Welcome to Jazz Fest! Finally, I can say that, after three canceled dates. We’re back where we belong, still here and still loving local music.
I always thank our subscribers, supporters, writers, photographers, designers, and distribution team during Jazz Fest. It’s a big job and it take a lot of hands-on deck to create what you’re holding in your hands. I must thank Joseph Irrera, David Johnson, Noé Cugny and Veronika Lee Claghorn—OffBeat’s very hard-working staff. My face is the one that everyone sees, but believe me, I could not ever do this on my own.
I wish I could also thank John Swenson, our Contributing Editor for over 25 years, in this issue, but John passed away in late March from cancer. I am dedicating this “Bible” to John as he was such an integral part of OffBeat and a dear friend for almost 25 years. His birthday is on May 8 but had not been able to attend Jazz Fest since 2019. He will be sorely missed by us and by the many musicians and bands he worked with during his tenure at OffBeat. John was a one-of-a-kind brilliant music writer and a lovely man. Salute John on the last day of this year’s Fest on his birthday! By the way, there will be a tribute to John Swenson on May 14 at the Broadside.
John Swenson, photo by Elsa Hahn
This Jazz Fest Bible™ is literally the first print magazine we’ve published since March 2020, when the city shut down from COVID. During the height of the pandemic, we decided to make the magazine all-digital, because we knew we could not afford to print, given the situation with local music venues, clubs and restaurants, and of course, because musicians were not able to really perform anywhere, except maybe on their front porches. OffBeat has never been the kind of business that tries to squeeze money from clients who are struggling. A pushy used-car salesman I’m not! If anything, we had much empathy for our clients and colleagues who were suffering from lack of income, as well as those who became sick (and worse) because of COVID.
Digital has been an interesting strategy for us, and unfortunately, it simply does not generate advertising revenue the way print does (printing, design and layout, shipping, mailing and distribution are all enormously expensive). We also are dealing with the same problems that most of our clients are experiencing: there are simply not enough people to do the work. I can’t tell you how many clubs, restaurants, retailers and bars who are still operating on a part-time basis because they don’t have the personnel, they need to operate at the same level they did before COVID.
Our printing costs have also increased by almost 40 percent, so this “Bible” is smaller than the 2019 version. Everyone is hurting…but that’s why we need our festivals more than ever! The joy Jazz Fest brings is unfathomable to people who have never experienced it, the music, the food, the culture, the camaraderie. By the way, here’s my recommendation for the upcoming Jazz Fest movie that’s going to released theatrically in mid-May nationwide. I saw an early version of the film in the fall, and it lifted my spirits immeasurably.
It simply made me joyful, which is what Jazz Fest is all about.
If you haven’t been to our office recently (we were at 421 Frenchmen, above the Louisiana Music Factory for close to 24 years), we have moved to the first floor of the New Orleans Jazz Museum in the Old U.S Mint, so if you want to stop in to say hello, we’re in the back of the Old U.S. Mint on the first floor near the courtyard on the Barracks/Decatur Street side of the building. We expect to work a lot more closely with the Jazz Museum as it expands and adds state-of-the-art exhibitions that focus on the music of the city. We’re grateful to the support lent to us by museum director, Greg Lambousy and his staff.
Important to be aware: Access to OffBeat digitally now involves a paywall, so you must subscribe to be able to access our 34 plus years of content on New Orleans and Louisiana music. However, we’re allowing web users total access to the website through May 9, 2022. After that, we’ll return to the all-digital access until the fall, when we plan to revive the live version of the Best of The Beat Awards on November 10 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum. But please consider subscribing: the cost is only $25.99 annually and it helps OffBeat survive.
We truly appreciate your reading OffBeat, our website, the Weekly Beat and our social media output. We—being somewhat biased—believe that OffBeat is an important chronicle of the music scene in New Orleans and has been for three-and-a-half decades, and we’d like to see it persist over coming generations to preserve and celebrate our musical heritage. If you are interested in investing or in running OffBeat, be in touch. We’re getting old!
