[Dixielandjazz] The real reason Dixieland Festivals are failing as you know them.

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

The following is a letter I just got back form a Professional concert and 
event Promoter that I sent to The Pismo Beach Festival folks to try and help them 
after Bill Horton mentioned to me that they were giving up the Mardi Gras 
promotion, and now they are considering eliminating the highly touted successful 
Jazz festival because they are just too tired to do all the necessary work to 
operate it any longer.

It is disheartening to see folks who admit they could use some help and then 
you send them professional help and they blow smoke up their face and wonder 
why they lose interest from younger folks, that are perfectly willing and able 
to get involved and help save their festivals, etc., To keep burning bridges 
with the professional people is a dangerous thing to do.  One day they may wake 
up and realize that their sponsors have switched to other events.  This 
business as any business folks is a numbers game, without them you get no 
sponsorship money.  Sponsors want to see the potential of selling their products to 
your audience and when you can no longer provide them with an audience in 
substantial numbers to justify the money you are asking for then it has a magic way 
of evaporating.

This Promoter and I have organized and managed many concerts and festivals 
for many organizations over the past twenty years in several States.  The 
impression that we as professionals have gotten from most Jazz Societies and 
festival promoters so far is that they don't want any help, and are content to see 
their audience dwindle and the efforts of their years of work just go to the 
cemetery with each passing member of yesteryear.  They are more interested in 
having a private club for their own parties and have just enough folks attend to 
pay the bills so they can have another party.   If Dixieland Jazz turns folks 
into crusty old curmudgeons then maybe that is why you can't attract a younger 
sustaining audience, who wants to pay money to be around a bunch of nasty 
attitude people

All for now,

Tom Wiggins
"There'll be some changes Made"
 
"Thanks for the update Tom.  If memory serves me correctly these tired old 
guys were the same ones that were so cocky and arrogant two years ago that they 
would not even consider selling single day passes!  Right?  

I would be glad to look at this event with you for consideration.

We should plan to get to know the history of the Pismo event and the past 
players.  I can do some research on my end.  Do they have a website?  Maybe my 
Rotary Club would like to pick up an event like this as a fundraiser.  Maybe all 
three "Five Cities" Rotary Clubs could work together with us on it?  Good 
citizens down there don't like to see traditions die.  Sponsorships should not be 
too hard to get.  I just hope that the old farts who ran the event for years 
did not burn lots of other bridges like they did mine!  I also know the movers 
in the SLO jazz society who are looking for events to be involved with.

As I recall, the Pismo event has been mostly Dixieland.  Maybe that focus is 
getting old and needs to be widened?  

I hear that the Morro Bay Jazz Festival is not going to happen this January. 
 Have you heard anything about that?  

Where does the Jubilee by the Sea take place and when?


Cheers,

Curtis,