[Dixielandjazz] No Garage Bands Need Apply

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/11/04 6:53:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
barbonestreet at earthlink.net writes:

> Is the Guru of Jazz Festivals going to teach a NEW lesson, or fall flat
> on his face? Now he will experiment with a return to the original
> formula at Newport. Of course he does Festivals a little differently. He
> 
> 1) HIRES THE BEST MUSICIANS
> 2) PAYS A LIVING WAGE.
> 3) MAKES A PROFIT.
> 
> What? You mean Jazz and Jazz Festivals are a business?  Lordy, I hope
> so.
> 
> For those producing Festivals, the below article has a wealth of GOOD
> ideas. Note especially the JVC NYC program now has less acts, but higher
> quality. Hmmmmmmm. Note also the importance of "sponsor" money and the
> additional promotional, opportunities it generates with venues &area
> businesses, etc.
> 
> My, my, where have I heard all that before? Wiggins, do you work for
> Wein?
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> 

Well, actually not for Mr. Wein, who I happen to admire and respect 
tremendously, having learned most of what I know from watching him and others like him. 
 I took what I could learn form him in the 60s and applied it to Rock & Roll 
promotions and then again to R&B for the big shows and events.

But I took many more lessons in how to attract and keep fans and customers 
from the Country Music Giants from Nashville, who without sponsors addressed the 
business as a business and understood that both the artists and the promoter 
needs to make a profit on every event or show to stay in business.  Thus it 
must be a tight knit partnership without either side getting greedy.  The Mafia 
also had a saying that worked along these lines, Take a little and leave a 
little so we can both play together again in the future.

With the entrance of big corporate Sponsors into the game it became simply a 
Numbers game, they want to see bonafide exposure to people for their money.  
It is more of an advertising game and marketing exercise for them than giving a 
rat's patuti about "Who"  the Artist is or the music genre either for that 
matter, althought Jazz has always appealed to most of them as an adult free 
spending higher income society.   i.e   Fans made up of Doctors, Lawyers, 
Professors, Politicians, and Corporate Executives with higher salaries and thus more 
disposable income.

If you will notice the current trend in political advertisements you will see 
much of the same strategy coming into play, with guys like Geo. W. Bush 
courting the Race Car circuit out of Indianapolis and specialty groups that show 
definite substantial numbers for potential voting blocks.  They did the same 
thing with conservative Churches in the last election and are no doubt keeping a 
major presence in that market of potential voters for this election.

Politics is also a business, a very big business, probably the biggest 
business in the world with organized religion running a close second place, but 
those are two fields that nobody wants to think of as businesses.  In my humble 
opinion anyway.

I have played a couple of JVC festivals over the past five years and they 
have certainly been very well organized and operated successfully.

I would venture to say that the current trend for Mr. Wein however, likely 
has to do with severe competition from Clear Channel Entertainment corporation 
which has acquired most of the viable venues around the world and also the most 
viable Promoters and their successful companies to eliminate most of their 
competition and monopolize the live Entertainment Industry which is clearly 
their goal.

I am certain even Mr. Wein is feeling their crunch trying to buy major artist 
outside the strictly Jazz genre field.  It is virtually impossible for anyone 
wishing to be a promoter today to buy a major act like a James Brown or B.B. 
King, Barbara Streisand, Bette Midler, Alicia Keyes, Nora Jones etc..  The 
Giant Net of operation between Clear Channel and the Major Record labels and the 
major venues has been thrown over almost every one of any box-office worth in 
the industry.  Not even mentioning the media buying power that they represent. 
 Or the fact that they also own and or control a major portion of the Radio 
and Television Broadcasting stations as well.  They also own and control the 
Smooth Jazz business and make and break artist daily.

I would also venture to suspect that Mr. Wein would not do what he is doing 
on his own without the major Sponsorship money of JVC, the risk is just too 
high and the potential profit for the efforts and expenses simply too high in 
today's world.    The tide has definitely turned for the independent and maverick 
promoter, and I seriously doubt we will ever see those opportunities of 
yesteryear come around again in our lifetime.

I am afraid that in today's world I am content to work for companies like 
Festival Productions as an act or booking other acts to them and or Clear Channel 
for decent and fair money.   I can't lick em , so I danged sure joined them 
and will continue to go along for the ride as long as I can, it's usually not 
quite so bumpy either.

Because of their corporate mentality they are a damned site easier to deal 
with than the likes of Bill Graham and his era of promoters.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

But if I had your money Steve, I would throw mine away, :))

You raise Expensive Horses and I am relegated to a dog and a flock of 
Australian Cockatiels, :))