Louisiana politics – Page 4

The New Fame

In this economy, nothing is what it was. And that’s bad news for the once-famous. Celebrity has changed. Thanks in no small part to the plethora of channels/movies/sites, the machinery of fame suffers from the media’s general state of dilution: there are too many sources pushing too many vapid “products” into a system that continues to expand.

Even athletes are losing ground. As business declines, endorsements are being withdrawn. You’ll be seeing less of Tiger Woods. And this year’s Olympic champions, despite record audiences and name recognition, are finding few companies interested in using their images. It’s a new world.

The narcissistic shallowness that is Hollywood will not respond well to being ignored. But the fact is, as things get worse, who cares about most of the pathetic tripe emanating from the movie and television industry?

I’ve said for more than ten years that the media giants are doomed. They played games with their accounting by constantly growing, masking their debt and overhead. Now, as the auto industry, which accounts for some 25% of ad revenues on television, pulls back, the media’s naked butts are showing.

Not that any of this is going to change the brothel-like affair Louisiana continues to have with the film and television industry. Consider this: if the State of Louisiana is willing to pay a percentage of the film business’ bill based on budget and impact, why can’t it do the same for music? Using the methodology of the film tax credit system, the state ought to be putting up millions to support our multibillion dollar music industry. Instead it continues to do nothing for music.

The silence from our tiny world of music writers and publishers is inexcusable.

Not that Louisiana can buy fame for our musicians. Fame will never be the same. But, the state shouldn’t be so in love with only one component of the media. Louisiana should love its music even more than it loves film.

The Louisiana Film Investment Company:Where’s Our Share?

Louisiana’s overly generous film tax credits finally made the New York Times. Thanks in no small part to the ease (caused by lax oversight) with which budgets are overstated and credits overpaid, film tax credits are being challenged around the country. Economists are having a difficult time justifying the state paying $27 million of a $167 million budget, for example. And if one compares other industries and businesses to the way film is treated by governments around the world, it’s no wonder people are starting to complain. Besides being unfair to every other industry, the tax credits have not been proven to be cost-effective.

To their credit, Louisiana commissioned a study to determine the economic impact of the film subsidies; and, lots of people are waiting to see the results. I’m sure few would like to see anything but a positive return on this creative investment. However, there are myriad questions that arise when the taxpayers become major partners in productions. Why, for example, are we not entitled to a piece of the pie?

If an investor puts up millions of dollars for a production company to produce a film, the investor is a partner. So, why aren’t we partners? If we put up 16% of the budget of a $167 million picture, shouldn’t we be entitled to the same financial arrangements as the other investors? And the same goes for sports and all other economic bailouts or investments by the taxpayers.

I’d ask former Louisiana film commissioner Mark Smith what he thinks, but he’s busy talking to the feds.

Of course my ongoing criticism of this investment of public money into the film industry is that Louisiana isn’t known for producing Spielbergs the way we’ve produced Nevilles or Marsalises. Why, then, can’t the state commit to properly funding work to support its historic music resources?

As has always been the case, Louisiana would rather support sports, film, petrochemicals and agriculture and do what it has always done: take music for granted.

The REAL Louisiana Music Commission

With the State of Louisiana annually funding the Tipitina’s Foundation at a higher rate than it ever budgeted for the Louisiana Music Commission, it’s becoming more and more obvious that Tip’s has become the state’s de facto music commission. That’s fine because the foundation has done an amazing job establishing it’s model and growing it for the benefit of all concerned. Not only does the foundation create an invaluable networking opportunity for musicians via it’s offices and workshops, but it also provides jobs within its growing structure. And in an industry in which real, full time jobs are harder and harder to come by, this is no small feat.

I say kudos to Roland and Mary Von Kurnatowski, Bill Taylor and the staff of Tipitina’s Foundation. While the state neglects its own formal music responsibilities via a budget-less, office-less, website-less and functionally broken music commission, the foundation keeps chugging along, helping musicians connect with resources and, most significantly, each other as they struggle in the ever-more-difficult business of music. My hat’s off to Tipitina’s as they continue to grow.

Not that the Louisiana Music Commission is totally dormant. They’ve been planning, studying and meeting for more than 2 years now, having actually accomplished nothing. This is in sharp contrast to the work of the LMC in years past.

