CONTENTS
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There's a little somethin' for everyone who is passionate about reggae in the E-Guide!

Sunday-Saturday, July 17-23, 2005
Red Stripe Reggae SumFest
Montego Bay, Jamaica
www.reggaesumfest.com
Hotline: 876-953-2933

Friday-Saturday, July 22-23, 2005
Irie Vibes Roots Festival
Kronevoordestraat
Handzame, Belgium
www.greenforward.be
Hotline: 0032498543582

Friday-Saturday, July 22-23, 2005
Reeds Reggae Openair
Zurich - Pfaffikon ZH, Switzerland
www.reeds-openair.ch
Hotline: 0032498543582

Friday-Saturday, July 22-23, 2005
Irie Vibes Roots Festival
Open Air
Handzame/Kortmark, Belgium
www.greenforward.be
Hotline: 0032475658097

NORTHWEST WORLD REGGAE FESTIVAL
HAS A NEW HOME!
Friday-Sunday, July 22-24, 2005
Northwest World Reggae Festival
PUDDING RIVER, WOODBURN, OREGON, U.S.
www.nwworldreggae.com
Hotline: 503-203-5505 or 503-288-1310

Friday-Sunday, July 22-24, 2005
Festi Val de Roots
2063 Engollon
Neuchâtel, Switzerland
www.festivalderoots.ch
Hotline: 0041 32 853 77 05

Saturday-Sunday, July 23-24, 2005
Ocean State Reggae Festival
Ninigret Park
Charlestown, Rhode Island, U.S.
www.oceanstatereggae.com
Hotline: 860-536-9832

Saturday-Sunday, July 23-24, 2005
Jamaicaday Celebration
2801 Eglinton Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
www.jamaicaday.com
Hotline: 647-889-6424

Sunday, July 24, 2005
Caribbean Seabreeze Festival
Queen Mary Park
Long Beach, California, U.S.
www.seabreezefest.com
Hotline: 323-731-2927

Wednesday-Saturday, July 27-30, 2005
LB27 Reggae Camp 2005
Sport Beach
Gardony, Hungary
www.lb27.hu
Hotline: +36702356569

Thursday-Sunday, July 28-31, 2005
Positive Vibration
Colfelice
Frosinone, Italy
www.positivevibration.it
Hotline: +393396101793

Friday-Sunday, July 29-31, 2005
Rastajam
Nyksund, Norway
www.arcticaction.com
Hotline: +47 90 80 83 38

Friday-Sunday, July 29-31, 2005
Jacob Miller Memorial Afro-Reggae Festival
Wald-Sportplatz
Höchstenbach, Westerwald(B-413), Germany
www.kingsfield-production.com
Hotline: 0049-2634-923780

Friday-Sunday, July 29-31, 2005
SUN and SOUNDS
Royére de Vassiviére (23), France
www.sunandsounds.com
Hotline: 0820 882 990

Friday-Sunday, July 29-31, 2005
African Summer Festival
NCO-Gelände Erzberger Str, Delawarestrasse
Karlsruhe, Germany
www.africansummerfestival.de
Hotline: 01705259717

Friday-Sunday, July 29-7 (10 days), 2005
Afrika Festival Wien 2005
Vienna, Austria
www.afrika-festival.at
Hotline: 0049-89-74117155

Saturday, July 30, 2005
Rocker T Performance
358 Culture Lounge
San Jose, California, U.S.
www.reggaedj.com
Hotline: 408-254-2881

Sunday, July 31, 2005
Sunxplosion
Open Air
Stuttgart, Germany
www.rockxplosion.de
Hotline: none

Wednesday-Sunday, August 3-6, 2005
Ja'sound
Bagnols sur Cèze (30), France
www.jasoundfestival.com
Festival Hotline: 04 66 89 54 61

Thursday-Sunday, August 4-7, 2005
Istria In Reggae
Sherwood
Bale Valle, Croatia
www.istriainreggae.net
Festival Hotline: +393479187794

Friday-Saturday, August 5-6, 2005
Reggae Geel
Belse Bossen in Geel, Belgium
www.reggaegeel.com
Festival Hotline: 32 14 853703

