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10-year-old Rock and Roll Hall spreads the word

Posted on: Friday, 10 March 2006, 22:41 CST

By John Benson

CLEVELAND (Billboard) - When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum staged its 10th annual American Music Masters concert last November at Cleveland's State Theater as a tribute to Sam Cooke, even the performers were star-struck. Elvis Costello, for one, walked offstage in a haze, leaving behind Solomon Burke and Aretha Franklin to sing "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Costello admitted that he had to keep pinching himself, says Warren Zanes, VP of education at the museum, who was standing in the wings that evening. The singer -- a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 2003 -- could not believe he was performing with his heroes on such a once-in-a-lifetime bill.

These are the moments the museum's staff works toward.

"If you do it right," Zanes says, "you then have someone of Elvis Costello's stature, who is an ambassador, (who) goes and says (the Rock Hall is) about the music, about teaching the lessons that you can teach from the music."

On March 13, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction dinner in New York. Black Sabbath, Blondie, Miles Davis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Sex Pistols and the founders of A&M Records -- Herb Albert and Jerry Moss -- are this year's honorees.

Meanwhile, at some point this year, the hall's 6 millionth visitor will walk into the angular $84 million facility, which was designed by noted architect I.M. Pei and opened in September 1995.

That milestone will merit a brief celebration, perhaps a few balloons and local TV coverage. But otherwise it will be just another day for the museum, which is scenically perched on the shores of Lake Erie.

EDUCATIONAL EXPANSION

There is little time for reflection for the institution, which has been strengthening its programs, expanding its facilities and enhancing its image.

"I think one of our biggest challenges is to remind people that this is an art form that changed the world, one that continues to sort of be the platform for many idealists on how the world can be different," Rock Hall president/CEO Terry Stewart says.

Just as the hall has drawn tourists to northeast Ohio, it also has brought together a unique staff: unabashed rock 'n' roll believers, dedicated not only to promoting the institution but to spreading its gospel. They include Stewart, former president of Marvel Entertainment Group and extensive memorabilia collector; Zanes, former Del Fuegos band member-turned-academic; and VP of exhibitions and curatorial affairs Jim Henke, a former writer/editor for Rolling Stone.

The staff brings rock's past alive for, among others, the fans of tomorrow. In addition to reaching roughly 50,000 schoolchildren each year, from elementary to high school age, with various in-house programs, the hall offers a distance-learning program via video conferencing, as well as dozens of symposiums and concerts by music industry veterans.

The latest chapter in the hall's educational efforts is coming to fruition this year with the opening of a 20,000-square-foot archive and library, located on the Cuyahoga Community College downtown Cleveland campus.

"It's a library and archives (that are) unique in the world," Stewart says. It will offer the opportunity "to study original source material and other documents, trying to understand where this art form came from, how it rose to such prominence."

CULTURAL ARTIFACTS

The museum's vitality depends on its presentation of artifacts and an ever-changing list of notable exhibits, which are either loaned to or owned by the facility.

As for competition within the rock 'n' roll memorabilia market, which has proliferated exponentially during the last decade with eBay and other such entities as the Hard Rock chain, Stewart says there are plenty of items to go around and suggests that collectors likely view donations to the hall as a source of prestige.

The current featured exhibit is "Tommy: The Amazing Journey," and an extensive Bob Dylan collection is due later this year. Even though diehard fans may find interest in specialized displays, Stewart says focus groups reveal that the desire to pay homage to the art form rather than specific exhibits attracts first-time and repeat visits.

The hall has created another draw for visitors with the CMJ/Rock Hall Music Fest. Debuting late last spring, the multiple-day, multiple-venue festival attracted more than 18,000 music fans.

That is great news for the Greater Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau, which estimates the hall's annual 400,000-500,000 visitors generate more than $100 million in tourism for northeast Ohio. More important, 90 percent of the facility's visitors come from outside of the area, making the hall a first-day destination.

"From the city's point of view, that's why the Rock Hall was built: to attract people from literally around the world," says Dennis Roche, president of the bureau.

"We're talking about (telling) the whole world ... to come to Cleveland," Stewart says. "It's a very big deal."

Reuters/Billboard

Source: REUTERS

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