Nashville, Memphis, Country and Blues

Some of you have read the article "Refuge in the Blues" posted by Music Editor Chris Herrington in our local indie paper, The Memphis flyer.

http://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis/refuge-in-the-blues/Content?oid...

Why does Nashville's country music have so much more commercial success than Memphis' blues? We're just a few hours down the road.

Taylor Swift was Billboard's #1 country artist in 2009. Do you think the blues would be better or worse if we had our own Taylor Swift?

Tags: blues, chad, challenge, chris, country, herrington, ibc, interantional, memphis, music

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on February 2, 2010 at 12:55pm: yyaaarrrggghhh

I do remember that Kanye performance.Maybe both Taylor and Kanye should leave the singing up to Beyonce.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Blue Plate Special on February 8, 2010 at 8:25am: I agree with JR below, Nashville is only the corporate center for country and Swift is unimportant in the grand scheme.
What Country does is satisfy the tastes of those searching for the Roots aspect of what used to be the all encompassing
Rock and Roll. Which disappeared around the time of Disco right up to now with meaningless un-roots tied Rock.
If and when Blues community launches a full out effort to prime time radio a difference will be seen.
The stigmata of uncommercial needs to be properly challenged, and it hasn't yet. Many country artists and fans I know love to play and listen to the Blues (Vince Gill, example) the market lies waiting to be challenged by those with the cahones !; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sue Rarick on February 9, 2010 at 7:50am: While I agree with your first sentence Blue Plate, I have to question the rest of your comments.

Country was around long before there was Rock n' Roll. It follows both a parallel and intersecting path with Blues back to ‘Old Time’ music.

What Country music has done is readily accept all the different styles of music. It has remained the more open music. Country fans will listen to Taylor Swift and Plant/Krause. There is diversity in the music. Very similar to the AM radio music in the 1950’s. Blues on the other hand has delved into the realm of Jazz. It has become more of a specialized music. This is actually a reversal of their positions in the 1960’s where I was booed for playing a few blues riffs when I did a Country sideman gig. Back then Blues was more open to outside influences i.e. Cream, Hendrix et al.

In my opinion Blues music has to become more encompassing before it regains a popularity edge. And it isn’t about radio play. Most Country and Blues musicians know the money is in the live performances. And right now there are a lot more places to play Country music.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by CHC Network on February 9, 2010 at 12:09pm: Sue,
I agree with you in part. But I don't think its the Blues that needs to be more encompassing, as much as the gatekeepers need to be more embracing. Having attended the IBCs this year, I heard a wide of diversity of influences in the Blues. Likewise, I heard some incredibly talented musicians and saw many likewise incredible stage shows. The musicians don't have a problem incorporating different influences, as much as it may be the gatekeepers who define what the Blues is all about. It was the judges that were harshly critical of these influences. Unless the music conformed to and met certain pre-set standards, the musicians weren't advanced to the finals. Having now talked with innumerable musicians, many of us are thoroughly convinced that whether you made it to the finals depended entirely what venue you played and who you played against (and this isn't all "sour-grapes.") I think it was correctly said that it wasn't the other acts that bands were competing against as much as what it was judges expectations. What would happen if, instead of being judged on Blues content, the musicians were judged based on merit?

Again, unless you count all the fairs and rodeos at which country music is played I only count between 15-17 country music festivals, depending on what site you go to. That is unless you want to throw in that mix the Bluegrass and Folk festivals. As to venues, this would depend on which part of the country you may kick off your boots, wouldn't it?

