The world is full of places that rock, and samba, and two-step, and the list goes on. We oughta know: Each summer, when Michael Paoletta of Billboard* and I sit down to review the stack of music CDs that Successful Meetings receives as a part of various destinations' promotional efforts, it's always amazing how, in these days of global communications, music can be so different from city to city, state to state, country to country.
Even the judging process—in which SM weighs how much a CD reflects its destination, and Billboard looks for musical excellence—usually yields a few surprises, and this third annual top destination CD review is no different.
Topping this year's chart, for example, is a demo from some young talent in Dallas, TX. The Latin Music Ensemble from the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The school's graduates include Grammy-winner Norah Jones, but the students in the ensemble are no less seasoned performers—and they can be hired for events, such as the recent launch of DFW International Airport's Terminal D. Says Otis Gray, the band's Latin Music director, "Their passion for music reaches out and brings live audiences to their feet." Which wins them high marks from SM.
Securing the second spot is the soundtrack of Ray, the film bio of Georgia's own Ray Charles. Reflecting the blues tradition of the South, the CD offers not one but two renditions of "Georgia on My Mind"—slam dunk for the Peach State!
In the third and fourth slots are those two hit machines, Philadelphia and Detroit, both destinations with well-deserved reputations for popular music. According to Tanya E. Hall, executive director of Philadelphia CVB's Multicultural Affairs Congress, "This world-renowned music, that people of all backgrounds can enjoy, is the foundation of branding Philadelphia as a musical destination."
It's only natural that Nashville, TN, which refers to itself as "Music City," would be on the list. This year, in addition to the country fare we've come to expect (and have listed at #5), Nashville also offered up Music City Hits, Volume II: Jazz and Blues, which was compiled by the Tennessee Jazz & Blues Society and came in at #9 (although, hopefully, the song "Rats in My Bedroom" isn't about a recent experience). According to Christopher "Butch" Spyridon, Nashville CVB president, "The CDs support our branding and showcase the diversity of music in our town. We use them as client gifts but make them available to groups to purchase." Another offering, Don't Mess with Texas, Vol. II, compiled by the Texas Music Project, came in at #8 for the Lone Star State, featuring Texans George Strait, Steve Earle, and Los Lonely Boys—as well as Texas-inspired artists like Eric Clapton.
A successful charting strategy is to be recorded at a live music venue, like Denver's Carved in Stone: Live at Red Rocks Vol. II, which came in at #6. Rich Grant, spokesperson for Denver Metro CVB, reports, "We use the CD to remind people that there are few better experiences than relaxing under the stars listening to a concert at Red Rocks. We give CDs to meeting planners and media; we've also given them out on sales missions and events."
One of the surprises we received was the entry from Berlin. Coming in at #7 is Palast Orchester's Ich Wollt' Ich War ein Huhn ("I wish I was a chicken"). According to Richard Rheindorf, spokesperson for the German CB, "We offer the CD as a give-away at trade shows." Rheindorf explains that the musical era of the '20s "made Berlin's cabaret world famous. Today, cabarets are becoming a major attraction again. The Palast Orchester bridges the old and the new."
Perhaps the biggest surprise was a CD from Pigeon Forge, TN. Coming in at #10, it actually beat out Georgia's second contender, Peachtree Road by Elton John. The reason? Unlike Sir Elton, who (despite being a frequent booster for Atlanta) really belongs to the world, Your All-American Getaway, with its patriotic anthems and original song, "Veteran Is a Special Word," copyrighted by and performed in the city of Pigeon Forge, is a faithful representation of the experience you'll have in that destination. On our chart, "what you hear is what you get" is what counts the most.