[Dixielandjazz] Jazz Audience Initiative-- Lew Shaw

[Norman Vickers]

To:  DJML;  Musicians & Jazzfans list

From:  Norman Vickers

 

Here is a communication from jazz journalist Lew Shaw.  Many of you will
recognize his name for his columns in American Rag, the California Jazz
Monthly.  Others of you will  recognize his name from his support of
traditional jazz activity from his hometown of Scottsdale. Others who follow
college football may recognize his name from there.  Quoting Lew: " I am a
61-year charter member of the National Football Foundation, the organization
that runs the College Football Hall of Fame, and was executive director of
the Arizona Chapter for 18 years. I tell people that I am into jazz and
jocks."

 

Lew is following a grant study on music, musical appreciation and audience
building.  This is the first of a series.  As they say on the radio, "stay
tuned."  Pertinent and rational comments solicited.

 

 

Lew Shaw wrote:  

 

Initial Jazz Audience Initiative Data Released


By Lew Shaw


 

In releasing the first phase of its two-year study, the Jazz Audiences
Initiative, which is being directed by the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus,
Ohio, asked fundamental questions about how and why people engage with jazz
in its various forms so as to uncover ideas for building audiences and
infusing the art form with new energy.

 

As pointed out when the study was initially announced back in November 2009,
relatively little statistical and analytical research has been done on jazz
audiences and what they value. It further noted that audiences are aging,
and jazz organizations are struggling and lack meaningful opportunities to
network along with being able to learn and grow as a professional community.

 

The first phase of the project, referred to as the "Music Listening Study,"
sought to gain an understanding of people's musical tastes, what their
perceptions of jazz might be, and the language or labels they use to
describe various types of jazz. The study conducted by Dr. Joe Heimlich of
Ohio State University Extension involved a group of fans in Columbus, all of
whom had some degree of musical orientation, listening to a series of
90-second cuts of different types of music - classical, jazz, rock,
country-western - and then telling the researcher how they would describe
what they had just heard, giving it a rating, discussing what they thought
about it, and in particular, indicating if they were willing to listen to
music which might be outside of their comfort zone or stated preference.

 

Among the conclusions drawn from the music listening exercise:

 

-There is no consistent language used to describe music, meaning that the
terms an individual or organization use to describe a certain type of music
will not necessarily mean the same thing to others.

-People want a guide when being introduced to new or different types of
music. They need to be invited to become engaged. 

-Most of the participants said they would be open to new experiences if
invited to attend a concert or musical event or had an understanding of what
they would be hearing. A key point indicated people want the music to be put
into a context to which they can relate.  

-As with most free-choice activities, music has a powerful social element.

 

Evaluating the Study to date

 

So what does all this mean to traditional jazz and ragtime societies and
festivals who have not been asked to participate in any facet of the study?
Have they been disenfranchised? Will it mainly benefit major performing arts
centers and university-based presenters of jazz? What practical value will
come from the study which is being funded by a $200,000 grant from the Doris
Duke Charitable Foundation? 

 

 

 

 

 

Was the sample too small or limited geographically? The study did
differentiate evaluating music between live and passive listening. Almost
80% of the participants in the Music Listening Study considered themselves
"super engagers" or "super listeners." A prominent concert producer not
associated with the study argues "Stop talking to people who know they like
jazz. Instead, connect with those who don't know if they like jazz."

 

This is pretty esoteric stuff, replete with lots of statistics and academic
terminology. However, the Jazz Audiences Initiative has a ways to go so
let's see what is forthcoming. Some of the questions JAI has said would be
answered are:

 

            -How do people develop preferences for different forms of jazz?

            -What kind of live jazz experiences do people want?

            -How does the setting (venue) affect preference and attendance?

            -Strategies on how to attract and involve more people in jazz.

            -Ideas on how to communicate the jazz message more effectively
to current and potential

jazz audiences.

 

These are all valid areas of concern. Let's hope JAI can deliver. Those
responsible for the presentation, performance and perpetuation of jazz need
help, and times are tough for a lot of reasons. A report from Americans for
the Arts states that the Arts - of which jazz organizations are a part -
follow the nation's business cycle, and that an increasing number of
non-profits currently have operating deficits. Technology is having a huge
impact in the way in which businesses and charities operate and communicate
these days, so it is critical to understand and adjust to the changes that
are happening in today's marketplace. Working together is also critical if a
serious effort is forthcoming to perpetuate jazz.

 

Jazz is not dying. Ed Polcer, who is enjoying being part of the jazz
renaissance in New Orleans and is out on street corners busking with young
musicians less than half his age, argues the problem is the way in which
it's being presented. Marty Ashby who has produced 1,200 jazz concerts over
the past 24 years contends we are too focused on the past and must move into
the future. Bring a business marketing infrastructure to the jazz community,
he says, because there is an incredible opportunity to increase market
share, and he has demonstrated how it can be done.

 

 

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