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| Author | Topic: CHALLENGE FALLOUT |
| TERRY JONES |
posted 2/26/09 6:20 PM
I'VE COVERED CONCERTS, COMPETITIONS AND BLUES HAPPENINGS FOR SOUTHERN SOUL NATION TV SINCE KATRINA AND HAVE BEEN PROMOTING THIS GENRE (ON AND OFF) FOR FIFTEEN YEARS FROM ROBERT JOHNSON TO MEL WAITERS. AS THE MUSIC CONTINUES TO BREACH NEW MARKETS CONSUMER OPINION WILL VARY ON WHAT BLUES IS AND ISN'T. NEWER CONSUMERS(WHITE FOLKS)WILL NATURALLY GRAVITATE TOWARDS WHAT THEY KNOW, A MORE ROCK INFLUNCED THING. OUTSIDE OF JUSBLUES, JACKSON MUSIC AWARDS, THE ROBERT JOHNSON BLUES FOUNDATION AND FEW OTHER AWARD/CONCERT/COMPETITION EVENTS, THERE ARE NO OUTLETS FOR THE DELTA STYLES OR THE GENRES TRUER OFFSPRING, SOUTHERN SOUL. THE CURRENT MARKET FORCES DICTATE SUPPORT FOR THE MASSES, AKA MAINSTREAM. EXAMPLE: I WENT ON A CRUISE LAST YEAR AND THEY ADVERTISED A SOUL NIGHT IN THE MAIN HALL. OUT OF A 45 MIN SET THE FIRST 20 MINS. WAS TAKEN UP BY A BLACK ENTERTAINER, WHO ACTUALLY WAS PRETTY GOOD PRESIDING OVER A COUNTRY SING-A-LONG. I WAS PISSED AND NOT EMBARASSED TO BOO LOUDLY. THE REST OF THE SET WAS STRICTLY A MOTOWN REVUE WITH NO OTHER SOUL MUSIC REPPED. THIS WAS THEIR, (THE SHIP'S MARKETING DEPT.), IDEA OF A SOUL NIGHT. SO OUT OF THE 600 OR SO THAT ATTENDED THEY CHOSE TO CATER TO THE MASSES VS THE 115 OR SO TRUE SOUL FANS(BLACK FOLKS)THAT WERE THERE. ALTHOUGH I WAS NOT THERE AT THE BLUES CHALLENGE MY OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF BLUES PROMOTIONS ARE EXECUTED FOR STATUS OF BORED BOUTIQUE WIVES AND COOL POINT SEEKERS BUT NOT THE TRUE LOVE OF THE MUSIC. BLUES WILL CONTINUE TO BE "PACKAGED" AND SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE IN THIS CAPITALIST SOCIETY. GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN AND STRIVE FOR A HIGHER DEGREE OF PARTICIPATION AND OWNERSHIP OR "THEY" WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE THE MONEY FROM SOMETHING "YOUR" GRANDADDY CREATED. MY BLUES IS NOT YOURS, UNTIL WE COUNT THE GATE RECEIPTS! BIG UPS TO BOOGIE FOR TELLIN' IT LIKE IT TIS'! I THOUGHT THESE WERE JUST MY CYNICAL, ROAD WEARY OBSERVATIONS. |
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