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Jazz Services Campaign for More Jazz on the BBC
2Bdecided
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In my local library, I noticed a pile of colour postcards headed "Jazz Off Air".
It says "Please respond to the campaign by post or on-line by the 20th May", and alongside other information, it lists this website...
http://www.jazzservices.org.uk/JazzBusiness/JazzOffAir/tabid/206/Default.aspx
...which duplicates the contents of the postcard (which saves me from typing it all out here!).
Interesting that someone is paying to make these postcards, and distribute them to libraries. As it's London based, and I'm in North Yorkshire, I wonder if this is a national thing?
Cheers,
David.
It says "Please respond to the campaign by post or on-line by the 20th May", and alongside other information, it lists this website...
http://www.jazzservices.org.uk/JazzBusiness/JazzOffAir/tabid/206/Default.aspx
...which duplicates the contents of the postcard (which saves me from typing it all out here!).
Interesting that someone is paying to make these postcards, and distribute them to libraries. As it's London based, and I'm in North Yorkshire, I wonder if this is a national thing?
Cheers,
David.
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Comments
It's only taxpayers' money, that seems to be the attitude of organisations like the Art Council.
What's political about promoting jazz?
If the BBC reduced the amount of classical music played, would it be "political" for an arts council funded group which supported orchestras to campaign against it?
But I agree it's a slightly strange thing to spend taxes on.
Cheers,
David.
Jazz Services is given public funding for its stated aims of promoting jazz. So using it to fund a campaign for more jazz on the radio is entirely appropriate. Less strange than spending it on nuclear weapons that will never be used.
Yes it is. However, in my experience, these kinds of postcard campaigns don't work. Far better in my opinion to have a few original thoughts of your own, write them on the consultation page and lobby that way.
In the same way that some people say they don't want their licence fee being "wasted" on this or that, I don't want my lottery contributions and public money being "wasted" on funding these kinds of campaigns.
There most certainly is a market for more 'real' jazz on the BBC.
Jazz Services shouldn't have to resort to card campaigns to achieve it. The thrust should come from the BBC itself as a responsible public service broadcaster.
If there were no market for Jazz, you wouldn't see a continuous stream of new recordings from jazz musicians nor reissues of classic albums.
Faced with BBC apathy, Jazz Services is doing the best it can to raise the profile by investing funds in this campaign, which is to be applauded.
The same could be said of almost any musical genre you care to mention.
If somebody wants to start a campaign, fair enough. But whichever way you look at it, at least some of the funding for this campaign has come from the Arts Council. Public money.
I hardly think that the BBC's coverage of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival this year could be classed as apathy.
Public money is also used to fund film production and live theatre. Promoting jazz isn't much different from helping publicise other branches of the arts.