In our first two years, 1992 to 1994, with a total annual budget of $56,000, the LMC was a busy and productive entity. We created and produced two commercial radio shows, developed a live television show (LTV that went on to air 100 unique episodes featuring a total of nearly 300 musical guests), created New Orleans Jazz Centennial Celebration, secured the launch ceremonies for the Louis Armstrong stamp, saved the Aaron Neville Christmas Special which resulted in securing a $10,000 donation to Farm Aid (held at the Superdome that year), and more. Here’s a copy of a report from back then. It was on the agency’s website. But, as I’ve noted before, the url and 8 years of web postings were thrown away during the Blanco years. Interestingly, Gov. Jindal has reappointed one of the contributors to the LMC’s demise.

The LMC recently met in Shreveport and announced plans to try to attend MIDEM (a very costly undertaking) and to study Branson and Austin–all things that have been done before. They continue to be mired in outdated perceptions of the music industry based on the tired and often self-serving rhetoric of the commission’s reappointed chair, Maggie Warwick. And now, after 2 years of dawdling I believe it’s time for everyone to admit that the LMC is dead and that Tipitina’s Foundation is the best hope for Louisiana’s musicians seeking to improve their lives and business models.

But what do I know.

Here are more links to past pages on the defunct LMC site:

Unsolicited Quotes and Press: 1992-95

Unsolicited Quotes and Press: 1995-98

LMC Site Map Page Here is the overview of all the pages that were lost, including a vast Louisiana music News archive from 1997-2005

Here is a link to 43 LMC Press Releases issued between 1999 and 2003. Have you seen any of the releases issued by the current LMC?

Recruiting Our Way to Success?

Too many folks in economic development overemphasize recruiting. At a time when most admit that Louisiana’s greatest export is our smart, talented, innovative people, highly paid government “leaders” continue to believe they can recruit outsiders to save us.

When I was at the Louisiana Music Commission, we used to joke that to economic development people an expert was someone from out of town carrying a briefcase. Nobody, it seemed, wanted to hear what “we” all have to say. Only the “experts” seemed to know up from down. Though we tried at every opportunity to bring an appreciation for indigenous talent to economic development, and tried our best to be a part of all aspects of the department, nobody wanted to hear anything from us unless it was about music; and, all-to-often only if it involved access to backstage passes.

I recently met with an important person from Louisiana Economic Development who believed that the music director needed to be “working the phones and recruiting.” I said that Louisiana’s music industry can’t recruit its way to success–unless someone has a line on Steve Jobs. I don’t know if I made my point; but I know it’s true. Unfortunately, the folks in charge of music at the state level just don’t get it and remain overwhelmed by the demands of the film industry. Music is still being taken for granted, and the potential of the state to be helpful continues to be untapped.

Our unique music resources, it seems, are still perceived as lacking only what outsiders can bring to it. Well, as far as I (and I’m sure most musicians seeking to make a living) am concerned, the main thing outsiders can bring to our music is their appreciation and their money. And if anyone wants to move their booking or management company here, I’m sure there are incentives that can be utilized. No doubt music could use some help. But what the state is (or rather isn’t) doing is about as useful as a one person sailboat with no rudder on a landlocked pond with no wind or even a paddle.

There are no miracle workers in the music industry anymore. There are no simple solutions to the difficulties of being a musician. The era of the music moguls is long over. And legendary music mogul Clive Davis lost his job (again) this week. Blame whatever you want for the demise of the industry: downloads, supply & demand, competition from video games, all of the above. Whatever you want to call it, the international music industry has changed and the state doesn’t get it. Meanwhile, Louisiana continues to produce some of the world’s best and most interesting music.

But don’t expect the state to fix things anytime soon. Instead of building upon the more than a decade of work that Chairman Ellis Marsalis fostered, the current folks at the LMC continue on their “rebuilding” path by starting from scratch and proceeding at a snail’s pace.

I also learned that nobody at the state’s entertainment office has access to any of the voluminous paperwork we generated in our 13+ years of running the Louisiana Music Commission. The people in charge don’t even know where the ring binders are that hold the reports, plans and the printed version of the (defunct) website. So, again, here is the comprehensive report covering 1992 to 2003, a summary version (bullet text and easy to read) and our last Strategic Plan. And of course anyone can view the old website by visiting Archive.org and typing “louisianamusic.org” into the Internet Wayback Machine.

I know I’m boring some of you with this stuff. But the fact remains that you can’t just erase what we did; and, I won’t let the opinions of openly hostile, manipulative people be the only version of history. I know what I did and I know what we did. And it’s far more than anyone is doing now.

The State of Louisiana continues to neglect its responsibility to nurture our precious music legacy. Our musicians deserve better.

