I’m just back from the extremely successful 2016 Jazz Connect conference in New York City.
JazzWeek was host to two panel sessions and two workshops. And the great value of those to the jazz industry (for lack of a better term) was clear in how many people attended and how people responded.
With that, it has shown me five things:
- JazzWeek needs to take a more active role in helping improve the processes involved in jazz radio and jazz radio promotion. Both the radio side and promotion side have extremely capable and dedicated professionals, but there are still many ways in which we can improve. Digital servicing not the least of them.
- Jazz radio and promotion needs to be discussed more than twice a year (once in January at Jazz Connect, and once in August at the JazzWeek Summit). We’ll be looking at ways to have some virtual panels via video conference very soon.
- I need to be a stronger advocate for things we need as jazz radio and promo people. This regular column will be one of them. It’s actually a return to what I did from 2004-2007 in the PDF “print” version of JazzWeek.
- We really need a trade publication for the business side of jazz. How that pans out, and whether this publication can be it, remains to be seen. I welcome your thoughts on this.
- We need a mobile app version of JazzWeek and initial development is under way.
Plus there are several website updates required, including a site “freshening.”
I’ll have a lot more to say in this space in the future. For now, let’s see what we can achieve in 2016.
You can reach me with your thoughts at ed.trefzger@jazzweek.com.