No Fuse-In 06?

What the f*ck, people?! Pardon my tone in this post, but as a native Detroiter who wants to help keep Detroit on the map, I say this to all of you: WE need to step our game up. I'll explain...

KEVIN SAUNDERSON did something that was next to impossible... He organized a successful festival in 9 days, people. 9 DAYS! He took on the debt of the past festivals, and basically lost a LOT of money trying to pull this thing off, but the point is, HE DID IT. Now, God bless him for his achievements, but again, the DETROIT in me is coming out... KEVIN SAUNDERSON does NOT a FESTIVAL MAKE... I repeat. KEVIN SAUNDERSON does NOT a festival make... And before I get blasted with pro-KS messages, I'll explain even further...

IN THIS CITY, there are so many people who wish to see this festival happen, but what are we doing? We're waiting on KEVIN... or we're waiting on "The City." We're waiting and waiting... WHY THE HELL ARE WE WAITING for ANYBODY? This is OUR city. This is OUR shit. And if WE wanna keep this thing going, WE need to step up and do something about it.

For starters, we all know this to be true: It takes MONEY. But truthfully, there's only about $250,000 worth of debt racked up. And yes, I say "ONLY" $250K. Imagine what could happen if every Detroit artist/producer/DJ/label owner/distributor/etc. stood TOGETHER and pooled their resources? What if we started a DEMF fund? It's really easy to do. Think about it. We throw parties all the time. Why not take a percentage of our money and put it towards the DEMF? I'm calling out ALL of these Detroit companies... For every dollar you make, why not take $25 cents of each dollar and donate it to the DEMF fund? Sounds crazy, eh? IT CAN BE DONE! If I can buy a 12-inch vinyl for $5, and not think twice about it... I can CERTAINLY pay $6.25 for that same piece of vinyl, KNOWING that $1.25 of that money is going towards the DEMF... If I can pay $5 to get into a club/party, I can CERTAINLY pay $7, knowing that $2.00 of my money was going towards the DEMF. Simple gestures, but they make a BIG difference. Multiply that amount with every party we attend, with every record we buy, etc... And WATCH HOW FAST we can make $250,000. And if we kept it going all year long, we'd ALWAYS have a festival, because it would ALWAYS be supported.

Other countries are LAUGHING at us right now... Do you know why it's no problem for EUROPEANS to pay $10 to enter a club? Because they pay nearly DOUBLE THAT amount all the time in their countries -- for LOCAL DJS! But what do WE do, as Detroiters? We bitch and moan. "That costs TOO MUCH..." "I ain't paying $X to see so-and-so..." Or even worse... Somebody's ALWAYS trying to get on "the list..." THINK ABOUT THAT the next time you go out, people... And for the promoters/club owners, I recommend you travel the world a bit, and see how it's done... Don't be afraid to set a new standard! Detroit is worth it! Don't you think so?

In closing, I'll say this: I WANT this festival, and I will gladly support any business/organization who is working to make this happen. We have plenty of time to make a difference. Let's all get together and make this HAPPEN! Long live the 313...

AC