Tulsa's Dfest cancelled

[BG918]

I agree that the prediction's of Tulsa's imminent death are overblown, but the loss of all those jobs back in 2003 is starting to establish a disturbing pattern.

I actually have a copy of the Gazette and an old copy of Urban Tulsa Weekly I grabbed about a month ago when I was up there visiting friends. If you look at the ads for events in both newspapers the results are quite telling. In the Gazette, for instance, a martini tasting festival shows sponors OGE, Devon, Midfirst, Chesapeake, Devon, the usual suspects. UTW, on the other hand, shows an event with sponsors like a Casino, car dealership, a local restaraunt, and that's it. Sure there's some deep pockets induvidually in Tulsa, even moreso than OKC, but events are expensive and they need the backing of a lot of money, usually corporate money. Its obvious the Greens were way over their head, but the sad thing is that there's few entities left in that community that could have helped out. It should really be a cautionary tale to OKC to keep our corporate base strong.

Make no mistake that if Dfest is done for good its bad for everyone in this state. It was one of an increasing amount of events that was chipping away at the image of Oklahoma as a vapid, redneck filled wasteland. Will other music festivals like NMF fill the void? Eh, only time will tell.

Other than Citgo, and now probably Dollar Thrifty once their merger with Hertz/Avis is complete, all of the same corporations are still in Tulsa. ONEOK is the largest company in the state, larger than Devon, and has its corporate offices downtown along with Williams, another Fortune 500 company that is larger than Chesapeake. Large companies like BOK, QuikTrip, Helmerich & Payne, Samson, Syntroleum, Magellan Midstream, SemGroup, Alliance Resources, etc. have their corporate offices in Tulsa. That is why I'm surprised the sponsorship wasn't there, and suspect it has more to do with the organizers being too busy with their downtown businesses. I'm glad to see Norman Music Fest has more support from the city instead of just a few organizers.

[soonerguru]

The Norman Music Festival and Dfest are like apples and oranges. NMF is truly just a day and a half concert event.

Dfest, on the other hand, was an industry event with a music industry conference, industry A&R and marketing people attending, etc.

Make no mistake. The loss of Dfest is profound, and NMF is not trying to do the same thing.

[soonerguru]

Other than Citgo, and now probably Dollar Thrifty once their merger with Hertz/Avis is complete, all of the same corporations are still in Tulsa. ONEOK is the largest company in the state, larger than Devon, and has its corporate offices downtown along with Williams, another Fortune 500 company that is larger than Chesapeake. Large companies like BOK, QuikTrip, Helmerich & Payne, Samson, Syntroleum, Magellan Midstream, SemGroup, Alliance Resources, etc. have their corporate offices in Tulsa. That is why I'm surprised the sponsorship wasn't there, and suspect it has more to do with the organizers being too busy with their downtown businesses. I'm glad to see Norman Music Fest has more support from the city instead of just a few organizers.

You're right about the above, but the trend is not good for Tulsa, and there have been many layoffs across the city. Didn't American recently move a lot of jobs to Fort Worth? Wasn't there an oil company that's been bought out by an OKC company? The optics aren't good for Tulsa right now.

[BG918]

You're right about the above, but the trend is not good for Tulsa, and there have been many layoffs across the city. Didn't American recently move a lot of jobs to Fort Worth? Wasn't there an oil company that's been bought out by an OKC company? The optics aren't good for Tulsa right now.

AA transferred some of its maintenance jobs to FW and Arena Resources was bought by Sandridge last month moving 30 positions to OKC. Really Tulsa is just now experiencing what most of the country went through in 2008 and 2009. Tulsa, and especially OKC, have fared pretty well through the recession. Obviously higher energy prices would be good for both cities.

And I realize NMF is different than Dfest but appears to have more community-based support and not just by sponsors. I can see where they would want to protect the integrity of the festival by not 'watering it down' but I still think you do something or at least keep the music conference. I would really like to see NMF become one of the premier spring indie festivals. It would be awesome for Oklahoma to one day have two premier festivals if Dfest returns.

[blangtang]

Here's my list of 5 recent positives for Tulsa: 1) BOK center recently opened 2) new ballpark downtown 3) recently renovated and reopened Mayo 4) They currently have a Hole foods 5) Blue Dome district still thriving

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but downtown Tulsa is in better shape today than it was 10 years ago when I lived in the area. And yes, Hole foods is over near Brookside, which is still thriving. Get a grip people!

[Spartan]

Tulsa, and especially OKC, have fared pretty well through the recession. Obviously higher energy prices would be good for both cities.

And energy prices continue to drop...

[warreng88]

Here's my list of 5 recent positives for Tulsa: 1) BOK center recently opened 2) new ballpark downtown 3) recently renovated and reopened Mayo 4) They currently have a Hole foods 5) Blue Dome district still thriving

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but downtown Tulsa is in better shape today than it was 10 years ago when I lived in the area. And yes, Hole foods is over near Brookside, which is still thriving. Get a grip people!

Before you get ripped by everyone else, it's Whole Foods. Just a heads up.

[BG918]

And energy prices continue to drop...

If that trend continues both Tulsa and OKC will be hurting. The last few recessions have lagged in Oklahoma for this reason. If the government ever gets behind natural gas it could be a huge engine for the state but that has yet to happen..

