Tobacco Company Blocked From Sponsoring Montreal Jazz Festival
Replacing the sponsorship of cigarette manufacturer du Maurier, General Motors of Canada has agreed to give the Montreal International Jazz Festival $8 million over the next five years. While du Maurier was the festival's main sponsor for the last six years, the company cannot continue to underwrite the festival past October 2000 because of Canadian anti-tobacco legislation.
First introduced three years ago, the legislation limits tobacco advertising in cultural and sports events, including music, golf and auto racing. After 2000, the names of tobacco companies can only appear on the bottom 10 percent of signs at event venues. Outside the venue, advertising will be restricted to bars and publications with an adult readership.
GM's first sponsorship will be for the festival's New Millennium Grand Evening concert on Dec. 31 at the Montreal Convention Centre, featuring a farewell concert by Montreal pianist Oliver Jones. GM will next sponsor the 21st Montreal Jazz International Festival, scheduled for June 29 - July 9, 2000. Two stages, the ''Grand Événement'' concert, three series of free shows and all television tapings will carry the GM name.
GM and the festival would not disclose further details of their contract. But festival president Alain Simard was obviously relieved to find a new sponsor for the event, whose free ''Grand Evénément'' show draws 100,000 people annually.
''It is the first time in the history of the festival we've had stability for a five-year period,'' he told the Montreal Gazette. ''The longest contract we had with du Maurier was for three years. For a few years now we've had a sword hanging over our heads.''
The lineup for the festival will be announced in June, 2000. For tickets, call (800) 678-5440 from the United States (800) 361-4595 from Canada; or visit http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/engl/tickets.htm.
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