In another setback for this genre, I just learned that the San Diego-based Oasis Contemporary Jazz Awards which were supposed to kick off in like, two days, were abruptly cancelled. While refunds have been made available to those who purchased tickets, it is still inconceivable to me that event planners could do something like this at the 11th hour, particularly when they have had several months to promote the event. I would have been pissed if I had purchased tickets. I understand it was a package deal for about $350 a head. Perhaps that's what scared folks away. But still, event planners should have imposed a deadline to abort weeks ago had they not reached their target sales number by a certain date, not two days before the event. What about those who purchased non-refundable airfare to go out there? What about the artists and their reps who had this event on the books for months, only for the organizers to pull the plug so late in the game? Just another example of this genre finding a way to shoot itself in the foot. But I guess it is what it is if it is indeed true that they allegedly sold only 250 tickets to the event.
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Oasis Cjazz Awards CANCELLED
- Thread starter AC Tones
- Start date
Here's a very recent story posted about the event locally. What a difference a day makes.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/06/oasis-jazz-awards-seek-smooth-landing/
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/06/oasis-jazz-awards-seek-smooth-landing/
From their website: "We advertised extensively on radio, online and in magazines. We got generous support from the San Diego newspaper."
The problem (or maybe it's not really a "problem" but rather a change of times) is that what "real" smooth jazz fan listens to regular radio anymore?
As for "online," online smooth jazz stations are all over the place now that the format is gone from the dial. They're a dime a dozen. A handful of online stations like The .wav and smoothjazz.com are doing a good job in bringing all those stray cat listeners into one or two homes, but it's still difficult. This isn't necessarily bad. It's GREAT that smooth jazz is as easy to find on-line as it is hard to find on FM, but it still makes promoting things like this difficult.
As for "magazines" and "newspapers," who reads those anymore? They're in as much trouble as AM and FM radio.
We're in different times. Gone are the days when we all listened to our local jazz station and supported everything they do. Only a handful of stations like that still seem to have that ability, namely a station like WSJW in Central PA, which is a very old-fashioned part of the country. Lots of people still listen to the radio in that area and Paul Scott and company and WSJW do pretty well at filling venues. But that's a rare breed these days. I worry about the Berks Jazz Fest in Berks County, PA, a legendary jazz fest for two decades. When WJJZ Philadelphia pushed it very hard 10 years ago, it sold out every concert. Now concerts aren't always full. WSJW Harrisburg tries to push it, but that's a strange situation in that WSJW's signal doesn't quite cover Berks County, so they're pushing something that their signal doesn't even quite reach.
I think the question that needs to be asked is not if the genre of music is dead (it's not; all the same people who made it popular 10 years ago are still around), but rather to figure out a way to bring all those stray cats all over the country getting their smooth jazz fix from a million different places together. Am I off the mark here? What's everyone else's thoughts?
The problem (or maybe it's not really a "problem" but rather a change of times) is that what "real" smooth jazz fan listens to regular radio anymore?
As for "online," online smooth jazz stations are all over the place now that the format is gone from the dial. They're a dime a dozen. A handful of online stations like The .wav and smoothjazz.com are doing a good job in bringing all those stray cat listeners into one or two homes, but it's still difficult. This isn't necessarily bad. It's GREAT that smooth jazz is as easy to find on-line as it is hard to find on FM, but it still makes promoting things like this difficult.
As for "magazines" and "newspapers," who reads those anymore? They're in as much trouble as AM and FM radio.
We're in different times. Gone are the days when we all listened to our local jazz station and supported everything they do. Only a handful of stations like that still seem to have that ability, namely a station like WSJW in Central PA, which is a very old-fashioned part of the country. Lots of people still listen to the radio in that area and Paul Scott and company and WSJW do pretty well at filling venues. But that's a rare breed these days. I worry about the Berks Jazz Fest in Berks County, PA, a legendary jazz fest for two decades. When WJJZ Philadelphia pushed it very hard 10 years ago, it sold out every concert. Now concerts aren't always full. WSJW Harrisburg tries to push it, but that's a strange situation in that WSJW's signal doesn't quite cover Berks County, so they're pushing something that their signal doesn't even quite reach.
I think the question that needs to be asked is not if the genre of music is dead (it's not; all the same people who made it popular 10 years ago are still around), but rather to figure out a way to bring all those stray cats all over the country getting their smooth jazz fix from a million different places together. Am I off the mark here? What's everyone else's thoughts?