How do your define live performances? If you define a bar gig as a live performance, while playing the bars for many musicians may be preferable to busting your hump on a dock, or being confined for eight hours a day to a cubicle in an office setting, where is the money? The Stones were said to have made $157 million dollars on their last world tour, not every one makes this kind of money. Even if you were to make, for purposes of this discussion, $1500 dollars for playing a festival, after expenses, split among the members of the band, and I am assuming that everyone in the band is going to get paid, what is your net? You can bolster this take by including sales of merch, but how many T-shirts can one fan buy? If you wanted to improve these numbers, you would want to let people know you are playing. What better medium than radio playing 24/7 can you imagine to tell a market that you are going to be playing? The fact that country music radio stations is one of the most dominate radio stations on the dial does not hurt the country performer. Take radio out to the equation and would any music experience the popularity it enjoys? So on that, I give it to Blue Plate.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Blue Plate Special on February 10, 2010 at 8:10am: Hi Sue, thanks for comment. I appologize - I did not mean to suggest Country has not been around for many years. I was observing the fact that many fans I know of, switched their tastes and stayed there around that time period. I agree with you totally on the diversity aspect. But I do grow tired of Blues being condemned to occasional 1 or 2 hour shows in the wee hours of the day on various stations.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sue Rarick on February 9, 2010 at 1:10pm: I'm glad you mentioned the IBC's because that is what I meant. I like the term gatekeepers and agree that is one of the parts that need to change. Because there are a heck of a lot of great musicians.

Being here in the south I found over 100 festivals that will have Country music within a 300 mile range of Nashville. There were far fewer festivals that included Blues music.

Whether it's a concert a bar gig or a festival most musicians will make more money than they will from royalties. It's like the old joke "How do you make a million dollars racing?....Start out with 5 million!" When it comes to recording that isn't far from the truth.

I've argued for a long time that recording, air play and the Internet is better looked at as advertising and promotion rather than as income. You use those forms to generate bigger audiences and attention to your live performances.

BTW: I like Blue Plate's music and thought the Jerry Reed like picking intro on one of the videos exactly what I meant. They blended in a bit of Country into a great song. Things like that should increase their fan base while they retain their integrity.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by CHC Network on February 9, 2010 at 4:44pm: The IBC is as the name implies, an International Blues Challenge. That's the catch. Although the tip of this funnel is very narrow, the bands that enter this competition are fully apprised of the criteria on which they are are being judged.

(Here I am going to throw out some ideas. You can dismiss me as being naive, or scoff that anything I suggest has been tried but met with failure. )

Although bands may not have made the finals, they were able to "strut their stuff." Were many bands approached by festival promoters, talent buyers and venue owners about them coming elsewhere to play? It was certainly a showcase for talent. It seems according to many reports that we had a scant crowd this year. It certainly didn't compare to what many from Memphis see in the streets after May every year. Many of the local Memphis residents with whom I spoke, really weren't impressed with the size of the crowd. (Nor have they been in the 26 years it has taken place, apparently. This although the IBCs bring an estimated 1.5 million dollars into Memphis annually.) Did we make a mistake in promoting two of the larger Blues events for the same weekend?

I made this comment: Although all of the Blues related media was aware of and was notified about things, how wide outside of this list were other media contacted? A number of people that I spoke with weren't aware that the IBC was going on. They had come from as far away as St. Louis just to see what was happening in Memphis. Unless you are plugged into the "Blues friendly media," you could easily miss this event. Although there were a number of individuals on the street who had expensive cameras, etc., how many of them worked for the press. How many stories resulted from this event? How wide of an area did these resulting stories cover?

Maybe rather than trying to convince the judges and the promoters of this event to change their criteria, we should promote it as a showcase. We could invite a larger number of industry professionals particularly since we are so close to Nashville. Although they may not all be Blues music fans, maybe we could interest them instead in the talent being displayed. I have to give props to everyone who participated in this event. But to come up short of reward because they didn't meet a panel of judges expectations, is a little short sighted on our part.

Could we involve more people in different aspects of the music industry Although there were numerous panel discussions that supposedly took place during the IBCs, maybe we could promote it more as a music industry wide event. Could we turn it into more of a SXSW? A Midem?

Years ago radio was one of three essential legs in a three legged stool necessary to properly promote music. The other were the print media (newspapers and magazines), and then television. But we have tried promoting this music without having access to two of these three legs. I know things have changed. To this we have to add all that the internet has made available. But are we truly using things to their fullest extent?

