Mississippi Gulf Coast Spring Entertainment

Mississippi Gulf Coast Spring Entertainment

            The Mississippi Gulf Coast has excitement bouncing all up and down its coast this spring.  Everyone and anyone can find entertainment to fill their weekend with fun.  Beginning this weekend, Coast residents can while away their time visiting the largest outdoor boat and yacht show on the Gulf Coast.  There will be over 50 boats and brokers from several different boating states as well as the best and latest in marine accessories and nautical gear.  The 17^th annual Art in the Pass is also happening this weekend.  100 artists will display their art and plenty of seafood will be cooking to enjoy while you browse and shop the artwork. 

            April the 12^th hosts the largest family event ever to come to Gulfport, The Annual Harvest Festival.  Here festivalgoers can enjoy live music as they shop arts and craft booths.  They can also enjoy BBQ vendors galore.  Feel free to bring your pet to this pet friendly atmosphere.

            Also on the 12^th and 13^th, Pass Christian will host its annual po’boy festival where there will be fun for the whole family.  There will be anything and everything from live music to a classic car show.  For the kiddos, the festival offers an Easter egg hung, fishing rodeo and lots of carnival rides.

            And as always, April rounds up with the big hoopla.  This year’s annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum Crawfish and Music Festival is two weekends in a row filled with non-stop entertainment.  The festival showcases local bands and musicians as well as local artists and unique vendors where you can find one of a kind items.  There will be daily door prizes and give aways and carnival rides.  Along with several different food vendors, there will be tons of crawfish.  The second weekend offers up a crawfish cooking contest where the winner will be awarded a cash prize.  There is a low entrance fee for all this excitement, but the fee is well worth the good time to be had by all.

Inspiration through TED.com

TED.com has a collection of awe-inspiring videos for anyone with a desire to better themselves to watch.  I watched quiet a few of them this past Friday night and feel compelled to blog about the ones that grabbed a part of me and won’t let go.

            First, Gary Vaynerchuk’s “Do what you love. (No excuses)”, video speaks about not wasting a minute of your working life doing a job you hate or are not satisfied with.  He goes on to tell his own story of working in a family business before shifting gears.  Vaynerchuk stresses the importance of branding yourself and following your true passions so that you can be successful in a job you love.

            Randy Pausch’s iconic speech “The Last Lecture” gives a monumental message about living the experiences you thought about as a child and achieving those childhood dreams.  He, like Vaynerchuk, expresses the necessity of working in a field you enjoy.  He also uses stories from his past to exemplify his simple message of happiness is within reach but it begins with a job you love.  Pausch stresses that you should not limit your creative, childish side, but embark upon it and live every day as if it is your last.

            Steve Jobs delivers a “commencement speech” to one lucky graduating class of Stanford University and also discusses the necessity of pursuing your dreams.  He, like the others, recollects upon moments in his life that made him who he was to become.  And we all consider Steve Jobs an American business icon.  Jobs states that you should never let setbacks get in your way of achieving your dreams.  He stresses the importance of overcoming your obstacles and hardships so that you can find a way to act upon your dreams.

            Lastly, the “Kid President: I think we all need a pep talk” video begins with a call for ‘you” to stop being boring and start living your life, the life that you want, the life that leads you to awesome.  The kid in the video quotes a Journey song by stating  ‘Don’t Stop Believing” in your dreams.  He also states that today is our time to get out there and start living-living awesome. 

            I have decided to completely change vantage points in my career.  For several years, I have been a teacher, and yes, this job was quite rewarding.  But, somewhere down the path my inner self began talking to me and requesting to be let out.  Although teaching has been rewarding, I have promised myself that I will challenge myself in a new industry, one that fulfills my inner child and my true passion.  My desire to work in the entertainment industry has come full circle.  My first step to ensure that I live my passions and dreams began when I enrolled in Full Sail’s Entertainment Business program.  I feel all of the videos I watched from TED.com completely relate to me and my desires.   The videos are like cheerleaders that pump me up for success in the entertainment world.       

A good start to planning a concert or music festival

Organizing a concert and/or music festival is quite difficult.   There are many issues that need to be addressed before the festival is a success such as, budgeting, venue selection, bands and entertainment, specialties (riders), equipment needs and rentals, ticket pricing and printing, promotion and advertisements, sound and lighting engineers, and legality needs. 

     Finding a music promoter to help take charge is the first step in creating a concert or event.  A music promoter, not to be confused with the public relations agent, helps to publicize the event being planned.  Promoters also work with the entertainment and the entertainments’ agents.  Promoters should stay involved with the event through the duration of the project.

