[Dixielandjazz] Mainstream Festivals the answer?

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/8/04 10:12:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> 
> Live music, including rock concerts, has been experiencing a declining 
> audience base. Perhaps because there is less disposable income (in the 
> USA) or because "entertainment" is changing? And hopefully we all 
> realize by now that music is entertainment as well as art. Always has 
> been, always will be. Generally, we all need MORE AUDIENCE.
> 

No question about it, the declining economy is devestating a great portion of 
the concert business and has been for the past three years now.   Major Rock 
acts are cancelling tours right and left, and others are teaming up four or 
five to a concert to try and attract an audience big enough to support a tour.

The Trickle down theory has finally clicked in:

Even Teenagers and young adults who have always been the backbone and 
breadbasket for live concert business and recording sales are feeling the economical 
pinch.  With so many of thier parents out of work and or reduced to one income 
producers for the family again, those credit cards and cash allowances they 
had four years ago have started to evaporate and they just don't have enough 
money to go to all the events they used to attend.

It is very difficult to keep buying $30 to 60.00 concert tickets every 
weekend when they are only making $5.00 to $7.00 an hour flipping burgers, or 
collecting shopping carts at Wal Mart,  hardley enough to keep gas in their cars to 
go back and forth to Wal Mart.

I was out at the local Shopping Mall yesterday where normally there are two 
or three thousand teenagers milling through it all weekend, not so thses days, 
it looked more like a bowling alley  down the middle of the Mall  and every 
store was sporting 40 to 70% off sale signs trying to move merchandise, and even 
the CD shops were not doing much business.

The kids today are shopping at cheaper discount stores and spending much less 
time at the Mall where everything is so much more expensive.

A sign of the times.   We ain't Broke, but many are badly Bent. :)
 Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

Let's hope that soon we can all sing 

"Happy Days are Here Again"