Because of the almost abrupt end of a industry that could have provided us the means to listen to the radio around the world, we are still with out a large penetration made possible by radio

For those who are valiantly giving of themselves as broadcasters, whether on public or college radio stations, internet radio stations, podcasts, etc., how many people are regularly tuning into their shows? How much of the potential radio market is each reaching?

Although this has taken place as long as it has, it has only been recently videos have been made of different Blues events. When can we expect to see these events televised? To what extent are they televised? With the possibility to televise it on the internet, which could again beam things worldwide, why aren't we making use of this technology?

Almost a decade ago when I asked whether we fully understood our market, I was dismissed. At that time the BMA had just completed a marketing survey, but to have access to its findings, it was suggested that I join the Foundation. Because this answer was curt, I still haven't joined. Do we know today who our market is? Are we reaching them, all of them by the best means possible?

Do you know of anyone who was present at the KBA luncheon? I wasn't able to make it. I was wondering what the consensus was of those present? How are things going in each respective locale?

I am certain you are correct regarding the festivals within a 300 mile radius of Nashville. Can you direct me to this source of information? If we had this source of information, would Blues bands participate in any of these festivals? I have spoken with Blues bands, I am promoting one now, who, although they have a clearly distinct jazz influence, have told me they are not interested in playing no jazz festivals. What better way to reach a larger number of people than to cross market?

I don't expect answers to any of the questions above. Simply voicing my concerns and questions that I have.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on February 9, 2010 at 8:11pm: Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" is a blues song if there ever was one. The song was a big crossover hit on country and top 40 radio. It was delivered by an "American Idol". Blues music hit the charts and the blues establishment was nowhere near it.

Joe Bonamassa sells records that sound like rock music and blues fans think he's 'selling out'. In the first place, where do people get the idea that a 32 year old white guy from Utica, NY should be expected to adhere to the "real blues" model? Wouldn't Clapton be the ultimate sell-out by that standard?

Is the blues establishment comfortable with success? "No" is an acceptable answer. I know of a lot of bands who had a strong local fanbase in their hometown but those fans no longer care for their music when it becomes "commercialized". That's natural but it presents some obstacles to success. It may be a mixed blessing for the band.

The electric guitar has been a long standing centerpiece for every blues band. So much so that it seems like an anchor at times. The treatment of the guitar may be a reason that blues doesn't have a strong radio presence. Songs are often little more than a vehicle for a wailing guitar solo.

If the IBC isn't launching careers then could it be considered a waste of time for the competitors? Hopefully the experience is worth the trip. Could be. (I've made many trips to Memphis for no reason at all. I liked it so much that I started a family here.)

If the IBC isn't launching careers then what IS it doing? Aren't we just getting 200 bands together for the purpose of rejecting 199 of them?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sue Rarick on February 9, 2010 at 6:41pm: I will be sending you that festival site list.

I lived for many years in Atlantic Cityand for many years they had auditions to basically busk on the boardwalk. The reason for the auditions was in the Summer it was a cash cow for the performers (Over 6 million visitors on the boardwalk). Anyway the point of this is that I started out just playing Blues like I always had, but over the Summer I started changing my style into what I would call Americana music. Which for me is a mix of Country and Blues.

What I found enlightening was the fact that for years all I played was Blues and my audience came to hear Blues. On the Boardwalk I had to appeal to a much larger audience with more diverse musical tastes. Basically I had been converting the converted and found I needed to convert the non-converted (If that makes sense). I think this applies to all basic genres. In order to increase an audience you have to appeal to people who aren't Blues or Country or Jazz fans. Although they most likely are music fans.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Chad Nordhoff on February 9, 2010 at 7:16pm: That's very similar to the Beale Street experience. The name of the genre is not what matters. People enjoy honest music. I do get some odd requests. Some people can't be pleased. Some are just clueless. But the vast majority are happy when you are playing to THEM.

I treat this gig like an internship. There's a lot of valuable information to be gathered. Though Beale is sold as the home of the blues, I'm in no way bound by that. There's no typical audience or regular crowd so if the music gets stale it's all my fault. That's really good motivation to explore and adapt.; ▶ Reply to This