[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Jazzfest difficulties - long article

[Don Ingle]

Tom - it is best to make your points using correct information. Your wrote:
>The Grant pots are running out of money as well, since we are at the
highest
point of unemployment since the Depression years<
Not correct. We are currently at 5.5 percent as of last week's listing -- 
Depression unemplyment ran as high as 40+percent. In his re-election run,
Clinton was boasting a low rate of 5.6 percent, higher than it is under
Bush, but now it is called a bad rate at 5.5. Depends on whose ox is being
gored today, eh?
During the final year's of Carter's term, some areas had rates of 17
percent -- over 11  in Michigan, plus a high inflation rate.
While your points on fund raising are well taken, using incorrect
information to make them will cast doubts on their reliability.
Sorry to be a nag, but there is enough mis-information passed on about our
economy as it is.
Don Ingle
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <TCASHWIGG at aol.com>
To: <julepjerk at surewest.net>; <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2004 10:43 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Jazzfest difficulties - long
article


> In a message dated 8/15/04 12:44:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> julepjerk at surewest.net writes:
>
> > Rather than scale back its plans for charitable donations, the
foundation
> > tapped into its financial reserves to meet those obligations. As a
result, the
> > foundation didn't have much left to cover losses tied to this year's
event,
> > which was hurt by several days of rain.
> >
> > Now the organization that has doled out $7 million in the past decade
for
> music education, musicians' health and street festivals finds itself in
the odd
> position of asking for assistance. In recent weeks, the group has
approached
> the cash-strapped city, the state and the tourism industry for money
without
> much success.
>
>
> While this is certainly honorable, it is not sound business at all, as
they
> are learning from the other not for profit organizations that they depend
upon
> for support and donations who all cut back on what they could afford to
give
> to them.  Hello!  The Trees are in the way so we can't see the Forest.
You
> always must keep back enough reserves to assure your own survival or you
won't be
> able to help anybody at all in the future if you go out of business.
>
> On the foundation side, he plans to launch a "Friends of the Fest"
membership
> organization in September and become aggressive about applying for grants
to
> try to stabilize the group's finances.
>
> The Grant pots are running out of money as well, since we are at the
highest
> point of unemployment since the Depression years, Those grants come mostly
> from taxpayers money and one group got tax breaks in the past few years
while the
> others got unemployed, so the granting organizations cut back on the
grants
> they could give out.
>
> Simple economics of sound business.
>
> Even though I don't smoke all that Cigarette money that funded many
festivals
> and events has now gone to overseas festivals and events with far less
> restrictions on it than we have here in the USA.  Same thing applies to
all those
> events that used to be sponsored by the Alcohol business.
>
> It has not hurt the revenues of those respective industries, only diverted
> millions of sponsorship and advertising dollars out of the live music
> marketplace and it has not slowed down the sales of their products either.
>
> Oh Well.
>
> How about asking the same acts that they paid $50,000.00 a day and upwards
to
> come back next year for expenses only or free to make up the losses?
>
> Their Professional Promoter has offered to bail them out for next year as
> well, but you can bet they will have a lot of restrictions on how the
event is
> produced and promoted as He with the money controls the game.
>
> Many of the other ideas Mr. Marshall has seem to be some that he and the
> Organization should have done a long time ago as well.  Got to think ahead
if you
> want to stay in this game things change daily as do the hands into which
the
> money flows in and out from.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tom Wiggins
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