[Yahola]

Aww shucks, I guess its all over for us in little old Ttown, might as well get in our Model T's with the mattress strapped to the top and putt on down to the shining golden city of OKC where everything is paved in gold. pfft.

[NewPlains]

It really is too bad that Dfest has been canceled this year, but I have to wonder if a music industry conference is really that good of an idea given the way that music is changing. The label system as it existed in the 1990s is gone and probably gone forever, and I wonder if the world really needs or can support SXSW Junior. I would suggest that Tulsa focus more on a concert festival type event aimed at the general public. Street Scene in San Diego is a good model. I also wonder if having a regional event in a city with no non toll interstate links to the broader world is a good idea. From a purely logistical standpoint, I think OKC/Norman is a better location. Tulsa has a lot going for it, and it needs to play to it's strengths. I don't see it as the next Austin as some Tulsans do; I think it's more like a Providence or Hartford or Savannah or Charleston; smaller cities that are regional "high culture" destinations. Downtown Tulsa was in many ways built for that specific purpose, so they wouldn't exactly be starting from scratch...incidentally, I think some of the Tulsa/OKC animosity is really about class divisions circa 1925, which just makes them even sillier today.

I think Tulsans should be watching what's happening in Dubai; it might ring a bell.

[Steve]

Here's my list of 5 recent positives for Tulsa: 1) BOK center recently opened 2) new ballpark downtown 3) recently renovated and reopened Mayo 4) They currently have a Hole foods 5) Blue Dome district still thriving

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but downtown Tulsa is in better shape today than it was 10 years ago when I lived in the area. And yes, Hole foods is over near Brookside, which is still thriving. Get a grip people!

OK, let's correct the spelling for Hole Foods and go beyond what you said...
The Blue Dome, it seems to me, is doing better than ever. And the Mayo and Atlas building projects are very, very cool.

[NewPlains]

Aww shucks, I guess its all over for us in little old Ttown, might as well get in our Model T's with the mattress strapped to the top and putt on down to the shining golden city of OKC where everything is paved in gold. pfft.

It's a good point. The reports of Tulsa's demise are wildly exaggerated. OKC and Tulsa are apples and oranges. We're different cities, and it's time to embrace that instead of all of this petty back and forth. We like McNellies, we like your downtown, we like your river so much we built our own. Everyone is hurting in this economy, and civic schadenfreude is bad karma in this environment. So I propose a truce: We in Oklahoma City will stop suggesting that Tulsa is little more than the ghost of Houston past if Tulsans will stop talking about how Oklahoma City is super dirty, unsophisticated, and doesn't have enough mansions. Deal?

[Matt]

OK, let's correct the spelling for Hole Foods and go beyond what you said...

Hole Foods is correct. It's a new chain of grocery stores owned and operated by Courtney Love. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it yet.

[sgt. pepper]

Aww shucks, I guess its all over for us in little old Ttown, might as well get in our Model T's with the mattress strapped to the top and putt on down to the shining golden city of OKC where everything is paved in gold.

LOL...yes, Tulsa is sooooo far from being in ruins. We all win some and lose some. Tulsa is on the rise!

[kevinpate]

Hole Foods is correct. It's a new chain of grocery stores owned and operated by Courtney Love. I'm surprised you haven't heard of it yet.

<snort>

[Spartan]

Saying Tulsa is near rock bottom because Dfest was canceled, in the current boom that
Tulsa is seeing, is kind of like saying OKC may finally hit rock bottom if deadCENTER was canceled this year, given the boom that we're in.

[metro]

Spartan, I think you're missing the point. As some stated or added onto my original point, it's not Dfest is so powerful, it's the decline that started back in about 2003 or so, Dfest just adds insult to injury.

[okclee]

Yes, but Tulsa just landed the WNBA! That has to count for something.

[soonerguru]

Saying Tulsa is near rock bottom because Dfest was canceled, in the current boom that
Tulsa is seeing, is kind of like saying OKC may finally hit rock bottom if deadCENTER was canceled this year, given the boom that we're in.

Tulsa is not booming right now. It has some great things going for it, but there is no boom.

[Spartan]

Spartan, I think you're missing the point. As some stated or added onto my original point, it's not Dfest is so powerful, it's the decline that started back in about 2003 or so, Dfest just adds insult to injury.

You'll have to remind me what started in 2003, I guess two or three companies moved to Houston? Something like that, right?

Which by the way, I should mention has nothing to do with Dfest.

Tulsa is not booming right now. It has some great things going for it, but there is no boom.

By the standard that OKC is booming, yes, Tulsa is booming--by the standard that OKC is NOT booming, no, there is no boom in Tulsa. I mean, we lost Kerr McGee, as well. Oh, but it's all good, we've got SandRidge..phwew!

[Yahola]

True there is not a boom per se, however to say T town is drying up like a Western Oklahoma farm town is facetious to say the least. The collective group talks about people from Ttown looking down their noses at OKC. To me it seems its the other way around. But please don't pity the unwashed masses of Ttown, Im sure we will survive someway..somehow.

[kevinpate]

Yes, but Tulsa just landed the WNBA! That has to count for something.

Gave certain sports fans a Shock if nothing else