[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 18, Issue 31

[Stephen Barbone]

> DWSI at aol.com (Dan Spink) wrote
>
> Steve's comments about Jazz vs. Dixieland art forms,  and the latter dying
> out, bring up a very important point, I think: Steve  said:
>
> The definer  also claims "art form" Dixieland is dying out in the USA and
> OKOM Festivals  will disappear soon.
>
> All comments about any art form dying out, or any thing  completely replacing
> another in our society, show the author's lack of  awareness of trends.
> People used to say that a certain medium would replace  another, (e.g., radio would
> replace newspapers, FM would replace  AM, TV would replace radio, etc.), but
> it is clear that each develops its own  niche in time. The same seems true of
> music styles and almost all forms of  art. In one sense, Dixieland and Ragtime
> are classic forms. They will be with us  forever, I think, and from time to
> time will enjoy great revival  periods. The concept of one form replacing
> another completely is just  not reality.

Absolutely Dan. Dixieland is certainly not dying out. If anything, the audience for it
is expanding.

The definer said that one form of Dixieland was dying out and he calls that "Art Form"
Dixieland. The other forms, that some of us play, would not die out. His exact comment
to me was "What you do will remain popular." However, that was not "Art Form"
Dixieland, merely Dixieland. (Excuse me? But what is the difference?)

Seems that those who bitch the most about declining audiences at OKOM festivals in the
USA are those who have done very little to attract younger audiences to those
festivals, or to their particular band performances. Anyone with any business sense
knows that you have to get NEW CUSTOMERS for your product in order to retain an viable
customer base. Simply because 10% of your customer base dies off every year, another
10% moves out of the area, and 10% gets mad at you and quits buying your product, etc.
Percentages may vary, however you get the idea. Bands/Festivals lose a goodly portion
of their customer base through such attrition every year. That loss has to be recouped
lest the activity eventually die.

Our product is OKOM. Those bands that go out and get new customers, and/or those
festivals that go out and get new customers are the ones that will survive. Those
customers, by demographics, are NEW, YOUNG and have MONEY TO SPEND. Blue Street is a
good example of a band that understands this concept.

That did not include "Art Form" Dixieland, in the definers mind,  because there is no
attempt to do that with that genre as the person defined it. So you get the moaning
that "Art Form" Dixieland is dying, but not the Dixieland that some bands are
perpetuating. I am poking fun at the distinction the definition would make..

Most of us have to ask ourselves, why the hell aren't we going after this new market
instead of bemoaning the shrinkage of audience on the OKOM Festival circuit in the
USA. And in my mind, the bottom line was that there is no such thing as "Art Form"
Dixieland. It is all Dixieland which is alive, well and prospering in many parts of
the USA other than at OKOM Festivals which as a "Dixieland Only" entity these days are
virtually extinct.

All styles of Dixieland will prosper TODAY, IF a particular band cultivates the new
audience. "Art Form" is not and never was a Dixieland style.

Cheers,
Steve