European Blues Challenge – Update 17/10/14
From the Founder/Publisher of Blues Matters!, the UK Country Responsible of the European Blues Union and various Active Members of the European Blues Union in the UK:
On Friday 17th October the Board of the European Blues Union (EBU) made the following Announcement:
Dear EBU members,
Last Saturday, October 11th, the full EBU board gathered in Verona – Italy. The conflicting selection processes in order to appoint the UK participant at the next EBC was one of the items on the agenda.
As from the start of the EBC, the EBU promoted the idea to organize national selections in an objective, transparent and retraceable manner involving all members of the EBU and/or the blues community in the given country, in collaboration, on a fair basis. Of course, a live challenge would match these principles the most.
In order to resolve the conflicting and/or inadequate selection processes launched in the UK, the EBU board has proposed to organize a live challenge between the bands or artists selected by Blues Magazine, completed with the band selected by Blues Matters, to be organized by a neutral third party and judged by a team of experts. The EBU offers to help in this matter by facilitating the organization of the event and to send a delegation.
In order to allow the organization of this challenge, the EBU board is prepared to extend exceptionally the notification period for the UK to December 12th instead of November 15th.
We wanted to inform the EBU members about this.
The EBU board
In the interests solely of the 10 acts who have been ‘nominated’ and have, innocently, been caught up in the machinations of the Board of the EBU in this matter, Blues Matters! will, for this year only, unwillingly and with very many serious reservations, accept this situation.
But in doing so, Blues Matters! together with various concerned Active Members of the EBU in the UK wish, yet again, to make it clear that these actions by the Board of the EBU are totally in breach of the rules & regulations in this respect laid down by the Board of the EBU and agreed by all Active Members of the EBU. The Board of the EBU have, by their vote, further condoned the breaking/ignoring of these rules and have further acted in a prejudicial and biased manner by changing certain rules in favour of their ‘nominee’, the Blues Magazine and even offering to ‘facilitate the organisation’ of the proposed selection event.
Finally the suggestion that selection process operated by Blues Matters! was ‘inadequate’ is laughable and vexatious given that the Board of the EBU has accepted this process, without question, as adequate and compliant for the last four years.