A Letter to the Governor & Staff

Dear Gov. Jindal and Staff:

I write you today about music, an issue connected to both economic development and natural resources. Since 2005, the Louisiana Music Commission has been a broken agency. It was sabotaged by an alteration of its legislation in which it was turned from an independent, dedicated commission to a division of LED with direct oversight/management responsibility shifted from the LMC’s Chairman to the Secretary of LED. The result is that the LMC is now subject to the expectations and directives of people whose lives were and are not immersed in the realities of music.

Since 2005 the LMC has been dismantled, de-staffed, unfunded and purged of 14 years of records. Its websites, established in 1997 and recognized as top sites for information, news and links to Louisiana’s complex and rich musical resources, were eliminated and the URLs lost. There continues to be no office, website or publicly accessible vehicle for our music professionals to access in support of their always difficult calling.

The LMC under Chairman Ellis Marsalis was a leader in transparency via its website. It published every report, press release and plan, complete with links, as soon as such docs were produced. It had an office, a staff and a budget. It had the autonomy it needed to research, define and implement programs and projects. It had the ability to react quickly to needs and situations. It was responsive, effective and accomplished many goals.

The LMC handled literally thousands of calls and emails annually. It developed educational initiatives, radio and television programs, economic development projects, advertising and promotional campaigns, and served as an advocate and voice for the state’s often misunderstood musicians and music professionals.

Today, the LMC budget is part of LED. It must compete with industries that are far more organized and structured. It is dying.

Music is too important to be lumped-in with any other industry, including film; because, in Louisiana, music is complex and unlike any other resource. It is a naturally occurring but fragile component of life. It is a family with four generations of God-given grace and talent. It is a 10 year old with an accordion, trumpet or trombone. It is a crusty street musician in the French Quarter. It is a tenor in the nation’s longest-running opera company. And it is depended upon by every one of us as part of the fabric of our lives, part of what makes us laugh, cry, dance and BE Louisiana.

Today, Louisiana’s eyes are glazed-over by the glitter of Hollywood while its crown jewel, music, is buried in a bureaucracy that cannot and should not be responsible for the future of this complex, beautiful and fragile asset.

The LMC needs to be returned to its status as a proper commission, with autonomy, an office, a budget, a staff, a website and a mission to serve. It needs to be returned to its leadership under Chairman Ellis Marsalis who has generously volunteered to once again, rebuild this badly needed entity.

I ask that you take the bold step of appointing Ellis Marsalis as Chairman of the LMC, that you reinstate the original legislation (LS R.S. 25: 315-317) that gave operational control to the board and that you fund the office, staff and mission of this currently ineffective and misdirected agency.

Thank you for your efforts to restore Louisiana. And it is with a sense of optimism that I submit this letter. I remain dedicated to our great state and look forward to doing my part to help you move us forward into a better future for all.

Respectfully yours,
Steve Picou
New Orleans LA
http://nolamotion.com

Tax Credits Gone Wild!

Kudos to the Times-Picayune for pulling back the curtain (be sure to read the comments) more on the Mark Smith scandal, showing how film tax credits were abused to include 3 of New Orleans’ most popular music events: Jazz Fest, Voodoo Music Experience and Essence. It was revealed that more than $10 million in tax credits are due to be paid to behind-the-scenes entities, notably through lawyer Will French whose connections to Smith, LIFT and the whole credit system run deeper than anyone else in the state. Commercial interests took advantage of this (obvious-to-anyone-with-morals) fraudulent twist in the application of the credits. But it was Smith’s penchant for padding that allowed the credits to be based on the entire budget of the events rather than the actual cost of filming. Thus the dollars are beyond any amounts ever thrown at in-state music events.

Again, not only Mark Smith, but former Louisiana Economic Development secretaries Don Hutchinson and Mike Olivier contributed to this huge stretch in logic and reasoning in signing off on what to most people are outrageous claims. In fact, what this represents is the biggest expenditure for music in the history of Louisiana. The state could’ve released more than 1000 CDs by Louisiana artists for less money, not that the CD market is so hot right now. No doubt there are festival organizers around the state fuming, and rightly so, about how New Orleans seems to get too much. Too bad Hutchinson and Olivier (and Ernest Collins and a few others) aren’t joining Smith at this month’s sentencing.

This scam would not have happened under Ellis Marsalis’ watch. When we ran the Louisiana Music Commission, we couldn’t spend more than $1000 without Chairman Marsalis’ oversight. Maybe that’s another reason why they got rid of us. Not that Mark Smith ever dealt with us truthfully or would’ve included us in this kind of decision-making. He couldn’t afford the scrutiny of anyone with common sense. And had Bernie Cyrus been hired as the Entertainment Cluster Developer back when the state first established the position, these scandals with film and music would not have happened.

