I really can’t believe OffBeat is ten years old. When I struggled to start it in 1988, I expected things to really take off in a hurry in the New Orleans music business (I was younger then, more impatient, and more full of vinegar than I am now — okay, I don’t really want to hear what I’m full of now!). But just like everything else in New Orleans, change takes a long, long time…and this turns out to be the longest gig I’ve ever had!
It wasn’t easy at first (anyone who’s involved in a magazine start-up with limited capital will attest to that — most magazines fail within the first two years.) This one had its shaky moments in the first few years, but I believed in the musicians and the music and their potential, and somehow, through good business tactics, support from the local music community, and moral and financial support from friends and relatives, this pub has reached the ten-year mark.
I like to believe that OffBeat has had something to do with the renewed interest in our music. When OffBeat first hit the streets, the Times-Picayune’s music coverage consisted of a few stories from local freelancers, with the bulk of the music coverage in Lagniappe being from wire service stories. There wasn’t even a music writer on staff (I’m proud to say OffBeat nurtured and trained the Times-Picayune’s current staff music writer, Keith Spera, who came to me fresh out of Texas A&M). But he can tell you about that in his reminiscences later in this issue.
There was no such thing as a city Music & Entertainment Commission; an LMNOP Music Conference; a controversy on the amusement tax issue; the Louisiana Music Directory; a music business program at Loyola University or a Jazz Studies program at UNO; the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp; a House of Blues or Howlin’ Wolf. No Tower Records or the Louisiana Music Factory or Virgin Megastore.
It was hard in those early days — it’s still hard in a lot of ways, because I still don’t believe that the local business community, or the government in this city or state takes music seriously, both as an economic force and a source of attraction for visitors and other businesses. Yeah, it’s great to get those musicians to play a few free benefits every now and again, and they’re nice to have around for parties, but it’s only been recently that serious attention has been given to developing our music industry and helping musicians. It’s taking too long!
But in another ten years, maybe you can read this column and hear about the tax incentive programs for developing music districts; the wealth of street musicians and programs for training them; more musical tours; even more successful music clubs; ubiquitous music education programs sponsored by local universities and community colleges; music business training programs; more record labels; etc. We have a long way to go, but OffBeat will be there to promote the music as long as you want to hear it. Thank you for reading our little magazine and making it successful. And thank you most of all for supporting local music and musicians!
LMNOP, New Orleans’ first professionally-run music conference, is in danger of being swallowed by a much bigger conference, MIDEM. Recently, both the state and city Music Commissions have made a bid to attract MIDEM’s American convention (currently based in Miami) to New Orleans.
A little background info: MIDEM has operated their convention in Cannes, France every January for over 25 years. As a past MIDEM attendee, I can tell you that this is a huge convention, and it is a place where the movers and shakers in the international music do major business. This is not a gathering where individual musicians pass tapes to an A&R guy they just happen to meet at a showcase or a workshop; nor is it a place where unsigned bands get the opportunity to showcase. The main thrust of MIDEM is licensing and publishing in the international arena. Just getting into MIDEM Cannes costs upwards of $700 — to say nothing of airfare, lodging, etc.
MIDEM is by far the largest convention of its kind in the world. MIDEM Miami’s focus has been on Latin American music; this will be their second year in Miami. Apparently, MIDEM demanded some cash to get the conference to stay in south Florida; Miami officials are having a hard time coming up with the money. Jackie Harris, of the New Orleans Music & Entertainment Commission and Bernie Cyrus, Louisiana Music Commission Executive Director, have teamed up to try to capitalize on MIDEM’s money problems with Miami.
I agree that it would be great to get MIDEM of the Americas to New Orleans — eventually. Right now, we’re not quite ready for it. Having been at MIDEM, I know it’s not a place for people who don’t have experience in the music business. I applaud the Music Commissions’ assertiveness in trying to attract MIDEM to New Orleans — it would certainly be a political feather in their collective caps to land a music convention of the caliber of MIDEM.
But, I believe that we need to develop our homegrown expertise first. That’s going to take a lot of education — something LMNOP can provide for the local music community. In addition, LMNOP is a privately-funded company; Louis Meyers has invested almost $100,000 of his own and investors’ money to make it work, but more time is needed to firmly establish LMNOP as a business venture. Shouldn’t the Music Commissions also be more sensitive to that fact that LMNOP is a capital investment in our music industry? Maybe they should lend more monetary support to LMNOP (the Louisiana Music Commission’s budget just got doubled), instead of entertaining proposals from Eric Cager, who recently solicited another $5,000 from the LMC for the Cutting Edge Conference, an incompetent event at best that’s been funded totally from the taxpayers’ pockets for five years now.
If MIDEM comes to New Orleans in 1999, LMNOP will succumb. And if MIDEM does take place in New Orleans before we’re ready for it, we won’t be equipped to handle the potential. If MIDEM had gone to Austin, Texas in the third year of SXSW (currently the gorilla of U.S. music conferences) I guarantee that SXSW wouldn’t exist today. We need to give it more time. Let’s try to get MIDEM here in 2002, and work out a plan for that goal, instead of jumping into the fray ill-informed and ill-educated.
Update on the music retailing in-store problems covered in last month’s column: Virgin, Tower and the Louisiana Music Factory are now working with Councilman Troy Carter’s office to work out a plan for approval of in-store performances. We received several calls and letters from Councilman Carter’s office after last month’s editorial. We’re hopeful that things may work out to everyone’s benefit.
Finally, if you want to get more involved in music activism, there’s a political action committee that’s been formed by Bill DeTurk. The Louisiana Music: New Orleans Political Action Committee (LMNOPAC) is currently forming with the single goal to show support for political issues and candidates sympathetic to the New Orleans music industry. DeTurk plans to collect names on petitions in order to unite local music enthusiasts into a constituency with a voice that can have an impact on the political process. The near-term goal is to collect as many names as possible to present at the City Council meeting on August 6 where the ordinance involving in-store performances is scheduled for discussion. Petitions are currently available at the Acadian Beer Garden, Le Bon Temps Roule and the Louisiana Music Factory. For more info, contact 283-2093, or [email protected].
