OFFICIAL MUSICIANS EXCHANGE™ PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Ft. Lauderdale/October 9th 2007
 
The Musicians Exchange™ and The Cohen Family appreciate the joint effort put together by The Hollywood Playhouse, Judy Blem, Frank Ward, Joe Klucar and all Don’s close friends. We invite you to celebrate Don Cohen’s life at The Hollywood Playhouse, 2640 Washington St., Hollywood,  FL, Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 at 8pm.

The music community of South Florida will honor Don’s desire of bringing musicians together for the ultimate “BluesBerry Jam.” “Don Cohen’s greatest wish was to see the South Florida music community express itself as a united family and continue the harmony initiated by the Musicians Exchange™,” says Capt. Reese, M.C. for the Jam and Voice of the Riverwalk Blues Festival.
 
“I would like to thank the South Florida Community for the outpouring of love for Don,” says Barry Cohen, Don Cohen’s brother.
 
“I will honor Don Cohen’s entrustment to me of the Musicians Exchange™ and make every effort to fulfill his vision of bringing www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com to a global audience. I ask you all to join us to continue Don’s legacy and keep live music alive,” says Ft. Lauderdale Entertainment Attorney Elliot Zimmerman, guardian of the mark.
 
“Don Cohen spent his life bringing music and friends together, it is only fitting that his memorial do the same and be a celebration of his life and what he has meant to his friends and the music community. We are glad to see the music community of South Florida come together for this celebration of love,” say Dar & Gerardo Lopez from the Sunday Blues With Dar.
 
Performers will include long-time Musicians Exchange™ friends:

Randy Bernsen, Famous Frank Ward, David Shelley, Sheldon Voss, Capt. Reese, Nicole Yarling, Randi "the violinist" Fishenfeld, Jason Rosner, Tim Kuchta, Randy Singer, Howard Goldberg, Peter Betan, Rick Cafaro, Motel Mel Seba, Joe Saint, Liz Sharp, Jerry Crepeau, Jerry Mascaro, the Hep Cat Boo Daddies (Joel DaSilva, Sean "Evil" Gerovitz & Randy Blitz) ... and others to be announced. 

www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com
Musicians Exchange™
© 2007 Elliot Zimmerman, legal@cyberlaw.info
All Rights Reserved

Don Cohen, 55, music promoter, creator of blues festival in Fort Lauderdale

Blues festival debuted at his club in '87

By Sean Piccoli
Pop Music Writer
Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

October 6, 2007

Mr. Cohen, who came to South Florida from upstate New York, began his musical life here as a drummer in big bands that played clubs and private events such as bar mitzvahs and New Year's Eve parties.

He went on to found the Musicians Exchange nightclub, and he would remain active in local music circles for more than 30 years as a talent coordinator, retailer, promoter, booker and artist manager.

At its peak in the mid-1990s, the Riverwalk Blues & Music Festival occupied both sides of the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale for up to three days of live music on multiple stages. Top names in blues, jazz, roots music and R&B played the festival, which attracted several thousand spectators and became a draw for locals and vacationers alike.

Mr. Cohen had rocky relationships with both of his major enterprises. He moved the Exchange several times to different locations — some owned, some leased, some borrowed — around Broward and Palm Beach counties. Its most recent home was at the Hollywood Playhouse. In 1996 he lost control of his festival to the city of Fort Lauderdale, which ran it without him for eight years, before he reclaimed it in 2004.

The most recent edition was held in March at Revolution nightclub in Fort Lauderdale. Judy Blem, a South Florida music booking agent and longtime associate of Mr. Cohen, said it is unclear whether the festival will return.

Mr. Cohen opened Musicians Exchange in June 1976 in one room of a commercial building on Sunrise Boulevard, first as a referral service connecting players with gigs. In the next few years, Mr. Cohen and a business partner, Sheldon Voss, would grow the Exchange into an equipment store, rehearsal space, recording studio and, in the early 1980s, a nightclub.

