IslandMix

Miami Hearld and all the NEws TV Station here in South Florida that have partnership with the Herald ran this story for today issue all night on both Television and radio Herald Affiliates


http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...l/15681263.htm


Miami Herald

Story

"Promoters battle over business at Miami Carnival
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

* Video | Footage from Carnival
* Inside Ah De Fete by Da Bhann feat. Giselle The Wassy One
* On the web | Jouvay.com
* On the web | Miami Caribbean Carnival
* On the web | Broward Caribbean Carnival

Miami Carnival, the glitzy celebration of Caribbean culture in which tens of thousands of revelers come to jump and wave their national colors from dusk until dawn each October, has always been synonymous with rhythm and revelry.

But as the event has grown in popularity over the past 22 years, it has also become a significant source of revenue. The battle for that coveted profit -- determined largely by the venue and acts -- has spawned a cutthroat fight among party promoters who point the finger at others, claiming they are engaging in sabotage, greed and name-calling.

At stake are hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in venue rentals, hotel rooms, airline tickets, disc jockeys and artists -- all in hopes of walking away this week with not only boasting rights, but the profits to prove it.

''It's creating a real disgusting atmosphere that will not benefit the culture at all,'' said Giselle ''D'Wassi One'' Blanche, a Miami entertainer who promotes Caribbean music and artists in South Florida. ``The party politics . . . is nasty.''

How nasty? Some promoters have organized competing events on the same night while spending thousands of dollars on dueling, colorful fliers and the exclusive rights to popular Caribbean performers. Others have been accused of ripping down fliers -- and at least one New York-based promoter spent $12,000 to secure a popular Miami venue to keep his competitors from cutting into his profit.

Meanwhile, carnival promoter circles and pirate Caribbean radio stations here and in New York are peppered with ''trash talk'' and rumors of promoters arming themselves with bodyguards.

''It's crazy,'' said Blanche, who became irate after hearing that a New York promoter was staging a breakfast party at the same time Friday as her ''Rise and Shine Breakfast'' at Haulover Beach. She specifically planned the party, she said, for a time when no other events were scheduled.

''Our music isn't about this,'' Blanche said, adding that as a precaution she has ``arranged for security. . . . It's that serious.''

All of the infighting, carnival fans say, is spoiling the spirit of the annual Columbus Day weekend gathering, and creating turmoil and confusion for performers and the estimated 100,000 revelers who are expected to blanket South Florida this week to showcase Caribbean culture and music.

''There is no cohesiveness. Hardly any of the individuals are working together,'' said Kevin Palmer, a local promoter who, like Blanche, had to fend off competition for his event from other promoters who scheduled a similarly themed, all-inclusive carnival kickoff event at the same time as his last weekend.

Rifts in South Florida's fast-growing Caribbean-American community are nothing new, and in recent years have led to everything from dueling independence balls, jerk festivals and carnivals. In fact, this Sunday -- as in previous years -- Miami will host its own carnival event along Northeast First Avenue between 12th and 17th streets, and Broward County will host its own at Markham Park, 16001 W. State Road 84, in Sunrise.

CHANGE OF VENUE

Equally common in Miami are rivalries among promoters who attempt to trump one another for artists, venues and time slots. But this year's competition, say promoters and others, is more vicious than usual, thanks to the closing of a popular party hot spot -- the Coconut Grove Convention Center.

For 12 years, the convention center hosted perhaps the most popular and biggest soca party outside of Trinidad -- holding up to 18,000 revelers within its 150,000-square-foot space.

Known as SocaFest, the event lured most of the top names on the carnival circuit, who performed nonstop from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. to the driving beat of soca -- the fast-paced, hypnotic offshoot of calypso, the Trinidadian folk music known for its social commentary.

''There was no competition,'' Miami promoter Delroy Escoffery said of the convention center party.

A MAD DASH

But when the city of Miami announced in July that it was closing the convention center, not only did organizers of SocaFest find themselves scrambling for the right venue, but the closure created a mad dash by others to fill the void and covet new fans.

Escoffery and his partners, for instance, moved their annual reggae-focused Caribbean Music Fest from November to this Saturday, stacked the lineup with popular soca artists, and renamed the event the International Caribbean Music Festival.

''It was the perfect weekend,'' said Escoffery, adding that he is trying to ignore the feud.

One feud that is hard to ignore, however, is the one crossing state lines between the Miami promoters of SocaFest and the New York promoter of SocaXplosion. The events, taking place at separate venues, are scheduled for the same time Saturday.

''[They are] at war with me,'' Michael Lee Pack said of local SocaFest promoters, who will now stage their annual soca party at the much smaller Metropolis nightclub, 950 NE Second Ave., in downtown Miami.

Pack said the war began when word leaked out that SocaFest promoters Francis Ragoo and Carl DeCruise had lost the convention center venue.

Immediately, Pack, who hadn't previously promoted parties on Saturday because of the convention center's draw, reserved the 8,000-capacity Sheraton Mart convention center at 711 NW 72nd Ave. Then he went on a spending spree, booking top-name soca acts and bands and printing thousands of SocaXplosion fliers promoting his ''Convention Center'' event.

The fliers have infuriated SocaFest promoters.

'The biggest thing on their flier is `convention center,' implying that the convention center party is now the party over at the Sheraton,'' Ragoo said.

