicians and DJs to perform a set number of shows over a specified period, has worked extremely well.
There is no precise definition of a resident performer. Nothing says a resident performer must satisfy any requirement for number of shows within a specific period.
These performers may put on shows at other venues while serving a residency, and the performers' venues may host other performers and even other residents.
However, residencies enable venues to say they have established relationships with certain performers, who have often tailored shows specifically for the residency period.
One of Las Vegas' most famous resident performers has been Celine Dion, who kicked off her first residency, "Celine Dion: A New Day," in March 2003 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
That residency ran through December 2007. "Ten years ago, the vision was to create the residency model with Celine," said Jason Gastwirth, senior vice president of marketing and entertainment at Caesars Entertainment.
She was so successful, her second residency, a three-year run, started in March of 2011.
Celine Dion was the first of many who have called the Colosseum home: Elton John's "The Red Piano" ran from February 2004 to March 2009, and he began another three-year residency in September 2011.
Cher was a resident headliner at the Colosseum from May 2008 to February 2011, and Rod Stewart, who started a two-year residency in 2011, last month renewed his contract for another two years.
Shania Twain is the Colosseum's latest resident with her show, "Shania: Still the One." She has consistently packed the venue since moving in for her two-year residency in December 2012.
Gastwirth said the residents chosen for the Colosseum must be marquee-worthy. They must stand out in their genre of music and have a vast catalog of work from which to create a show that wows audiences night after night.
He said they also must be able to connect intimately with audience members in a way that isn't possible in an arena. "We're constantly engaged with potential new artists, and we're always engaged with our current performers," Gastwirth said.
In addition to performers at the Colosseum, Caesars Entertainment has hosted Donny and Marie Osmond at the Flamingo for several years, and CeeLo Green recently completed a residency at Planet Hollywood.
Garth Brooks completed a highly successful residency at Wynn Las Vegas, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill followed with "Soul2Soul."
Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Santana and Def Leppard have all called the Hard Rock Hotel's concert venue, the Joint, home.
Las Vegas residencies aren't confined to big-name musicians.
In the fall of 2008, DJ Paul Oakenfold started his first U.S. residency at the Palms Las Vegas. World-renowned DJs Tong, Tiesto and Kaskade followed in his footsteps.
Since then, it seems all the clubs have taken on the talent they want for their establishments, said Michael Goodwin, vice president of nightlife and daylife at the Hard Rock Hotel.
His hotel has five residents at the moment, in the nightclubs and at the pools and two in Vinyl, one of the concert venues.
Today, most nightclubs in Las Vegas have resident DJs, and many pool dayclubs sign resident DJs, as well.
Some of the most popular nightclubs have more than a dozen resident DJs.
The consistency that residents provide is advantageous for those making Las Vegas vacation plans. "Although we have a local following, our average visitor is here for three days," Goodwin said. "We have a new audience every week."
Fans of particular musicians and DJs know they can see their favorite performers when they visit Las Vegas.
"We release our entertainment schedule far in advance, and people can plan their vacations around these artists," Gastwirth said.