Just as this issue went to press, the city’s tourism marketing agency announced a new advertising campaign that’s designed to convince potential tourists to visit New Orleans to “unleash their suppressed fun side.” Geographically, the campaign will focus on large drive-in cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Memphis and Chicago (Chicago is a drive-in market?). The theme is “You’re Different Here.”

What about music?

What about the push to international markets?

To me, it’s really the same-old, same-old, with a soupçon of acknowledgement of local festivals as part of the appeal of New Orleans. The tourism people are once again missing a huge part of the appeal of the city, a facet which, if marketed and promoted, will set this city apart from virtually every other in the U.S.—with the exception of possibly Nashville, Branson, Austin and Memphis, all of whom have done a great job of promoting their music.

Look at it this way: two of the four biggest tourist attractions in the city are based around local music (Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest). These events draw affluent visitors who fill hotel rooms and spend a lot of money in the local economy. If you’re reading this issue of OffBeat, you get it, but it’s tragic that the city marketers still don’t.

Over the last four decades, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell has introduced more people to local music and musicians than any other entity, period. It’s become an annual pilgrimage for people who not only love the music (music is the gateway drug), but also the city’s charm, friendliness, culture and food. Those festers have spread the word and they’ve opened the eyes of many all around the world. That in turn has opened the door to success for so many other events that focus on music: the French Quarter Festival, Essence, Voodoo, Bayou Boogaloo, the Gretna Fest, Festival International de Louisiane and Festivals Acadiens, the Baton Rouge Blues Fest and the Crescent City Blues and Barbecue Festival, and so many more.

While Jazz Fest certainly has changed to include more national, non-roots type acts, and will never be as it was when it first started, you must agree that the festival is the big daddy of local music events. Its effect will forever be felt by the city and by its local musicians, many of whom now are famous worldwide because of their exposure at Jazz Fest. May it live long and prosper—for all our sakes.

One further note: if you like OffBeat and what we do every month in print, weekly in our Weekly Beat newsletter, and online, please help us continue our work by subscribing to the magazine. If you’re reading this, you already know how to unleash your fun side. Happy Jazz Fest!