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By Mitch
Clarvit
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When asked by
Metro Music Mayhem to contribute my insights into the South
Florida music scene, I questioned my qualifications. They
felt that I might have something to offer as I had been
in the unique position of being both the principal owner
of Pineapple Groove, a concert venue in Delray Beach, and
a singer/songwriter/musician. But the truth is, in
the 12 years I have been living down here, until the club
opened, I had not pursued a career as a performing artist.
I did, however, quickly discover many troubling truths
in the short 7 months I was involved with Pineapple Groove. For
the most part, South Florida’s music situation is
very angry, greedy, shady and unnecessarily competitive. This
could be a result of several contributing factors: a bad
economy, a diverse population of varying cultures made
up of uprooted residents and the large geographical area
that is Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Those who know me personally
soon realize that I try, by nature, not to be a “negative” person. I
am driven to invent solutions to problems which is my intention
of even tackling this assignment. But I soon realized
that the true culprit was the state of the music industry
as it exists today largely due to the advent of the Internet.
I am in no position to come up with the latest, greatest,
successful paradigm, so my thoughts drifted to how and
why I became a musician in the first place... |
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I am a “child of the 60’s”. I was 11
when the Beatles emerged and I got my first guitar, discovering
the wonders of teenage love. Within months, I began to
write songs as a means of venting my emotions. I grew
up in an era when all the rock legends, not much older than me,
were crafting their music for the sheer joy & love of sharing
their creativity, many with no thoughts of becoming “rich & famous”. There
was a comradery amongst musicians, many appearing on each others
albums, co-writing songs and performing together in multiple
festivals, most notably, Woodstock. Originality and sense
of style reigned and listeners responded. The record companies,
at that time, were not driven by “demographics” and
profit like today, where the rule of thumb is to regurgitate
some proven successful formula.
the ensuing
decades
Then came the
Oil Embargoes of the 70’s and vinyl records,
being a petrochemical by-product forced many of the record companies
to be bought out by the multi-national conglomerates with their
corporate ideologies. In the ensuing decades, artists became
responsible for their own creative development, building their
own fan base and creating a “buzz” before a label
would even consider listening to them. As these companies
became more and more powerful, they bought out the music venues
and even the merchandising manufacturing companies further cutting
off the artists’ streams of revenue. Although it’s
true that the Internet has leveled the playing field, the most
successful artists are those signed to some record company that
has the financial means to properly promote, distribute and obtain
radio and video airplay.
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The truth is, we musicians
have suffered the economic distresses that the rest of
the nation is now buckling under long before the collapse
of Wall Street. But as a true believer in the amazing
powers of the Universe, with the emergence of the “Occupy
Movement”, I see an analogy and possible solution
to our woes.
Throughout history, it
has been the troubadour that has comforted the masses and
helped to pave the way for social reform. It is time
to return to our roots and unite as a cohesive community.
It was always my vision
and passion for Pineapple Groove to become the legendary
legacy showcase venue that South Florida desperately needs,
a place that on any given night, music lovers could come
and hear the best talent available. I had hoped for
it to be a musicians’ haven and hangout where new
talent could be discovered and have the opportunity to
perform in a concert-like environment and where artists
would mingle and possibly collaborate without ego and competitiveness. I
wanted to involve other night club owners and create a
viable circuit that would provide a constant rotation for
bands to perform, each venue helping to promote the other
without the incredible expense of newspaper, radio and
fliers. |
I no longer own Pineapple Groove largely
due to the fact that while concentrating on trying to put in
motion those ideals, I trusted others to deal with the day-to-day
operations who turned out to be less than honorable. I must bear the blame for
making those decisions. But I still believe that South
Florida musicians need and can band together and collectively
promote a thriving financial community by helping each other,
much like this great country of ours will have to do.
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The views, opinions, positions or
strategies expressed by the authors and those providing
comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect
the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Metro
Music Mayhem. We make no representations as to accuracy,
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