You are not off the mark at all, brother. Internet streams are indeed a dime a dozen, and if you are a "casual" listener, you'll settle on the first one you come across that sounds familiar to you (i.e., like the terrestrial product that has been delivered to you over the past 10 years), while there may well be superior streams out there. I grow so tired of old guard terrestrial apologists dismissing Internet streams as some infinitely inferior product being born by 12-year old kids in the basement of their parents home. There are plenty of guys like me, knowing the negative perception of Internet radio propogated by the gate keepers, who work tirelessly to make their streams sound so professional that listeners treat it like the radio stations they grew up with. The challenge for a guy like me, as a small broadcaster, is twofold: (1) How do I separate myself from the rest of the competition (last I checked, there were 150 individual stations listed under Jazz on iTunes); (2) If I get too big, where is the money going to come from to sustain the added cost of bandwidth and royalties payments? Either way, it is going to take capital I do not have (to launch an aggressive ad campaign with professional mailers, cable TV ads, etc., and to fund the additional operational costs involved with surging listenership). It is the paradox all Internet broadcasters face. It is VERY inexpensive to get a station going and make it sound as good if not better than terrestrial radio broadcasts. But you can only grow to a certain point where it becomes cost-prohibitive to grow any further. The system is rigged to protect the gate keepers from serious competition. There needs to be parity in the royalties payments structure if Internet broadcasters are ever going to seriously compete with the big boys.
You have raised very valid and thought-provoking points, and as we move forward and try to promote future events, we should reflect on what went wrong with the Oasis Cjazz Awards. And you're right. No one is immune. WSJW does a very commendable job with Berks, but when I was up there two years ago, I was stunned to sit in 2/3 full venues for headliner acts. And the music is alive and well. But we need to find a way for sponsors and advertisers to buy into Internet radio (and I am not talking Pandora) so we can start to seriously work with promoters and artists on events to make it profitable for all parties involved. Since we don't have the overhead that terrestrial stations have, our fundraising goals can be much lower. But at the end of the day, the system is geared to protect the big boys, making it nearly impossible for small broadcasters to grow to the point they can be remotely attractive for advertisers/sponsors.
You have raised very valid and thought-provoking points, and as we move forward and try to promote future events, we should reflect on what went wrong with the Oasis Cjazz Awards. And you're right. No one is immune. WSJW does a very commendable job with Berks, but when I was up there two years ago, I was stunned to sit in 2/3 full venues for headliner acts. And the music is alive and well. But we need to find a way for sponsors and advertisers to buy into Internet radio (and I am not talking Pandora) so we can start to seriously work with promoters and artists on events to make it profitable for all parties involved. Since we don't have the overhead that terrestrial stations have, our fundraising goals can be much lower. But at the end of the day, the system is geared to protect the big boys, making it nearly impossible for small broadcasters to grow to the point they can be remotely attractive for advertisers/sponsors.
This has been very interesting to follow both here and on Facebook. I feel for those who lost money in sponsorships, transportation, rooms, etc. I believe the promoter should have known some time ago that their goals were not going to be reached, pulled the plug then and not a couple of days before the event. I also think we have to look at the music/format and start to rethink our approach from A to Z. Those who have had conversations with me know that I'm a glass half full type of guy so for me this is a lesson that should lead to an opportunity. We have to ask ourselves if this was the right type of promotion/concert to reach a level of success. It seemed to be more of an industry gathering with no real connection to the fan and in this economy, only those fans in the southern California area would be able to attend. Whether you heard about it in New York, Miami, Dallas or where ever, what was really the draw to get you there? Not economical for most.
The real smooth jazz fans are still there and the music is still as vibrant (if not more so) as ever but we face challenges like never before. We are starting over from square one and that's what we have going for us but make no mistake, it's an uphill climb. We may have a multitude of players on the internet but only a hand full even have the faintest idea of what they are doing. It's like a computer with crap in and crap out. I watch one guy on FB and he has anywhere between 60 and 130 listeners on average at any one time and that's great if you want to play to your friends but I want more. I watched one guy go out of business around the first of the year because he could not pay his royalities and that has to be fixed. I've been a terrestial broadcaster all my life but now as I'm about ready to enter the world wide web battle, I'm all for the performance royalty act for radio because it should lower the royalities for internet broadcasting. We still have a few terrestial stations in small markets doing their thing and we only wish them the best. They are fighting the good fight. Satellite and HD are what they are and I'm grateful for the effort but no matter what the delivery platform is we have to go back to the beginning. When this format first started, there were no ad budgets, just plently of imagination. We programmed our rear ends off! We had to not only think out of the box but also color outside the lines. We knew we were not going to be the number one station in any market and could care less but we knew we had a loyal audience that was educated, monied and supported our sponsors, promotions and events. Even if you're a jazzcaster (Thanks Chris) you better think local because that's where you're going to make the bulk of you money and you'll need bucks if you want to run one of these things. Trust me, it's not cheap.
