IF YOU ARE A JAZZ MEDIA-MAKER — blogger or online journalist, videographer, photographer, broadcaster or podcaster — YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE JAZZ DAY/JAZZ MEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA sponsored by the Jazz Journalists Association. This will include the JJA’s first ever JAZZ BLOGATHON.
APRIL IS JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH and in 2009 the U.S. Council of Mayors designated April 13 as Jazz Day in the United States. This year, the Jazz Forward Coalition is encouraging local outreach to mark the day and show the cultural and economic impact of jazz in local communities. The JJA is contributing by calling on its members and others to produce media that demonstrates the wide variety of jazz performance and education that occurs within our communities.
To answer a couple of frequent questions about the Blogathon (and etc.): You only need to make ONE blog post for the Blogathon (it’s not a marathon.)
WHEN: NO you don’t need to make your blog post (or have your program) on Jazz Day, April 13 (designated by the U.S. Council of Mayors). You can do it anytime between April 11 and April 30 (which is an alternate Jazz Day designated by UNESCO). The closer you can get to April 13 the better, because we will make our Blogathon page public on that day. If you want to submit a photo or video, it can be one that is already posted as long as it was shot within the last two years and meets the other criteria listed below.
SUBJECT MATTER: Your Blogathon submission –in any medium– must focus on some aspect of jazz in your local community: it can be a profile of a local performer, venue or institution where jazz is performed, a profile of a school or teacher, an overview of the local scene, a report on the economic or cultural significance of jazz in your community, a look back at the local history of jazz or — in communities which will honor a Jazz Hero as part of their local celebration of the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards — a profile of the Jazz Hero. (For more information about the Jazz Heroes program and Awards satellite parties, email susan@jazzjournalists.org).
HOW: You must do the following to be included in the Blogathon
- On your blog or article page, link back to the Blogathon Page http://news.jazzjournalists.org/jazz_day_2012/jja-blogathon-jazz-in-your-community/ and mention that your post is part of the JJA 2012 Jazz Day Blogathon.
- After your post, article, video or photo is finished and has been posted online, let us know about it and where to find it by submitting this form. This is essential. If you don’t do this we won’t be able to link back to your post or include it on our Blogathon page.
- You may also wish to display a Blogathon Badge on your blog or website, though this is optional. You can get the code for the badges here.
We’ll collect links to all of the blog and website posts, photos, videos, broadcasts and podcasts that are produced in response to this call and post them on our Blogathon page here on JJA News, starting on April 13. The result, we think, will be excellent evidence that “jazz lives” everywhere and, indeed, is throwing down new shoots in some unexpected places.
HERE ARE MORE DETAILS ABOUT HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN DIFFERENT MEDIA (scroll down to find info about your particular medium ):
BLOGGERS/ONLINE JOURNALISTS
If you blog about jazz or contribute articles about jazz to an online publication anywhere, you can take part in the JJA’s first Jazz Blogathon. Your post or article must meet the following criteria.
- Must be first posted or published online between April 11 and April 30 (which has been designated as International Jazz Day by UNESCO). Exceptions will be made for online publications on a monthly or less frequent schedule.
- Must focus on your local jazz community as described above.
- You must also link back to the Blogathon page and submit the URL of your article or post as described above.
VIDEOGRAPHERS
We welcome submissions of short online videos about local jazz communities and scenes. Videos can have been produced anytime in the last two years, but must be less than ten minutes in length, viewable by the public online and must meet the criteria for local community focus described above. They should NOT be purely performance videos. To submit a video for consideration please complete this simple form. Videos made as part of the JJA’s eyeJAZZ program are good examples of the kind of community-focused subjects we’re looking for.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
If you are a photographer, please submit photos you’ve taken within the last two years that portray some aspect of a local jazz community or scene. We’re especially interested in shots that show local audiences and young local performers. We will NOT include photos of nationally or internationally known artists unless the photos depict them significantly within a local context. We’ll publish a roundup of where these images can be viewed as part of our Jazz Day celebration. All photos submitted should meet the local criteria under “Blogathon.” If your photo is not already viewable online (on a website or via your own Flickr, Picasa or similar site) we will ask you to send us a jpg copy and give us permission to upload it to our own site. To submit a photo or photos (maximum three) for consideration please complete this simple form.
RADIO/TV PRODUCERS & PODCASTERS
If you will be broadcasting or uploading an audio or tv program between April 11 and April 30 that focuses on a LOCAL jazz performer or a subject related to the LOCAL jazz community (see the Blogathon section for details) we will mention your program, including a link if it is available for online viewing or listening, in our Jazz Day roundup. Radio programs should include an interview or field-produced segment; music-only programs, even if themed for Jazz Day, don’t qualify. Let us know about your program by writing admin@jazzjournalists.org.
You don’t need to be a JJA Member to contribute, but if you aren’t of course we encourage you to join so that you can take advantage of the many membership benefits, including voting for the winners of the 2012 JJA Jazz Awards.
If you would like to contribute via a medium not listed above, or you have questions about the JJA Jazz Day Media Roundup, please write admin@jazzjournalists.org
THANKS!