Re: [Harp-L] Does SPAH need harmonica competition? another editorial

["ChipComcast" <jandkday@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Marketing is everything.

Do It.

James Day


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <icemanle@xxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 1:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Does SPAH need harmonica competition? another
editorial


> At the risk of revisiting the Old Philosophy vs. New Philosophy (pre and
post 2001 SPAH Leadership) banter, attracting the public and harmonica
players who would not otherwise attend a standard issue convention plus
providing the news media with stories was successfully accomplished in 98 at
the Blues Blow Off on Thur and at the Toots Concert in St. Louis in 99.
>
> Anyone attending those shows will remember a packed house audience with a
large number of outsiders in attendance and a line at the door where tickets
for that one evening's show were sold (I believe the Blues Blow Off was
$10/ticket and Toots was $15). Thought went into choosing who the performers
would be and the press releases sent to all the local papers, TV stations,
radio stations, etc. I even remember giving a noteable Blues Radio DJ in
Detroit "backshish" in '98, a regrettable reality in the world, in order to
get an extra media push to the blues community.
>
> The local St. Louis jazz radio station afternoon drive time personality
was hired to MC the Toots/Kenny Werner show in '99. You can bet that we got
a lot of extra radio exposure from him during the week before the concert.
>
> Curtis Salgado and I even drove out to a Rod Piazza concert the week of
the convention with '98 Blues Blow-Off flyers to pass out to those waiting
in line for the show and stick in the windshield of all the cars parked near
the theatre, an opportunity just waiting for SPAH.
>
> The result was everything we'd hoped for and more, with enough extra
income to justify the expenses.
>
> If SPAH really needs this type of exposure to evolve and grow, look for
what worked successfully in the past and model it.
>
> Personally, although a competition has its own excitement surrounding it,
I feel it creates a different energy for a convention in enticing outsiders.
It worked in Trossingen during the years I attended the World Competition,
but it is quite a different undercurrent to the proceedings than what SPAH
has been.
>
> The Iceman
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Philharpn@xxxxxxx
> Subject: [Harp-L] Does SPAH need harmonica competition - in brief
>
> Maybe what SPAH needs is a harmonica competition that would draw outsiders
> (the public) and harmonica players who would not otherwise attend a
standard
> issue convention plus provide national news attention.
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