"I remember our first major booking. We were shaking in our boots [over] whether or not we were going to make any money on this: Dr. John and Maria Muldaur on a Wednesday night," said Voss. "I thought, 'Has either one of them had a hit in 15 years? Does anybody want to see this?' Well, we sold out two shows. And the club only seated 70 people, so that was 140 tickets. And we both said, 'Maybe this could work.'"

The festival debuted in 1987 as the South Florida Blues Festival in the Exchange parking lot with Buddy Guy headlining. Voss said the event was largely Mr. Cohen's idea.

Voss, a guitarist in bands with Mr. Cohen, stayed on as his partner in the Exchange until 1993, when he asked for and accepted a buyout.

"When I think of the talent that came through there, some of the greatest people in my life who were never on American Idol, I saw at that club," said Voss.

Mr. Cohen at one point bought and owned the building on Sunrise, but he defaulted on his loan and the bank that took over the property leveled it. The Exchange had subsequent homes elsewhere in Broward County and as far north as Delray Beach.

Mr. Cohen also managed several local musicians.

"He believed in our band, and I believe we got a lot further than we would have ever gotten if he wasn't running the show," said Sean Gerovitz, bass player for the Hep Cat Boo Daddies, a blues-rock trio that signed on with Mr. Cohen four years ago.

Carl "Kilmo" Pacillo, a bass player and owner of Alligator Alley nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, said he patterned a lot of his ideas on club ownership after Mr. Cohen.

"Don was the pioneer," said Pacillo. "He definitely forged that path before anybody else had thought of it. I followed in his footsteps with the idea of presenting music on a local level in a cool, relaxed place for locals to hang."

Mr. Cohen, a Fort Lauderdale resident, is survived by his father, Milton Cohen, and his brother, Barry Cohen. A funeral will be private. Blem said a public memorial service, with live music, is planned for Wednesday at Hollywood Playhouse.

Donald W. Cohen, our dear friend, lost his battle with cancer this morning, on his 55th birthday. He will be missed. 

Don was the founder of The Musicians Exchange which began June 1, 1976 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a complete complex of musical services and products. Outdoor concerts in the back parking lot were some of the first in the SE US to give original music indie bands a stage. It also was a welcome venue for national touring recording artists. From inception to 1996, The Musicians Exchange played host to over 1500 musical acts.

Contibute a story to this site! Do you know how to write and are knowledgeable about the music industry? We are looking for a few good writers to contribute music biz info blogs and articles at this site. Help others out and promote yourself at the same time by contributing here.

www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com  is keepin’ live music alive and ringing in the holidays with its very first live web cast at The Talent Farm Studios on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007, from 7 – 11 pm.  Coral Springs based indie pop group ADOR (A Dream of Reality), New Orleans singer/guitarist Marcel Anton, internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Gerardo Perez Capdevilla, and renowned blues guitarist Papa Joe will perform at this special event.  All are invited to come out or tune in online to enjoy the show.
 
Sponsored by Beeceuticals Organics:   
BeeCeuticals Organics, patron of the arts, has gratiously sponsored this online venture between  www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com  and The Talent Farm Studios to bring the show directly to your computer. "Bee" sure to visit http://www.beeceuticals.com/ to find out more about their fabulous line of bee cosmetics and other wonderful products.

Where:    
The event will be simulcast live at  www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com  
and  www.TheTalentFarm.com  or you can attend the show live at The Talent Farm, 20911 Johnson St, Pembroke Pines, FL. Seating will be limited so reserve your seat now.

When:   
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 from 7 PM – 11 PM

Cost:   
$10 to attend the live performance.
FREE to view online (registration required, but no credit card info needed).

About:   
www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com is a global community which features digital music & video distribution, classified ads, and global opportunity for the musician, artist, band, videographer, producer, writer, and others. Here you can upload and download mp3, wmv and other media files. Additionally, you can sell your music CD, video DVD, album, record, and song. Also, you can post news about your music, shows, and more...

