OffBeat has been pushing for recognition for the music, musicians, arts and cultural businesses in New Orleans for a long time. Along with MusicSwingsVotes.org, we’re sponsoring the first of a series of public forums for the New Orleans mayoral candidates at 6:30 p.m. at Loyola University’s Roussel Hall on Monday, January 11, 2010. All are welcome to attend. OffBeat sponsored a similar public forum with the candidates for their views on the relationship between music and government in January 2002 at Loyola University.

Please feel free to email me questions you’d like the candidates to consider–> [email protected].

Here are a few of the suggestions that were sent to us back in 1991! How things change–and how they remain the same, huh?

Define and Refine What the Music Commission  Does: The New Orleans Music and Entertainment Commission, like the Louisiana Music Commission, is a part of the departments of Economic Development, but it seems that is where any economic development stops. There perhaps needs to be a more refined definition of economic development as it pertains to the music industry and, further, one that is more in line with changes within the area’s economy in recent years. Growth within the tourism industry indicates that the region’s economy is becoming increasingly culturally-based, requiring an updated redefinition of the term “economic development” that takes into account these economic changes as well as the needs of the music community in relation to the community as a whole. All too often, projects initiated by the commissions look, on the surface, like economic development to the music and cultural sector, when in fact they are of benefit only to the tourism sector. The other big question and hot topic issue is workforce development—necessary if various committees or clusters within MetroVision and the Louisiana Department of Economic Development are to be successful in attracting music businesses to the state and metro area. —Sally Stevens, New Orleans Blues Project

Under the prior administration, I was compelled to litigate against the City twice on music industry matters that should have enjoyed a less adversarial mechanism for resolution. Once on the Amusement Tax, forcing a reduction from 5% to 2%, and once to break an ordinance designed to prohibit the distribution of OffBeat in the area around the Fair Grounds during Jazz Fest. Both of these situations could have been resolved without litigation. Under [the  new] administration, shall I be required to again resort to legal battles with the City? If not, how do you intend to structure the City’s relationship with the music community to resolve such problems without litigation?

To the Chief of Police: As the police chief, you have instituted policies that have hurt the live entertainment business in nightclubs. Your quality of life officers have harassed patrons at Donna’s, closed in-store performances at the Louisiana Music Factory, and worst of all, you have not allowed privately paid police details to protect late night patrons at clubs. What were you thinking in disallowing police details, and will you rethink that policy after the Sept. 11 attacks? What assurances can you give the music business community that a police department, under your mayoral administration, will not continue to disfavor the music community as the police department did while you were chief of police?
To Paulette Irons: As a state legislator, you initiated legislation that disfavored street musicians in and around Jackson Square. If the music constituency was in such imbalance compared to your support of the archdiocese then, how can we in the music community expect anything different from you as mayor?—Justin Zitler, Justin Asher Zitler Law Office

I’d love to see a question regarding the relationship of the symphony to city government. Can there be some financial help for non-profits such as the LPO? I’d also love to see a way that the Mahalia Jackson Theater could be run efficiently to promote its use to all the arts—I understand that this is currently difficult for all arts agencies to deal with.—Laura Dankner / Associate Professor /Loyola University Music Library

Is there any possibility of a proposal for some type of Music Museum in New Orleans? Perhaps an archive could be developed in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, Department of Education, and new capital investment. With the influx of international and national tourists traveling to New Orleans each year, a museum devoted to New Orleans music, as well as continued education and preservation of archive would benefit the city, its artists, and its history.

Due to the lack of major label representation in Louisiana, networking and interacting with peers and professionals from the music industry are crucial for songwriters and performers in order to develop leads and contacts. LMNOP was a forum for such outreach. Is this conference to be reinstated, and if not, are there any plans for similar opportunities, seminars, or meetings in the future?—Whitney McCray, The Proud Marys

