So after reading Bob Lefsetz and Jim Markunas today, it got me thinking. How can Latin Music be completely ignored by the music business?

I mean we have some amazing talent, especially in the arts and yet we don't get the respect to what we call the big boys? I mean we have bands like Spanish Harlem Orchestra, The Latin Giants of Jazz (Tito Puente's Band), Sonora Ponceña, El Gran Combo, and of course many more. However, you will rarely see these bands in a performing arts center, or a jazz festival. This year for example Playboy had Oscar Hernandez but with Los Angeles based musicians, you look at Monterey Jazz fest and they have Conrad Herwig with Joe Lovano and Randy Brecker? Playing the music of Wayne Shorter? Is that the best they can do under the Latin Jazz field? The only band that I can say plays Latin jazz is "Forro in the dark", which they don't even bother to put a link to their site to even try and help promote the band!

Oh wait! My mistake they're also having "Alfredo Rodriguez Trio", he was "discovered" by Quincy Jones. Again, does it take a noteworthy US American (yes I have a gripe with people in the US calling themselves Americans, if they haven't noticed America is an entire continent), to make it happen? Are we looking at Q's version of "Buena Vista Social Club" phenomenon?

Why can't talent buyers take their time and learn more? I mean we are in the 21st century and most jazz buyer feel they're the only ones that know and have an eye for talent. What will it take for them to realize that pretty soon their regulars will no longer sell? Do they really know the fans? How many of them actually attend?

Most Jazz clubs complain about attendance, but yet they fail to realize their food and drink prices. Then they forget about the people that come, they try and target the "high end" clientele, but reality is they don't really care about music. Then we get into the ticket pricing, yes I know that they have to price it according to artist price and what it would cost them to open the door. But what about when the artist takes the risk? We still have to share a percentage with the venue!

Some of the old timers ask for top pricing, but question remains can these guys deliver the audience? And we ask why is the business aspect of music doing so bad...