For more information please visit:   
www.MusiciansExchangeOnline.com  or call 954.476.6667.

Sell your music, album, song, record, CD or audio works as mp3, wma, ogg, mid, flac, or wav digital files. Sell your DVD or video works as downloadable wmv, mov, mpg, or mpeg files. Sell your images as gif, jpg, or png downloads. You can use our Digital Vault to sell any file types (i.e. ringtones). Track your sales in real time from your very own Control Panel!

The Musicians Exchange Digital Shopping Cart feature, for commercial upload and download of media files, is available to all registered musicians, bands, videographers, producers, directors & writers who singed on as an "Artist." Only the download feature is available for a "Member."

To set up the Digital Shopping Cart, login and a new link to your Control Panel will appear in the upper right hand corner of this website. Enter the Control Panel and on the vertical left side menu under the main category "ARTISTS," click on the sub-menu choice "modify artist." Enter your PayPal email address (about half way down the screen). Now, you're set to upload a file for commercial digital distribution.

FOR SONGS, VIDEOS, AND PHOTOS: If you haven't uploaded a song, video or photo here for commercial digital download, choose "create song," "create video," or "create photo" from the "SONGS," "VIDEOS" or "PHOTOS" category at the left menu bar in your Control Panel. Choose "modify," if you want to change an existing item. DO NOT CHOOSE "VAULT" directly from the left menu bar to create or modify a song, video or photo. Instead, use the applicable sub-menu choice under the corresponding SONGS, VIDEOS or PHOTOS main category. Make sure to fill in all fields of the applicable create or modify screen. Don't forget to enter the file title. Have a picture file handy to upload and display along with the downloadable item for easy identification. Enter the picture file title where indicated in the create or modify screen. IMPORTANT! In addition to entering the song, video or photo file title at the prompts for "UPLOAD" in the create or modify screens under the main category SONGS, VIDEOS, or PHOTOS, YOU MUST again enter the file title of the upload at the prompt for "NEW VAULT FILE" at the bottom of the same page. The "item description" for the vault item is the "title." Take your time to make sure you complete the song screen propertly! 

FOR ALL OTHER DIGITAL ITEMS: For digital books, midi files, software, ebooks, ringtones, etc., CHOOSE the Control Panel menu item called "VAULT" and enter the info and upload the media file where indicated thereafter.

You set the price per item (in U.S. Dollars) and collect 50% of the net profit direct to your account ($10.00 threshold for payment). Set the price of promotional items to zero and they appear as "free giveaways." This service is NON-EXCLUSIVE. List your items anywhere else with our blessing!

Musicians Exchange is a global community with an eye towards online commercial exchange. It features digital music & video distribution, classified ads, and global opportunity for the musician, artist, band, videographer, producer, writer, and others. Here you can upload and download mp3, wmv and other media files. Additionally, you can sell your music CD, video DVD, album, record, and song. Also, you can post news about your music, shows, and more...

The Musicians Exchange began June 1, 1976 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a complete complex of musical services and products. Outdoor concerts in the back parking lot were some of the first in the SE US to give original music indie bands a stage. It also was a welcome venue for national touring recording artists. From inception to 1996, The Musicians Exchange played host to over 1500 musical acts.

Although the original physical complex is no longer, we invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to use our global resources today!

Musicians Exchange is a global community with an eye on incredible talent. It features digital music & video distribution, classified ads, and global opportunity for the musician, artist, band, videographer, producer, writer, and others. Here you can upload and download mp3, mp4, wmv and other media files. Additionally, you can sell your music CD, video DVD, album, record, and song. Also, you can post news about your music, shows, and more...

The Musicians Exchange began June 1, 1976 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as a brick and mortar complete complex of musical services and products. Outdoor concerts in the back parking lot were some of the first in the SE US to give original music indie bands a stage. It also was a welcome venue for national touring recording artists. From inception to 1996, The Musicians Exchange played host to over 1500 musical acts.

Although the original physical complex is no longer, we invite you to take advantage of this opportunity to use our global resources today!