If you're doing this you should not be into it for the casual listener. I want all the primary listeners I can reach. All those people that got blown off by BA. All those people who want a professional presentation, variety in their music, vocal hits if they fit, a station that will not insult their intelligence and we need to lower the age of the listener at the same time. I've been a programmer all my career and now I'm going to have to go out and sell time to make it work. Build it and they will come only goes so far. Work it and you might suceed is even better. We may have a 150 out there now but more are coming on board. Some will leave. Some will push to the front. We will make mistakes and we will grow this again. This awards show was a mistake and probably wrong time. I believe that our award should be to grow the music again. Works for me!
The real smooth jazz fans are still there and the music is still as vibrant (if not more so) as ever but we face challenges like never before. We are starting over from square one and that's what we have going for us but make no mistake, it's an uphill climb. We may have a multitude of players on the internet but only a hand full even have the faintest idea of what they are doing. It's like a computer with crap in and crap out. I watch one guy on FB and he has anywhere between 60 and 130 listeners on average at any one time and that's great if you want to play to your friends but I want more. I watched one guy go out of business around the first of the year because he could not pay his royalities and that has to be fixed. I've been a terrestial broadcaster all my life but now as I'm about ready to enter the world wide web battle, I'm all for the performance royalty act for radio because it should lower the royalities for internet broadcasting. We still have a few terrestial stations in small markets doing their thing and we only wish them the best. They are fighting the good fight. Satellite and HD are what they are and I'm grateful for the effort but no matter what the delivery platform is we have to go back to the beginning. When this format first started, there were no ad budgets, just plently of imagination. We programmed our rear ends off! We had to not only think out of the box but also color outside the lines. We knew we were not going to be the number one station in any market and could care less but we knew we had a loyal audience that was educated, monied and supported our sponsors, promotions and events. Even if you're a jazzcaster (Thanks Chris) you better think local because that's where you're going to make the bulk of you money and you'll need bucks if you want to run one of these things. Trust me, it's not cheap.
If you're doing this you should not be into it for the casual listener. I want all the primary listeners I can reach. All those people that got blown off by BA. All those people who want a professional presentation, variety in their music, vocal hits if they fit, a station that will not insult their intelligence and we need to lower the age of the listener at the same time. I've been a programmer all my career and now I'm going to have to go out and sell time to make it work. Build it and they will come only goes so far. Work it and you might suceed is even better. We may have a 150 out there now but more are coming on board. Some will leave. Some will push to the front. We will make mistakes and we will grow this again. This awards show was a mistake and probably wrong time. I believe that our award should be to grow the music again. Works for me!
Bill Harmonic said:
You are giving me TOO much credit, Bill!!! But at least I am still on the air!!!
All kidding aside, great take. Hard for me to disagree with anything you said. I recall a couple years ago a mutual friend, radio-info poster, and fellow jazzcaster (darksoldier) said this very thing (Internet delivery but with a local/regional focus) on the same thread where you said, "Choices kill." You were both right, but back then I let my passion cloud my judgment. Now I am older and wiser...(well, definitely the former
)I would rather have a multitude of players that vary in experience and even quality from professional to hobbyist that barely knows what he/she is doing. Consider the alternative - a small clique owning everything and no fertile ground for new ideas or new players. Been there. Sad that the Soundexhange fees keep some of us off the webcasting field
I don't think this was about the music. I think it was about a specific type of event that was structurally outdated. Events that focus on "lifestyle" more than music are as outdated as the mullet haircuts that were fashionable when the WAVE went on the air and "upscale and sophisticated" became the buzzword mantra. This was to be a formal "see and be seen" event where the music performances are broken up by speeches and presentation of awards to mostly the same people who got them at the original Oasis awards almost a decade ago. Most people want to hear the music and couldn't care less about industry "insiders" chatting each other up. The wine and golf event$ are "old paradigm" too. Distracting clutter to everyone but golf fanatics and wine afficianados but it makes the whole event sound snobby. Then there was the website which was confusing and when they wanted to broaden the scope of ticket sales they went to Ticketmaster which slaps on an additional 20 bucks of "convienence charges".
ctd...