Friday-Sunday, August 5-7, 2005
Reggae on the River
Frenchs Camp, Humboldt County
Piercy, California, U.S.
www.reggaeontheriver.com
Festival Hotline: 707-923-4583

Friday-Sunday, August 5-7, 2005
Reggae Jam Festival
Klosterpark
Bersenbrck bei Osnabrck, Germany
www.reggaejam.de
Festival Hotline: +49 177-2458888

Friday-Sunday, August 5-7, 2005
The Northeast Kingdom Music Festival
The Chilly Ranch
East Albany, Vermont, U.S.
www.NEKMF.com
Festival Hotline: 802-229-9942

Saturday, August 6, 2005
The Peoples Festival
Tubman Garrett Riverfront Park
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
www.peoplefestival.com
Festival Hotline: 856-451-8663

Saturday-Sunday, August 6-7, 2005
Ammersee Roots Festival
Eisplatz MTV
Diessen, Germany,U.S.
www.reggae-festival.de
Festival Hotline: 00491719362152

Monday-Wednesday, August 8-10, 2005
Babylon by Bus
Villapiana (CS), Italy
www.maroons.it
Festival Hotline: 3470631741

Friday, August 11, 2005
BAR-Fuuhs OpenAir
Rügland
Near Ansbach, Germany
www.bar-fuuhs.de.ms
Festival Hotline: 09828/1285

Friday, August 11, 2005
Roots From ST.Croix V.I
Vets Hall 846 Front St.
Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.
www.soundvizionrecords.com
Festival Hotline: 831-794-2481

Friday-Saturday, August 12-13, 2005
Uppsala Reggae Festival
Uppsala, Sweden
www.uppsalareggaefestival.se
Festival Hotline: +46(0)70 7893408

Friday-Saturday, August 12-13, 2005
Westival
Westihall
Watou/West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
www.westival
Festival Hotline: 0485 429870

Friday-Saturday, August 12-13, 2005
Vermont Roots Reggae Festival
Auger Heights Farm
Barton West Glover, Vermont
www.vermontreggae.org
Festival Hotline: 802-487-3036 or 802-355-4879

Friday-Sunday, August 12-14, 2005
11th Reggae Afro Festival of Aiseau
Aiseau-Presles
Belgium
www.reggaeafrofestival.org
Festival Hotline: 0032494 334 721

Friday-Sunday, August 12-14, 2005
Ostróda Reggae Festiwal
Ostróda, Poland
www.reggae.ostroda.pl
Festival Hotline: 896460955

Saturday, August 13, 2005
14th Annual Mid West Reggae Fest
Meadowridge Farm
Huntsburg, Ohio, U.S.
www.clevelandreggae.com
Festival Hotline: 216-241-3460

Saturday, August 13, 2005
The SEEN Festival 2005
People's Park
Berkeley, California, U.S.
http://maxpages.com/seen2000
Festival Hotline: 1 (510) 938-2463

Saturday-Sunday, August 13-14, 2005
Reggae Sundance
Genneperparken
Eindhoven, Netherlands
http://www.reggaesundance.nl
Festival Hotline: 0031-(0)40-2908564

Saturday-Sunday, August 13-14, 2005
Reggae Sundance
Open Air
Eindhoven, Netherlands
ww.panic.nl/eng-index.htm
Festival Hotline: none

Festival listings are believed to be correct.
Please contact the promoter directly for more information.

Are you a reggae festival promoter? Post your festival at
www.ReggaeFestivalGuide.com/post_festival.html

Presenting part two of Professor Skank's dissertation on his thesis that some of the most powerful reggae these days is arising not from the island of its ultimate origin but from other parts of the world. Like number one in the series, this disc presents a convincing argument, and I suspect that further volumes of evidence could easily be assembled, at least theoretically. This one has a wider scope than the first, in that it depends slightly less on contributions from the Virgin Islands and includes two from Africa. On the other hand, several artists from the first show up again here.

The temptation for a reviewer is to second-guess some of Skank's choices. That might be fun, but not too meaningful. After all, he doesn't claim that these are "the best" of the crucial, merely that they are among the crucial. I wouldn't attempt to disprove that. So let's consider what is here.

