The U.S. Congress has declared 2003 “the year of the blues,” and Sony Legacy and Universal Music Enterprises (UME) are rolling out a flood of releases tied to the fall PBS series “Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues — A Musical Journey,” executive produced by director Scorsese.
The alliance between Sony and Universal marks the second time the companies have joined together for a PBS-related project. Two years ago, their mammoth effort for “Ken Burns Jazz” ignited new interest — and sales — in the genre. Executives hope the upcoming releases do the same for the blues, which has made up a very small percentage of overall sales in recent years.
A television documentary, five CD set and a seven DVD set, are amongst the projects that will be released, chronincling the blues.
For more information on the blues artists, making up the various projects and more details, visit Billboard.com.
