‘SUNDAY t ° | Railroaded into a problem Lifestyles: 41 capa BS wed i Pos December 2, 1990 Classifieds 986-6222 Office, Editorial 985-2131 OI Social Credit tourism initiative hits sour note with entertainment free-enterprisers ENTERTAINMENT _IN- DUSTRY players on the North Shore and elsewhere are hearing sour notes from Music °91, claiming they face a loss of business to a provincially-funded society in a year when economic slowdown and the GST are expected to put the bite on fun. By Michael Becker News Reporter The B.C. Year of Music Society (BCYMS) was incorporated under the Society Act in March of 1989. The society was formed to pro- mote tourism in B.C. ‘‘by devel- oping, managing, operating and promoting a musical extravaganza for 1991 (Music '91).’”’ Tourism Minister Cliff Michael is the minister responsible for BCYMS. Through the B.C. Lot- tery Fund, the provincial govern- ment has committed $12 million to the society. Music ’91 has also secured corporate funding from Labatt Breweries, Pepsi, AirBC, Air Canada, Coast Hotels and Yamaha Canada Music Lid. Earlier this year the Music '91 program held a mall tour to pro- mote its program, and recently Premier Bill Vander Zalm_ an- nounced that the program will include more than 110 ‘*Road- Show” events in about 70 com- munities, including the North Shore, between May and October. But a group of local entertain- ment companies, among them companies that traditionally pro- vide entertainment for conven- tions, community festivals, hotel bars and big-ticket concerts, charge that they are being shut out of the Music '91 action. Said Doug Matthews, managing director of Pacific Show Produc- tions (PSP), ‘‘I feel that Music '91 and some of the other non-profit groups in town are cutting into legitimate profit enterprises.”’ PSP provides special-event entertainment. The booking agents represent more than 500 perfor- mers. Added Matthews, ‘‘There are a lot of major functions that have been going on in preparation te 1991 that they (Music °91) have been providing entertainment for. There was no open bidding. And we feel that any of us could han- die the work that Music °9} claims to be doing in B.C.” North Vancouver resident Sue Cook works with Siegel Enter- A SS PSE EEE SEE Ae aE FF SIEGEL Entertainment Ltd. spokesman Sue Cook ... can’t compete with B.C. Year cf Music Society. tainment Ltd. and, along with Brenda Volkart of Noteable Entertainment Ltd., has been connecting with other entertain- ment industry businesses to lay the groundwork for a new ‘“‘free enterprise’ entertainment associa- tion in response to Music 9]. Said Cook, ‘‘It’s like us going into the ring with Mike Tyson without gloves on. We literally cannot compete and we are free enterprise.’ Cook and Volkart met with Cliff Michael in October to pres- ent their case. Meanwhile Perryscope’s Mark Norman claims he has already lost contracts to Music 91. “The thing that I really hate is that I'm a businessman who has been in business for 15 years in this province and I’m now forced to compete in my own business against tax dollars which J have paid into.” But Ray McAllister, Music ’91 director of communications, says he has heard few complaints from the entertainment industry. “We've heard from a very select number, Sue Cook at Siegel Entertainment and maybe one other but that’s all. We've ex- plained over and over and over our position to her but she just doesn't want to hear what we're saying. “‘We have never closed anybody out, but sometimes people don’t have the type of people we want,” he added. McAllister said the society has yet to book entertainment for che RoadShows. “We're compiling a list and nobody is going to be excluded. We'll use private agencies where applicable." ax ENC Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 Lucky break A BAD break turned into a lucky break for a fan of Canucks forward Trevor Linden last week. Ten-year-old Richard Barton was struck by a car on Nov. 24 and suffered a broken leg. The Vanconver Canucks jersey he was wearing at the time of the accident had to be cut open by dociors. Linden heard about the incident and subsequently visited Richard at Lions Gate Hospital to give him a new jersey and a hockey stick that was Linden's own. GREER Te DE Ee REE NF 60 pages 25¢ NEWS photo Neil Luconte waxy