The International Bluegrass Music Association has released the final attendance figures for last month’s week long convention, the IBMA’s first to be held in Nashville, TN.

Dan Hays, IBMA Executive Director, reports that the cumulative attendance over the course of the week was 22,790 – up 21.2% from the previous year. This figure includes each actual entry to the various events, and week long attendees will have been counted repeatedly in this figure. The stat is still a useful one in helping the IBMA track the actual traffic on site during the week.

During the Monday-Thursday Business Conference (10/24-27), 1918 unique attendees were registered, with 6591 cumulative visits over that time – an increase of 10.4%. Some other interesting numbers from the Business Conference:

• 91 Exhibitors
• 19 Showcasing Artists (Avg. Attendance – 700/Show)
• 306 “After Hours” Artist Showcases
• 21 Professional Development Seminars (Attendance up 38%)
• 148 Mentor Sessions on 30 topics
• 510 “Gig Fair” Appointments (Event producers and Artists/Agents)

The Awards Show at The Ryman Auditorium on 10/27 had a sold out attendance of 2,189 and has subsequently been broadcast on more than 390 IBMA Radio Network affiliates, up 18% from last year. They estimate the total audience for these broadcasts at greater than 25 million worldwide.

The weekend Fan Fest (10/28-30) reports 5630 unique attendees, with 14,010 cumulative over the three days – up 33.2%. More than 40 acts performed on four stages and 89 exhibitors were set up in the exhibit hall.

All in all, the numbers seem to be representative of positive trends for the association and their efforts to promote both bluegrass music and the artists, businesses and instrument manufacturers that support it.

IBMA has also announced the confirmed dates for the next two years’ conventions in Nashville:

• 2006: September 25-October 1
• 2007: October 1-7

We just heard from Mike Lawing with the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY. Mike was passing along some details about the reprise of the IBMM Fan Feast during IBMA week in Nashville. This event was a fundraiser to benefit the Museum’s Video Oral History Project (VOHP).

Mike reports that they raised over $12,000 during the Fan Feast and Auction, held on October 29 in Nashville, but some of that will be absorbed by hotel costs. This event, where bluegrass luminaries serve breakfast to those who attend the event, was a staple of the early days of the IBMA convention in Owensboro, and it was brought back this past week for IBMA’s debut event in Nashville.

The funds generated by ticket sales went mostly to the costs associated with hosting the event (food, room rental, etc) with only about $2 from each $30 ticket making its way into the museum’s coffers. The bulk of the monies raised at the Fan Feast came from the auction proceeds.

The Museum’s VOHP is crucial work, dedicated to chronicling the lives of 223 performers which they have designated as being a part of the First Generation of bluegrass artists. As we prepare to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the birth of bluegrass music in 2006, we realize the importance of reaching the remaining pioneers of our music whose contributions have not been amply recorded and preserved in a timely manner.

Mike especially asked that we make an appeal on behalf of the Museum that anyone with a bluegrass or bluegrass music-related web site consider placing a copy of the Museum logo on their site, along with a link to the IBMM site to help spread the word about the VOHP, and their need to raise the requisite funds as quickly as possible.

Most of you who are IBMA members probably received this via email a day or two ago, but we felt it was worth publishing here.

To the IBMA,

I would like to thank you for the two awards that I received this past Thursday, October 27th at The Ryman Auditorium. It was a dream come true for me to have the honor of being named “Dobro Player Of The Year,” and also have my CD Slide Effects named “Instrumental Album of the Year.” I can’t even begin to tell you all the emotions that one feels when you hear your name called. I always dreamed of one day getting an IBMA award, but like I said, I only dreamed. I never thought in a million years this could happen to me! I am also very proud knowing that I am only the third recipient of the IBMA’s Dobro Player Of The Year Award. I feel so lucky to be in the presence of both Jerry Douglas and Rob Ickes who were the only players to ever win this award. I hope that I can carry it with the same dignity, class, and respect that they both have. I was also very honored to share the ballot with Mike Auldridge and Randy Kohrs, two players that I admire very much, and deserve this just as much as I do.

I also want to personally thank all the members of the IBMA, who voted for me this year on such a tough ballot. I want to thank all the radio personalities and stations, who added me to their play lists. Thanks also to the fans and friends who have supported me during the 32 years I have spend in this business.

Not only winning these two awards, but also getting to accept them on the stage of the world famous Ryman Auditorium made the event even more awesome!

I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Phil Leadbetter
2005 IBMA “Dobro Player of the Year”
2005 IBMA “Instrumental Recording of the Year”

Visit Phil online: www.unclephilonline.com www.wildfireband.com

We just received this note from Casey Henry:

The Nashville Metro Police department has recovered two stolen instruments. A banjo and a mandolin. If anyone wants to claim them they should contact Detective Mavity at 615-862-7611.

The Nashville police must be somewhat hip to bluegrass, since they contacted The Station Inn with the news. It isn’t clear whether these recovered instruments may have been stolen from or at the IBMA convention, but if anyone did suffer such a loss while attending the event, hopefully this will lead them back home.