This situation gets to the root of how large-scale tax credit systems are manipulated by those “in the know” about government programs. Like the GO Zone credits (a story you can expect to be equally tawdry since these disaster-inspired credits are funding stadium suites in Alabama and myriad projects that fail to address true rebuilding needs), the abuse of the film tax credits goes beyond the mechanics of movie production and deep into the intense world of film (and apparently event) financing. As of now, Mark Smith is a lynch pin but hardly the only perpetrator of fraud. Surely others will soon be doing the perp walk on the evening news. We can only hope.

Unless the FBI or Louisiana Attorney General decides to probe whether fraud took place regarding the music festivals, bending these state regulations apparently has no punitive consequences. And obviously, this isn’t the only state rule so poorly written and implemented. So don’t expect to see the State of Louisiana police its own and exact any punitive measures.

All we can ask is that law enforcement dig deeper into this situation. And hope that the new Jindal administration will do better.

Public Notice? That Doesn’t Mean YOU Should Know

It’s kind of weird being the only “reporter” to cover the attempted regeneration of the formerly amputated government appendage that was/is the Louisiana Music Commission. Since they’re working on a new vision for the agency, commission members, staff and contracted help (Jerry Goolsby of Loyola) recently held a retreat at Dockside Studio in Milton, south of Lafayette, a wonderful place run by my friends Steve & Wishy Nails. Of course, despite my obvious desire to contribute, I wasn’t invited–and neither were you, because the LMC continues to do minimal Public Notice.

It’s not entirely their fault. The law that was so misleadingly called the “Sunshine Law” was passed many years ago to ensure that public bodies make their meetings known so participatory democracy will live up to our expectations. Of course, because politicians crafted the legislation (see it here) they set the “standards” rather low for “open meetings.” To follow the law, a notice must be placed on the door of the “publicly accessible” meeting room 24 hours in advance. So, unless you happen to be in or around the building at which a meeting is to take place, I guess it’s just too bad.

Of course, if you were able to be in the know and actually attend LMC meetings, they’d then be duly bound to give the you the opportunity to speak, for the law says that boards “shall provide an opportunity for public comment at such meeting, subject to reasonable rules, regulations, and restrictions as adopted by the public body.” Evidently the folks in charge only want select input, for few have been invited. And other than commissioners and economic development employees, basically nobody knows about the meetings.

That’s not how Ellis Marsalis, Bernie Cyrus and I did it. We posted notice on the home page of the LMC website, notified the press and even bought classified ads. In fact, not only did we do it prominently; but, we had a special section of the website’s Welcome page dedicated to meeting notices. Additionally, we showcased Louisiana music businesses, debuted products and projects and in general encouraged attendance by the public and by music activists. Of course, the current LMC could do this, but first they’d need a website, and a desire to have the public participate. Oh, and maybe a budget would help–not that we had a budget for the site. We (mostly me) did it in-house.

According to the little bit of information leaking out of the LMC retreat, a website is planned. Hope they launch it before the next governor is sworn-in.

So, it’s only been 2+ years since the loss of louisianamusic.org and buylouisianamusic.com, the domains the current administration let expire after 8 years. However, though the Blanco folks tossed the site into the digital abyss, its archives and links can still be found. Thanks to the foresight of a the Internet Archive, lost sites like louisianamusic.org live on.

The Internet Archive Wayback Machine at archive.org, (a library of digital archives and websites that is growing by 20 terabytes a month), has a search feature that brings the original LMC site back to life. So, if you want to see what kind of website we had (please forgive the dullness, I have no graphic design skills), just type louisianamusic.org into the Wayback Machine and you’ll see archived versions of the site in its entirety. Though these pages do not show up in common search engines like Google or Yahoo!, once you click on a date, you can navigate the whole site and see how much history, how many links and how much work was thrown away.

After posting literally millions of words about so many seemingly important subjects, it’s nice to know somewhere deep in the bowels of the Internet, louisianamusic.org can still be found. Perhaps someday, someone will want to tell the story of the Amusement Tax, once the most dreaded and hated impediment to music in the state, or maybe someone will research the history of the LMC. If so, then thanks to archive.org, lost words will be resurrected, lost thoughts reconnected and lost issues re-examined.

Then again….

How Can It Be Corrupt If It’s Done By Moi?!