I feel that New Orleans’ best industry is its music, and it is the industry most taken for granted. Musicians are paid low wages and must leave our city, belong to several bands and play at least two jobs a night to make ends meet. Our performances venues are poorly designed with only beverage sales in mind instead of entertainment; the band is always an afterthought. Like no other city, New Orleans has first-class musicians from diverse backgrounds playing diverse music throughout the city every night of the week. We should promote our music industry and give our musicians the respect and place of prestige that they deserve. Improve our music venues with state-of-the-art sound systems, staging, and engineering to accommodate first class musicians or for that matter at least provide a stage, a sound system and an engineer. Increase the wages paid to musicians to reflect the economic impact that live music has in our city. Stop penalizing club owners for providing live musical entertainment. Provide venues to promote the sale of Louisiana music products that generate additional income for musicians. Make music venues comfortable, attractive and safe places for music lovers to visit. House of Blues is setting a standard for music venues; Louisiana Music Factory is setting a standard for the promotion of Louisiana musicians’ products; OffBeat is setting a standard of print media with its Louisiana Music Directory; while Louisiana musicians are setting a standard for quality music throughout the world. We need to raise the level of presentation of music in our city to match the first class quality of the musicians in our city.—Johnette Downing, musician

The mayor and council should set up a program that would help to link musicians with work that’s out there. Perhaps a listing of jobs and potential jobs (list of venues/clubs, recording studios, private and public events—anything that is going on in the city and surrounding area that could possibly employ musicians. City money could be used to disperse this info to interested parties.—Greg Davis, musician

Ask the new mayor his/her view on music, art, and culture as an economic development tool.—Edgar Chase, educator

I would like someone to do something about getting more of our local music played on more of the radio and TV stations without having to know someone or pay someone. Also to get more of New Orleans traditional jazz played on Bourbon Street and at other tourist attractions to preserve our music culture.—Kurt Brunus, musician

First of all I would like to see the city of New Orleans reduce the amusement tax. Secondly, I would like to see better promotion of New Orleans lesser known entertainers, bands and CD’s. OffBeat, WWOZ and WODT have greatly helped keep the ball rolling and help from the city for them and others would enhance the situation. A series of city-sponsored ads for print, radio and television promoting the local entertainers in a general setting for the tourist crowds to follow would be beneficial.—Bobby Love, musician

I want over $186-million over the next ten years, regardless of my performance, or I’m leaving [Ed. the state of Louisiana offered $186-million to the Saints so they would not leave New Orleans in 1991].—DJ Davis Rogan, musician

1. Eliminate the entertainment tax, or if the city can’t absorb the lost revenue, at least end the exemptions some of the large venues enjoy, so the burden does not fall solely on small club owners. 2. Work to end the turf wars between those individuals and organizations who advocate for musicians and the music business in New Orleans, and end the political patronage system that feeds these conflicts. 3. Work to end the perception of many out-of-town music business people that they have to pay off politicians to do business here. I don’t know anything about the number of actual shakedowns, but the seemingly redundant licenses and fees required, say, to open a club, certainly adds to the perception that bureaucratic and political hands are grasping. This could be streamlined. 4. I nominate Davis Rogan to be the next Music Commissioner, based on his remarks on WWOZ, that if the state was willing to pay the Saints to stay here, the musicians ought the threaten to leave unless they got some money, too. This is a man who knows the true value of music to the region’s culture and economy. Jazz was invented in New Orleans, football was not.—Spike Perkins, musician

Off the top of my head, I’d say that the New Orleans musical community would benefit most from having a greater variety of places in which to perform. The city makes it costly and complicated for to present live music so venues understandably tend to ignore artists who may not have a strong draw. Money that rightfully should go toward a living wage for musicians goes instead to the city for taxes and licensing fees. New Orleans and music are synonymous, and the creative spirit seems alive here to an amazing degree, but wages are notoriously low for most musicians. We need to make it easier for musicians to find their audience by encouraging venues for the entire spectrum of music in the Crescent City. At the same time, the political requirements should be streamlined to inspire people who have the inclination and energy to organize live music events and to increase their chances of actually turning a profit in a very risky business.—Spencer Bohren, musician

Would the new mayor be willing to establish a commission made of music industry personnel (club owners, magazine publishers, musicians, producers, music store owners, etc.) that would help formulate some type of blueprint for increasing the industry’s presence? Repeal or reduce the entertainment tax.—Howie Kaplan, Howlin’ Wolf