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"The Blues: Did It Die and You Didn't
Notice?"
That was the question posed in May at the Blues Music Association's
town-hall meeting in Memphis. The numbers certainly are bleak:
Record sales are at an all-time low; venues are closing or limiting
the amount of blues acts they book at an alarming rate.
But don't pull the plug just yet. Blues music has survived
the hardest of hard times. The challenge facing the blues industry
is to make the music viable in the marketplace. That viability
will depend on many factors, but two are key: making the music
available to fans and expanding the fan base itself.
Desperate times call for creative measures, so Blues Revue
talked to three members of the blues industry who are exploring
the possibilities. All three are label owners; two are also musicians.
What they share is an appreciation for nontraditional approaches
to a tradition-bound genre.
Bring the Music to the Fans
"You've got to take the limits off your thinking,"
says Forrest McDonald, a 38-year veteran of the music industry
and owner of World Talent Records. "There are a lot of great
blues performers who aren't well-known outside their region.
No matter how great somebody is, if the fans don't know them,
a venue is hard-pressed to put up money to get them in and take
a chance on going in the hole."
A trip to the International Blues Challenge in February inspired
a plan. "Being in Memphis and seeing everybody there kind
of reminded me of the student exchange program," he says.
"If we can send somebody to France for a year, why can't
we send musicians to different parts of the country for a weekend
or a week?"
McDonald envisions a National Blues Musicians Exchange Program,
a nonprofit organization that would link musicians, venue owners,
and volunteers across the country through Internet-based software.
Musicians and venue owners could negotiate dates and fees online
through a secure server that would keep all transactions confidential.
Local fans could log on and volunteer a place to stay, some meals,
or a ride to the airport.
"When I play in Atlanta," McDonald says, "everybody
knows me, but everybody has bought my CDs as well. I'm not going
to make any extra money on CDs. I imagine that's probably true
for the guy on the East Coast or on the West Coast. But if they
come to Atlanta, they could probably sell enough CDs to more
than cover their plane expense. Fans who help by providing lodging
or something could save [a musician] $200 or $300 a night."
What about the bluesman who can manage the travel costs for himself
but can't afford to take his band? A bad pickup band in an unfamiliar
city is a disaster waiting to happen. McDonald proposes a software
program that "allows artists to upload their set on MP3-type
files so there's a central repository. Local musicians sign in
to the system, see who's out there, get their material, and learn
their show down to a T."
The potential benefits of such a program are impressive. Local
blues fans are introduced to new music; the artist gains new
fans. Venues get credit for bringing new acts to town; journalists
cover the shows, giving exposure to the venue and the artist.
The artist sells more CDs from the stage; the record label makes
some money.
Still, the questions remain: How would the system be paid for
and who will take responsibility for getting it off the ground?
McDonald says the project could be funded initially on a transaction
basis with both the artist and venue paying a nominal fee for
each booking. Eventually, it could be paid for with a monthly
or annual fee. Grants or sponsorships would be crucial for developing
the software and getting the organization started; after the
nonprofit 501(c)3 status is obtained, donations could be accepted.
McDonald says he's willing to get the ball rolling. "Everybody
has to do a little bit. It means I'm going to have to put my
own career on hold for the good of the cause. But if I as an
individual, and everybody else who comes on board, can make a
difference and turn this thing around, then it will be worth
it."
For more on World Talent Records
or to contact McDonald, visit World Talent's Web site.
(continue
to part 2: "I'd love to find a blues band in China")
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