I don't think this was about the music. I think it was about a specific type of event that was structurally outdated. Events that focus on "lifestyle" more than music are as outdated as the mullet haircuts that were fashionable when the WAVE went on the air and "upscale and sophisticated" became the buzzword mantra. This was to be a formal "see and be seen" event where the music performances are broken up by speeches and presentation of awards to mostly the same people who got them at the original Oasis awards almost a decade ago. Most people want to hear the music and couldn't care less about industry "insiders" chatting each other up. The wine and golf event$ are "old paradigm" too. Distracting clutter to everyone but golf fanatics and wine afficianados but it makes the whole event sound snobby. Then there was the website which was confusing and when they wanted to broaden the scope of ticket sales they went to Ticketmaster which slaps on an additional 20 bucks of "convienence charges".
ctd...
An event like this also relies on a substantial amount of attendees from out of town - adding to the expense. Example :
I am the worst case scenario because I live as far from San Diego as you can get but let's look at the layout..350 for ticket that gives me a place to sit where I can actually see the musicians, another 200 for off site events if I only eat and drink minimally. Airfare runs about 450 round trip if you're lucky and that's if I don't take any baggage (lol). If I don't want to stay in a Bates Motel or share a room with more than 3 people thats probably another 100 bucks. There are "little" side things like food and transportation over the weekend too. Like lots of downsized professionals I have a weekend job that does not offer paid time off so that's about 20 hours of lost income. So we are talking about 2000 minimum for the weekend for one person - for a married/living together couple double that outlay out a single household budget. I don't have kids but lots of people do..this was not a family friendly event so what does one do with their kids while they attend these concerts/events? What about pets? More and more people have them and Boarding and petsitting cost $
I know people are still doing the cruises but for those with a budget that allows one big event the people who do them are locked in to that specific vacation and that is "less talk more music" too. Also when the economy first got funky people were more trusting that it was a passing thing and they would slam their credit cards for a yearly fling or two. With unemployment holding steady and credit card interest rates getting so high people are getting real about that. There is a contingent that can still fling money around. The economy has improved for the top 10% or so, the bottom 60% are still getting hit hard though and the rest are holding steady and still wary..if you want to fill the venue you need to feed off more than just that 10%
Regional events that present live music in a casual no frillse setting are a better ideal right now. www.jaxjazzfest.com
I am the worst case scenario because I live as far from San Diego as you can get but let's look at the layout..350 for ticket that gives me a place to sit where I can actually see the musicians, another 200 for off site events if I only eat and drink minimally. Airfare runs about 450 round trip if you're lucky and that's if I don't take any baggage (lol). If I don't want to stay in a Bates Motel or share a room with more than 3 people thats probably another 100 bucks. There are "little" side things like food and transportation over the weekend too. Like lots of downsized professionals I have a weekend job that does not offer paid time off so that's about 20 hours of lost income. So we are talking about 2000 minimum for the weekend for one person - for a married/living together couple double that outlay out a single household budget. I don't have kids but lots of people do..this was not a family friendly event so what does one do with their kids while they attend these concerts/events? What about pets? More and more people have them and Boarding and petsitting cost $
I know people are still doing the cruises but for those with a budget that allows one big event the people who do them are locked in to that specific vacation and that is "less talk more music" too. Also when the economy first got funky people were more trusting that it was a passing thing and they would slam their credit cards for a yearly fling or two. With unemployment holding steady and credit card interest rates getting so high people are getting real about that. There is a contingent that can still fling money around. The economy has improved for the top 10% or so, the bottom 60% are still getting hit hard though and the rest are holding steady and still wary..if you want to fill the venue you need to feed off more than just that 10%
Regional events that present live music in a casual no frillse setting are a better ideal right now. www.jaxjazzfest.com
Great post Bill!!!
Vibrant to me is music that has new artists that are injecting new vibes and spirit into the music.If you look at What I call the contemporary Jazz/jazz scene there are new artists that are in the mix every year and many of them go onto greater things. I don't believe that is the case with SJ.Who was the last artist to be introduced on the national scene who made an impact with sales and concert tickets? There are so many mix and match packages out there that many of these artists can't sell hard tickets themselves.I will give credit to Boney James as he has never packaged himself and I will also give credit to Jeff Lorber who is playing small clubs to build his JL fusion vibe back up. I'm sure many of those clubs don't pay a lot of money and travel isn't easy. That is how the music will be vibrant again-When artists come on this scene with an original point of musical view and are willing to go out there and play it everywhere
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