 Next should be finding and solidifying a perfect venue.  Venues also need contracts just like entertainment, so be sure to leave plenty of time to work through contract details.  If your event is an inside establishment like a restaurant or bar setting, you may be able to work a deal.  For example, the chosen venue may opt to allow usage free of charge on the note that they keep all alcohol profits, etc.  The promoter will also help establish a contract with a venue that works best for all involved.

Your promoter can also decide how to pay the band and take care of riders if need be.  The term “rider” is a music term for anything extra the band and or entertainment may need besides pay.  For example, a band may want to work in hotel fees along with its pay.  The promoter can help keep all the extras in check with the bands. 

The last big issue to think about and take care of when planning a concert or music festival is promoting and advertising.  Try to “free” advertise as much as possible.  For example, word of mouth is more effective than you may think.  If copied flyers are plastered all over town, and everywhere someone goes, he or she sees a flyer advertising an event, a person is more likely to see what all the fuss is about.  Also, reserve some money for colored posters and radio advertisements. 

There are so many aspects to having a successful musical event.  I have only blogged about how to get a good start.  My advice is to start with good research and a good categorized plan.  And don’t forget an easy-going attitude that rolls with the punches.   For an in-depth look at concert promotion and event planning check out these two sites: www.concert-promotions.com and Muscians.about.com/od/musicindustrybasics.html

Spring Excitement in Music

                                                          Spring Excitement in Music

     This spring, the South is the place to be if you are as big of a music fan as I.  Not only does southern Louisiana and southern Alabama have phenomenal springtime weather, but we have a collection of world class festivals to accompany the perfection.  Two of the festivals a music fan can attend exposed their 2014 line-ups for this spring.  Both line-ups have me feeling like a kid on Christmas.  To start, New Orleans’ 45^th annual jazz and Heritage Festival will begin April 25-27 and end May 1-4.  This year’s festival may be the best ever with Santana and Phish opening the main stage and Eric Clapton closing the weekend with a bang.  That’s right! You read correctly; Eric Clapton will be at this year’s Jazz Fest. It’s been rumored that he is coming to the end of his career now that he is pushing 70.  What a treat for a Clapton lover and appreciator like me to be able to witness one of his last shows.

            The following weekend will be nothing but awe inspiring as well.  The String Cheese Incident and Lyle Lovett take the stage on May 1, Christina Aguilera May 2, Bruce Springsteen May 3, and Aaron Neville and The Radiators closing out the festivities.  Of course, I’ve only mentioned a minute few talents at this year's jazz festival.  There are hundreds of big name bands as well as local talents gracing the music lover with their beats and rhythms this year.  Check out the Jazz Fest website for more information.  And as the locals say, laissez les bon temps roule!

            As if the Jazz fest announcent wasn’t enough to make you smile for a year, Gulf Shores Alabama’s Hang Out festival comes right around the corner.  For those who have lived under a rock for the past few years, the Hang Out festival is a one-of- a-kind festival.  Three days filled with sun and sand, and bathing suits are the norm!  This festival is by no means any less exciting than that of the Jazz Fest.  Hang Out also brings some big name headliners.  Some of the big names include The Black Keys, Outkast, Jack Johnson, Queens of the Stone Age, and Amos Lee.  I’m very excited to see a new talent making his way up the charts.  His name is Allen Stone.  He is a younger talent with style that is Stevie Wonderish.  His style is so sweet,  I bet he will be the headliner for next year.  Unlike Jazz Fest, this festival is a three day event starting May 16 and ending May 18.  If you are new to the Hang Out fest, I recommend you follow Brian Kelly.  Here you will find pictures, video clips, and information about previous years at the Hang Out festival so that you can be completely prepared for the excitement you are in store for.

I hope to see you at both festivals.  This is what my spring consists of and if you are a true festival lover, yours will too.

Sullivan, James. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/clapton-   springsteen/and/santana-top2014-jazz-fest-lineup-20140114

Specker, Lawrence. Http://blog.al.com/entertainment_impact/print./2014/hangout

http://blog.nola.com/entertainment/impact_music/print.html

wouldn't it be wonderful!

Brainstorm of Occupation Interests:

booking agent- secures engagements for musical groups.

tour coordinator- responsible for coordinating the many facets of an act's tour, including travel, lodging arranging for services, and budgeting for expenses.

website content producer- develops interesting and unique content for a label's site including artist bios, stories, about upcoming tours, announcements about new releases, and features about label artists.

artist manager-  deals with and advises the act of all business decisions and many of the creative decisions artists must make.

music editor - English degree required.

A & R representative - find talent for a company to sign to recording contracts.

artists relations representative-  acts as a liaison between company's artists and media, etc.

regional sales manager- supervises sales of the label's records to wholesalers and/or retail outlets in a specific region, creating sales campaigns and policies, and overseeing sales staff.

prepared by "@"The Career Development Center
                    Berklee.net/cd