Monday’s T-P story and Wednesday’s editorial about Mayor Nagin’s arts & entertainment director Ernest Collins’ inability to discern between what is ethical and what is not is a classic tale of hubris & snobbery.

Power is the ultimate test of one’s character. Sure, tragedy and disaster can be final exams; but, the bigger test is when one acquires power. Then, how well does one continue to maintain integrity?

Ernest Collins, Greg Meffert and others in the Nagin administration failed this test. And they don’t see what they’ve done wrong. Meffert chose to exhibit paranoia in assuming that people were out to get him because he was successful and because he changed things in City Hall. After all, he stepped on “their” toes–those evil, corrupt people he was called (by God some of them think) to vanquish. To his credit, he changed many things for the better. However, as his power and ability to choose contractors grew, so did the temptation to “play the game” as he once put it. He did what every corrupt politicians does–hired his friends and shared the wealth–and failed miserably at maintaining his integrity.

Collins, however, chooses spin. Ernest Collins is the consummate smooth operator and spin-meister. He always has been. But first, a little history.

I was one of the four producer/creators of LTV (Louisiana Music Television), the original music show that pre-dated Louisiana Jukebox. Bernie Cyrus, Ken (“Burt Gold”) Winters and I originally proposed the show to Ernest Collins at Cox Productions in the early 90s. He liked the idea; and, with Bernie as Executive Producer, Ken as Producer/Director and me running audio, booking bands and chefs and writing news, the show launched. Aired live on Thursday nights, the show was a raucous affair with 3 musical acts, guests, call-ins, skits, the Hostess Babes, chefs and whatever else Bernie (mostly) and the rest of us could conceive, all in the small Cox studio on Cleveland Avenue. Nobody was paid except the Cox crew who were making minimum wage.

Bernie trusted Ernest Collins. He didn’t get Collins to sign a contract specifying the chain of command despite my urging him to do so. Eventually, Ernest and his staff tired of Bernie’s impromptu approach to television. One day, Collins called us in to his office and said, “Bernie, LTV is now a Cox production. You are no longer Executive Producer.” It was the beginning of the end.

We toiled on. However, the fun was gone. As the Cox staffers became ever more emboldened, they took over more and more of the responsibilities of the show. Collins’ staffers weren’t from New Orleans and it was clear they thought Bernie was a buffoon. They even tried to “teach” him how to conduct interviews. Bernie, by this point in his life, had conducted literally thousands of hours of radio and television interviews. Bernie was (rightfully) offended, and we all became outraged at the increasing level of snobbery we encountered. We called it quits after a celebratory and star-studded 100th episode.

LTV enjoyed an unprecedented run. We showcased nearly 300 musical artists, including many legends for whom the show was their last time in the public eye. We brought great artists out of the darkness and put them into people’s living rooms. The show also aired on worldwide shortwave radio and was carried in several cities around the state and country. It was nominated for, and eventually won, a Cable Ace award.

In the end, Bernie ended up filing a lawsuit and Cox settled by admitting that Bernie owned the name and by giving the shows over to the Tulane Library. Collins and his staff then created Louisiana Jukebox, which also enjoyed a long run. He obviously took a lesson from Bernie and registered the name.

Through it all, we learned that Ernest Collins was a clever, manipulative company loyalist who was the perfect “yes man” for his boss at Cox, Ray Nagin. Collins took chances only rarely and accepted what was given to him. That he is now in trouble for having a business on the side that has received money from city government entities he helps run, reflects his biggest flaw: he assumes he such a good guy that he can’t be doing anything wrong.

In the T-P article, Collins explains that he believed he was acting ethically when he did business deals with city money, state tax breaks and other sources while being employed full time in a department overseeing and working with these same entities. And he opines that it wasn’t that much money. He says he did nothing wrong. Amazing.

Ethics laws and ethical principles are clear on the matter. He’s wrong. And he might’ve broken the law. No matter how good he is at production, no matter how good he is at administration, Ernest Collins sucks at ethics. Power tested him and he failed.

Ernest Collins seems to believe, like others in the Nagin administration, that because he was doing this, that it isn’t corrupt. After all, they are the good guys, right? Just because he worked hand in hand with Mark Smith, LIFT and whatever other corrupt manipulators he knows, doesn’t mean he’s corrupt, does it?

Sure.

And why am I blogging about this? Because Ernest Collins was a player in the cabal of cretins who contributed to the dismantling of the Louisiana Music Commission. Because he’s part of the group of people who poisoned Bernie Cyrus’ and my relationship with people in politics who should have known better.

This story is far from over.