Fewer blacks listening to jazz?

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Fewer blacks listening to jazz?

By Michaela L. Duckett – August 19, 2011

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Good morning! Thank goodness it’s Friday, but looks like there is a lot of rain in store for us this weekend. The weatherman says today’s morning sunshine will give way to isolated thunderstorms this afternoon with highs in the low 90’s. A few more thunderstorms are possible on Saturday when we will see highs in the upper 80s and lows in the low 70s. Sunday’s forecast calls for more isolated thunderstorms and highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s.

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Less black folks listening to jazz?

Jazz now has fewer black listeners than ever. A new study from the Jazz Audience Initiative found that no more than 20% of jazz audiences are people of color and that the people buying tickets to jazz shows are more homogenous now than in years past.

Here are just a few of the study’s findings:

Demographically, jazz ticket buyers across the 19 communities are middle aged, predominantly male, and very well educated. On average, only 17% are under age 45, and 80% are white.
Younger buyers are significantly different than older buyers, suggesting generational shifts in participation patterns and music preferences.
Jazz buyers want to move, suggesting a strong kinetic association. When asked what kind of jazz they like, a third of all buyers indicated they like jazz that…‘makes me want to tap my toes and dance,’ while 31% said they like jazz that…‘makes me think or challenges me in some way.’ Women are very different from men in this respect, with women prioritizing jazz that makes them want to move, and men prioritizing jazz that makes them think. Older buyers, 65+, prioritize the sentimental aspects of jazz…‘that takes me back to another time or place.’
By a wide margin, jazz buyers prefer informal settings for live jazz shows, especially clubs and lounges. Younger buyers have an especially strong affinity for informal settings.
The research reveals three underlying dimensions of musical preference: 1) Fusion – a combination of youth leaning, cross genre artists like John Zorn and Jamiroquai; 2) Standards and Masters – artists that in many ways represent the “canon” of jazz masters (e.g., Charlie Parker, Stan Getz); and 3) Pop Crossover – artists that have, over time, grown to appeal to a broad mainstream and pop?based audience (e.g., B.B. King).

The study also noted that the more knowledgeable jazz buyers become the more live jazz they want to hear and that ultimately, the audience is a reflection of what’s on stage, which is not to diminish the influence of price, venue and other factors on the audience.

The National Survey of Jazz Audiences was launched electronically to a random sample of several thousand jazz ticket buyers in six cities across the country - Columbus, OH; St. Louis, MO; San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Boston, MA and Monterey, CA. In addition, a consortium of 13 university presenters, also participated in the study. In total, allowing this first of its kind study to learn from jazz ticket buyers in 19 cities across the country.

For more information, and to join the conversation, visit: www.jazzartsgroup.org/jai
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Conditions not so sweet at Hershey’s Factory

Hundreds of foreign students participating in a cultural exchange visa program walked out of their factory jobs this week in protest. The program is designed to fill seasonal tourism jobs at resorts and seaside towns by bringing foreign students to the country to work for two months and helping them learn English. But Wednesday about 400 students employed at a Pennsylvania factory that makes Hershey’s candies decided they’d had enough. They said after their rent and program fees were deducted from their paychecks, they were left with less money than they’d spent to get visas and travel to the country in the first place. So they walked out. (Read more)
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