[Dixielandjazz] FW: Where are the young people?

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

I agree Jim.  I guess I really didn't mean that literally.  There is a band 
here in town that is playing to young people up to about thirty years old on 
Washington Street.  That's a newly reinvented district with a lot of bars 
that cater to young adults.  They play a mix and from the clip I saw are 
very good.

Yes playing at a free event in the street will draw younger people but they 
won't for the most part pay for it.  That's where the rubber hits the road 
in my opinion.  I have played parties and receptions where the young people 
had a great time but they didn't hire the band nor did they come on their 
own but with parents or as relatives and friends.  That's why I called them 
a captive audience.  I have played street concerts where there were younger 
people and yes they would walk across the street to listen but they didn't 
and wouldn't pay for it.  These things were free and after five or ten 
minutes they were down the street doing something else in contrast to a sit 
down concert.

Look at that clip of Steve's.  Those people came to hear a concert and 
brought their lawn chairs.  They wanted to be there.  I'm sure they all 
enjoyed it but there are only four kids and no twenty something's.

On the other hand the people that hire me are in their early thirties for 
the most part and personally they aren't into OKOM that much.  They hire me 
because they know their guests like us and we put on a reasonably good show.

I booked a job on Easter Sunday and I know that there will be lots of pre 
teen kids and I will play to and entertain them.  It will be fun.

Yes I have heard many times that the audience is dying and there will be no 
market in ten years.   That's what they said about the big bands in the 50's 
but there are more of them around now than there were in the 40's.   I do 
think we have to educate young people and at least try to seek them out 
whenever possible.  You never know who will be inspired to take up the baton 
and carry it after we are gone or who the audience will be in thirty years. 
For that I think we have to take our hats off to Steve because he is trying 
to appeal to a wider audience as we all should.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2011 3:00 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] FW: Where are the young people?


> Larry wrote:
>
>>I find a lot of young people to be very one sided in their likes and
> dislikes.  Most wouldn't walk across the street to hear us but if they are 
> a
> captive audience they do enjoy us.
>
> But, Larry, how about all those videos we've been seeing on djml with 
> street
> bands playing & gobs of young people hanging around listening/dancing? 
> They
> weren't shown being fenced in.  They were enjoying the music.
>
> They WILL walk across the street if it is happy & swinging.
>
> Jim
>
>
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