The USA band Groundation leads off with their usual expert musicianship and thoroughly satisfying sound; it's too bad their lyrics are such head-scratchers.

Rocky Dawuni from Ghana delivers a good love song, but I prefer the melodic and hook-laden contribution from his countryman Sheriff Ghale ("They are coming again, coming again/It is election time" - no problem figuring out what this one means.)

Mongoose (USA via Montreal) returns with a pleasant but somewhat less memorable melody than they contributed to the first disc. Their lyrics can be noteworthy, though: "a monetary soul is a solitary soldier" offers an interesting juxtaposition of both sound and sense.

Thanks to his soft vocal delivery, a strong tune and an absolutely cooking rhythm, St. Croix's Danny I offers a real highlight, despite his lousy enunciation.

Jahson from Dominica/St. Thomas is another great find, with an engaging style, especially in the close link between his lyrics and vocal mannerisms. The Zion Judah track is not my favourite from his album, but it does have an appealing bubbling sound and a touch of sly wit: "Them a control the news media/Disseminating them propaganda/Weaving them web of believable lies/Pulling nuff wool over the sheeple eyes." The Nasio Fontaine, Identity, Dellimore, Inner Visions and Bambu Station selections are fully deserving of their spots on the disc as well. The CD insert provides a wealth of information: short bios, lyrics, recording credits. I must also mention that one of my longstanding favorite causes is supported by sales of this (and the previous) album: a portion of the proceeds goes to Doctors Without Borders. The cause is crucial, the music is crucial. And now we can look forward to Volume 3.

Contact Professor Skank at pskankskankproductions.com, www.skankproductions.com

The European Union has signaled a 39% cut in the price it pays for sugar over the next 4 years. Jamaica is scrambling to find ways to shore-up the sugar industry. The ACP Sugar Group producers (18 African, Caribbean and Pacific states) warn that price reductions of those levels would wipe out their sugar industries and, in the case of Jamaica, up to 40,000 direct jobs. Prayers for creative ways to utilize sugar for other profitable products and thousands who depend on this source to keep food on the table, and to sustain Jamaica's economy.

For contributions to this section of the E-Guide, "In Jah's Name We Pray", please email festivalsreggaefestivalguide.com.

You have a great product, but it's not flying off the shelf. Is one of these packaging problems turning sales away?

1) You don't understand your market.
There are so many new markets and retail outlets out there. Don't forget Internet marketing too. The question is can one package service them all? The answer is no. There are features that work to your benefit in all types of packaging, but in general attributes that appeal to one audience won't appeal to another.

What to do:
Refine your niche attributes. Is your product broad based? Does it appeal to a special target audience? Do you understand what this group is looking for in product packaging? I have several research studies that focus on packaging that appeals to niches: Women and Boomers (to order these special reports return the word "research" via email).

2) The packaging is too big or too small.
In my recent research for the Packaging and Design Summit, I uncovered an interesting fact. Products that work well for children, especially kid proof packaging, simply doesn't fit the requirements of the over 50 market.

What to do:
Keep size in mind when designing your product packaging. Who is actually going to use this product and how? Is there a shelf life or consume by date that can impact the usage factor? Tidbit: Women said: keep it easy to carry and easy to store. Boomers said: keep it simple and easy to open.

3) The package is too hard to open:
Every Christmas and holiday time we read ranting and raving over packages that simply cannot be opened easily or require the aid of scissors. Much of this packaging has come about for specific reasons: security, tamper evident, counterfeiting and so on. But think about it the next time you try to open a product. Was all that packaging necessary?

What to do:
Try testing with a focus group outside the world of packaging. Many times a person unfamiliar with packaging can identify a problem area that a packaging pro can't. I did a segment for NBC TV as their packaging guru. They ended the story with people ripping and tearing open the packaging that I had so carefully explained. Boy, was that an eye opener. Look for my upcoming article in the June issue of Global Cosmetics Industry. "Don't think like a package designer. Think like a consumer"

4) The package is too generic:
Is it trying to be all things to all people and as a result, it doesn't appeal to anyone. Have you ever been totally confused when looking at a product package? What am I supposed to do with it? Or what's the purpose? This is a total turn off.

What to do:
Tell people up front what's inside, how to use it and what the benefits are. Simpler is better -- especially when we are in a hurry.

