Struggling musicians' conference plays on

FOR THE LAST seven years, September's Cutting Edge Music Business Conference has attracted a small but faithful crowd of musicians, lawyers, educators and industry types to New Orleans for a weekend of panel discussions, live music and deal-making. That Cutting Edge has made it to year eight may come

The nonprofit Music Business Institute, which organizes the conference, has struggled to keep the event afloat, piecing together public and private donations. The institute has battled and won lawsuits over the conference's mailing list, endured criticism about the event's quality and seen attendance lag in recent years. It has also survived competition from the richly endowed, but now-defunct Louisiana Music, New Orleans Pride (LMNOP) music conference, which disbanded this year after three years in the city.

Now, Cutting Edge, from Sept. 20 to 24 this year, is the only event of its kind left in the city. "Either we're miracle workers or fools or some combination of both," says Eric Cager, executive director of the Music Business Institute.

Cager says that while the conference has changed in eight years, its original mission remains to bring musicians and business leaders together and remind them of New Orleans' potential to become a major music industry town.

This year, the conference will take a more focused approach, Cager says. It won't try to make the event into a mini-jazzfest, with 200 bands booked at clubs around town as in past years; the eighth Cutting Edge will concentrate more on education than entertainment, Cager says.

Some say the conference has been most successful when it sticks to

panel discussions on topics such as the challenges of booking and

touring or continuing legal education courses for attorneys. "It's the

best part of the conference, but it's gotten the least ink , " says Harris

Rea, president of Louisiana Red Hot Records and long-time

participant in Cutting Edge.

"Cutting Edge is primarily a how-to conference," agrees Cager.

A significant addition this year will be the combined meeting of the 45th Annual International Festival and Events Association conference with Cutting Edge. The association, with 2,700 members worldwide including organizers of the Newport Jazz Festival and Montreal Jazz Festival - is expected to bring 2,000 representatives. To attending local musicians, Cager says: "If you can't meet a festival producer and get in one of these events, then you ain't trying." On Wednesday through Friday, the event's business seminars will take place at the New Orleans Marriott. Beginning Friday at 5:30 p.m. and ending Sunday

morning, the second phase of Cutting Edge, the Roots Music Gathering, will kick off at the Praline Connection in the Warehouse District. Featured will be a video tribute to Louis Armstrong, oral histories from Bob French and Deacon John and live music performances.

Since 1997, Cutting Edge has received funds from the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism - as much as $30,000 in past years and $19,000 this year. For the last six years, the organization has also received Economic Development Fund grants from the city - $12,500 this year - and a $15,000 gift from the Louisiana Music Commission.

Cager says the most his organization has ever amassed for the event is $75,000, a far cry from the $200,000 LMNOP founder Louis Jay Meyers has said was mandatory to run a reputable conference. Meyers pulled out this year out of frustration with losing state funds for LMNOP and logistical problems of hosting a conference during the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Cager claims that Cutting Edge has had a total economic impact of

$12 million in the city, citing a study by Dillard University's Scott.

Ray, who also does impact reports for Jazzfest. "We've proven that

(economic development funding-) works," he says, defending the

grants his conference has received.

But some look at the conference's small attendance and loose organization as signs that the public is not getting bang for buck. Offbeat Magazine went so far as to call the conference "dismal" and chided the state and city music commissions for not stepping in to retain LMNOP, which the magazine maintains was a far superior conference. "(Cutting Edge) has never really gotten off the ground" Offbeat publisher Jan Ramsey says.

After eight years, the conference still doesn't know its purpose or audience, she says. And with a list of speakers comprised almost entirely of locals rather than out of town music industry players who could actually make record deals with New Orleans musicians, Ramsey says Cutting Edge does nothing to help local musicians. "We could play rah-rah for it, but if it doesn't accomplish anything, then what's the point?"

Ramsey also questions the validity of the conference's economic impact numbers and believes there should be greater accountability on the public funds Cutting Edge receives.

But Rea, who has participated in both LMNOP and Cutting Edge, says that since Cutting Edge is the only game left in town, the music community should cooperate to make it better. He believes much of the bad press was undeserved. "You can get out of (Cutting Edge) whatever you put into it," he says.

He maintains that the conference has brought some quality speakers and industry people. "You don't necessarily have to have the numbers to be successful."

Local musician Ricky Castrillo is one who will likely give Cutting Edge another chance this year; lie last visited two years ago. With LMNOP gone, he says he wants to support the work of groups like the Music Business Institute. "Anything to help the music industry grow here is a good thing," he says."