Jazz fest reaches online fans

2008-07-31 21:25

Providence, Rhode Island - Music fans unable to attend the Newport folk and jazz festivals will be able to listen to some concerts online.

NPR Music, part of National Public Radio, announced on Wednesday that it would stream select performances from both festivals online, as well as archive the free webcasts and make them available on-demand for future use.

NPR Music also will produce two-hour radio specials at the two festivals for member stations.

The folk festival - best know as the place where Bob Dylan went electric in 1965 - runs from Friday to Sunday. The jazz festival, headlined by Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins, is set for the following weekend.

Excitement surrounding the festival

Bob Boilen, host of the NPR Music programme All Songs Considered, said the initiative was a way to reach far more fans than can attend the concerts.

He also said it was a reflection of the excitement surrounding this year's folk festival, which boasts an eclectic line-up of artists that transcend the confines of traditional folk, such as Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Trey Anastasio, the Black Crowes, Jimmy Buffett and reggae performers Stephen and Damian Marley.

"Newport's trying something different this year," Boilen said. "It's a good start, and I think it's a good idea for us to be on the ground floor."

NPR and festival organisers said on Wednesday they were still working on enlisting the festival's biggest stars, such as Anastasio and the Marleys. Anya Grundmann, executive producer for NPR Music, said Buffett was the only one so far to decide not to participate in the webcasts.

- AP