5) The package doesn't fit with today's life styles.
Got any 20lb bags of potatoes lying around? If you are like me, 20 lbs can last a year. Large quantities and amounts do have a special market but generally people are buying in smaller size units. In fact, one of the fasted growing market segments is ready to use and consume. When I was in China ready to use was the only type packaging available. Single servings were huge there and now they are becoming hot here.

6) People are confused by the packaging.
More product iterations mean more confusion at retail. Yes, I know brand managers are constantly creating new and improved versions, but get real! How many new and improved products are really different from their predecessor? If you want a good laugh be sure and read my upcoming article in the June issue of Packaging Design Magazine: "Packaging Design for Overworked, Time-Crunched and Over-The-Edge Consumers."

7) The package doesn't fit the retail outlet.
There are myriad of cross marketing opportunities available. What works in a club store certainly won't work at a convenience outlet. Consider where your package will be merchandised.

What to do:
Ensure you have the appropriate package size for the retail outlet. Go to a store and see how people shop. It could affect the product's success.

8) The package isn't contemporary.
There are a lot of old brands that are repackaging their image. Old brands have been revitalized with new and updated packaging. Old brands can lose favor with the consumer simply because they look old.

What to do:
Keep on top of important trends. Remember when the Pillsbury Dough Boy went on a diet? Just kidding, but he did get slimmer and trimmer in his image. The same is happening to Ronald MacDonald. He is getting a makeover too. Even long-standing icons have to keep up with the times.

9) The package is too gimmicky or doesn't work.
Keep in mind, simple is better. Products that get too complicated only appeal to a certain market segment, and it's not boomers, the largest share of the purchasing market. The electronics industry seems to have lost track of this fact. Make sure it doesn't apply to your product.

Whatever the problem is, it can be corrected by understanding your target audience. Learn what they want and need. Make some adjustments and watch packages fly off the shelf.

(c) Got packaging problems? I can help. I teach people how to package products consumers will buy. I make it easy to answer your problems with email and voice consultation. Get advice from the top expert in consumer packaging. Email the Packaging Diva PackagingDivaaol.com. Packaging and Design Summit www.packaginganddesignsummit.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com.

The Caribbean Cove and Third World Music Productions are pleased to announce that world renowned reggae recording artist Tony Rebel will make an appearance at The Caribbean Cove restaurant in Berkeley from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Monday, July 25. On tour in the San Francisco Bay area, Tony Rebel and the Rebel Rootz Krew Band will stop in on Tony's favorite Bay area chef - Judith O'Loughlin - at The Caribbean Cove to enjoy authentic Caribbean cuisine and take the opportunity to meet fans and sign autographs. The Caribbean Cove is scheduling special opening hours to accommodate Mr. Rebel and to provide reggae fans with the opportunity to meet Mr. Rebel, Queen Ifrica, Kwame Wanafrica, Bunny "Glock" Jackson and the Rebel Rootz Krew Band at the restaurant. Mr. Rebel's appearance at The Caribbean Cove will be his only Bay area press appearance on this tour. Third World Music Promotions will have available at the restaurant free promotional items and press packets including compact discs by the touring artists.

The Caribbean Cove is a woman-of-color owned independent restaurant and catering business serving the San Francisco Bay area. The Caribbean Cove serves up authentic Caribbean cuisine for a wide range of special occasions including hosted events, corporate parties, wedding receptions, them parties, backstage cooking for music events and more. For a menu and information on services, visit www.thecaribbeancove.com.

Third World Music Productions is an independent woman-of-color owned and operated reggae event promotion, publication and co-ordination firm. Contact Tullah Carter, Third World Music Promotions, Email: thirdworldmgyahoo.com.

"Fanton Mojah"

You love creating music and/or art, but you are bogged down with mundane tasks of every day business - putting your creativity on the back burner. Having a manager is essential to surviving the business of promoting your own talent in this day and age. One burgeoning company based out of California is ready to take your talent to the next level. Owner's name is Amy Shapas and she is willing to negotiate a contract with you that you are able to afford. Call 831-479-0711 and visit her website at www.soyoucan.com. Say you heard of me through the E-Guide!