Pack, who is promoting at least two other parties this week and hopes to walk away with at least $300,000, also shelled out $12,000 to reserve -- and shut down -- the Mahi Temple on Friday and Saturday nights to prevent competitors from affecting his bottom line.

''I used that as a marketing strategy,'' Pack said of Mahi. ``I am a promoter. Carnival is me. I do carnivals in Toronto, Boston, Montreal, Washington.''

But Mervin Harris, who for the past 12 years helped promote carnival parties at Mahi Temple, said he is outraged.

''It's a good venue we can use, and here come people from out of town doing some crooked stuff,'' said Harris, who said he has been forced to head to Davie's Galaxy Skateway this year. ``I am trying to get promoters together after carnival to prevent stuff like this from happening. It's not just Mahi, but there are other venues like hotels that have been locked down.''

Pack makes no apology for nabbing the prized venues or headlining acts from other promoters, saying, ``I really caught them napping.''

Pack's actions, Ragoo said, show ``a lack of integrity.''

While Metropolis -- which can accommodate 1,000 partygoers inside and 8,000 outside -- doesn't come close to holding the 11,000 to 13,000 the convention center has averaged in recent years, it still offers the liberal hours that have long made Miami a standout carnival party town.

As a result, Ragoo said he and his partners -- who are also promoting two other events, including tonight's Girl Power kickoff concert at AmericanAirlines Arena -- will remain focused on doing what they do best.

''We have a history to which the people have grown accustomed to,'' he said.
Miami Herald staff writer Edwin Martin contributed to this report."

It is such a sad time for South Florida Carnival.

What we need :
One Carnival and keep it a South Florida thing. Sorry New Yorkers etc. Keep out. There is enough money that cand be spread out.

And all of this problems and Barbados is not represented, Vincy artists missing, Grenada and on and on and on. There is so much artist in the Caribbean that we don't need this. There is enough money to spread around that we don't need this.

At this point I am really thinking about booking a plane to the island and boycotting Carnival this year.

I'm just learning of this, and have no particular dog in this fight...but what that Michael Lee Pack fella is doing is very unscrupulous. Using "Convention Center" in his advertising when he never held a party there, then locking down the other venues may be 'smart marketing' but he's not focused on pushing a better product than his competitors, he's more focused on stifling competition and limiting choices for fans.

Really ah shame what's going on down there. Honestly, I was wondering about all these different fetes on the same nights. It's bad enough that folks are confused about the 2 carnivals taking place on the same day, but now you have a million and one fetes! Miami used to be so simply when it came to deciding where you were going every night. Honestly, I think the NY promoters need to allow the Miami guys their time to make some money. They are up here promoting events almost year round and the Miami people only have the one time to really turn out profits. This whole thing is about greed and have nothing to do with culture.

As for Mr Lee Pack, from since my first time going to Miami in 1996, when we showed up at our hotel and some other folks was staying the the room we had booked with Lee Pak, I knew he was no good

I knew the news would soon get out

all I have to say is that with Gods help maybe we can have one carnival again and be "UNITED AS ONE"!!

__________________
*I have been Born Again*

I completely agree that the NY promoters need to stay out, however, if the Miami promoters would work together a united carnival with big venue fetes and ONE CARNIVAL... then there would be no market for the NY people.

Its such a shame, we have the perfect location and weather for this type of event but because we can't work together everyone loses.

To this whole thing I say STEUPSSSSSSSSS, sorry I don't see it as serious for promoters to be getting death threats and such...but hey when money is involved people make it as such.

So since everyone seem to have a problem with NY promoters having parties down there or co-sponsoring parties down there, the wouldn't mind if the NY masses don't come to their parties then. If NY is such a problem why spend money to promote on NY radio stations, ship tickets and flyers to NY outlets and depend so much on the NYers and other out of towners to come and spend their money.

Bottomline, this all promoter business is vicious and what some of the people are doing is cut throat and nasty...but don't make it into a NY vs. Miami promoter thing.

I understand everyone tryin n make a dollar...and if you have the means to put on a better show, then good luck. But like Bakes said, using the name of "conv ctr" on ya flyers to confuse people isn't right. I was well aware of there being 2 events, and last night as I gave out tix for socafest, I found myself getting confuse as to who is where. Booking Mahi Temple was a fack up move...especially considering his flyers ain exactly correct as to who's actually gonna perform.

Is it that serious??? my gorsh, there's enough money for everyone, why does it have go to such extreme???

People really don't realize the real seriousness of what is going on in Miami. It is a mess. I refused to play mas too. Too much politics involved. Something must be done.

doh worry, GUNSHOT soon start bus....especially when 1 man get rich and the next man dance flop due to sabotage. I think there should only be 1 fete per night....and i should be the one to keep it!

THis was my problem with Miami Carnival from the start! Too many parties going on each night!! They got like 15 damn parties and 13 a dem buss while the other 2 are jam packed. Miami has all the ingredients to be second only to Trinidad, but i have never been impressed with the execution. Greed sending that Carnival straight to hell..

So true, because every Tom,################,Harry and he brother is ah promoter these days. Half of those fetes going to buss. What they mentioned in that article is just a small sample of the cut throat business going on behind the scenes.