Description
The purpose of this paper is to provide an historical context of the growth of Celtic music on
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada and to trace the development as a component of a cultural
tourism product.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Island tourism marketing: music and culture
Keith G. Brown
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Keith G. Brown, (2009),"Island tourism marketing: music and culture", International J ournal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research,
Vol. 3 Iss 1 pp. 25 - 32
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Keith G. Brown, J enny Cave, (2010),"Island tourism: marketing culture and heritage – editorial introduction to the special issue",
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Fredrick M. Collison, Daniel L. Spears, (2010),"Marketing cultural and heritage tourism: the Marshall Islands", International J ournal of
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J enny Cave, Keith G. Brown, (2012),"Island tourism: destinations: an editorial introduction to the special issue", International J ournal of
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Island tourism marketing: music and
culture
Keith G. Brown
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an historical context of the growth of Celtic music on
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada and to trace the development as a component of a cultural
tourism product.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines literature on music and cultural tourism as well
as government reports. Semi-structured interviews were done with a cross-section of people, key to the
development of musical cultural tourism on Cape Breton Island.
Findings – The paper reports on the initial investments of the federal government of Canada in tourism
infrastructure on Cape Breton Island in the 1970s and the initial investments in entertainment as a
component of tourism in 1986. The paper examines the growth of Celtic music in Cape Breton and the
birth of the success of the Cape Breton sound.
Research limitations/implications – The practitioners of the music industry are quite clear in their
views of the importance of their sector to the broader tourismindustry. However, the study is quiet on the
actual perceptions and views of the tourist. Further research should examine the importance of the
cultural experience in contributing to the satisfaction of the visitors’ experience.
Practical implications – The success of the Celtic Colors International Festival has clearly indicated the
market for Cape Breton Celtic music and that festivals of this sort have the ability to extend the tourism
season.
Originality/value – The paper chronicles the development of one of the most successful Atlantic
Canadian cultural tourism products which has broad applications in comparable tourist destinations.
Keywords Culture, Entertainment, Economics, Diversi?cation
Paper type Research paper
C
ape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is located off the eastern most portion of mainland
Canada at roughly 478N, 608W. Arguably, the region has a ?edgling tourism industry
at the turn of the twentieth century as wealthy Americans travel to the area during the
summer to escape the heat and humidity of the industrialized cities on the Eastern
Seaboard. However, it is not until the creation of the federal Crown Corporation, the Cape
Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1967) and the ?rst ?ve year plan for economic
development on Cape Breton Island, which recognizes tourism as a sector of the economy.
This is the most signi?cant turning point of the birth of a viable tourismsector in Cape Breton.
The corporate plans of the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1973, 1974,
1975) detail these development strategies and plans. The Corporation recognizes the
tremendous potential of tourism as a generator of income and employment and begins a
large scale infrastructure program constructing marinas, golf courses, motels and hotels,
cottages, restaurants, and craft shops. By 1978, the corporate plans of DEVCO note the
corporation is the owner of 78 properties (DEVCO, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978).
The Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1983, 1984) begins a series of
community consultations in the mid 1980s to garner reaction on the decision to privatise the
DOI 10.1108/17506180910940324 VOL. 3 NO. 1 2009, pp. 25-32, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
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PAGE 25
Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
Received March 2008
Revised June 2008
Accepted September 2008
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remaining properties. The community consultations focus on privatisation and marketing,
hearing from scores of interested tourist operators whose primary interest is ?xed roof
accommodations and food services. One group taking a unique stance is successful in
arguing to the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1986) that entertainment
could be an industry on Cape Breton. Following the sectoral input, further industry
consultation and research, visits to Scotland spark a relationship which develops into
numerous cultural and sectoral exchanges. The Scottish approach to cultural tourism has a
profound effect on future tourismstrategies in the illustration that the world is interested in the
Celtic, cultural tourism product. DEVCO begins to turn corporate attention to culture,
heritage and entertainment as a sub sector of a rapidly diversifying tourism product. This
new interest coincides with the commissioning of the ?rst major tourism sectoral study in
more than a decade.
The ?rm, Laventhol and Horvath (L&H) (1986)was contracted to analyze the current state of
the industry and to project future trends. Strong recommendations are made in support of
the development and implementation of an integrated marketing plan for the area. As the
initial programs begin to develop to support this segment of the industry, DEVCO, once
again in consultation with industry, begins to develop the ?rst integrated international
marketing strategy for Cape Breton. Entertainment culture and heritage become a vibrant
component of the tourism marketing strategy as reported in the Corporate Plan for DEVCO
(1988).
The tourism sector in Cape Breton accounts for an annual expenditure of approximately
$219 in 2004 million and the maintenance of approximately 5,500 jobs. Brown and Geddes
(2007) note this represents approximately 8 percent of the total Cape Breton employment.
Method
Participants representing a broad section of community organizations of the performing arts,
festivals and traditional Cape Breton music during a period of three months in the summer of
2005 and 2007 form the basis of the primary research of this paper. The target groups, in
response to a series of nine, semi-structured, in-depth interviews comprised of 134
questions, register broad views to the probing questions. A brief description of the interview
participants follows. The Barra MacNeil’s are one of Canada’s premier Celtic Bands,
performing extensively in North America and the United Kingdom. Stuart MacNeil is a twenty
year member of the professional troupe. Dr Winifred Chafe’s career in music spans decades
and is rooted in both classical violin and Cape Breton ?ddling. She is a performer, a teacher
and an advocate for Cape Breton Celtic music. Betty Matheson is Secretary/Treasurer of the
Cape Breton Fiddlers Association. The Association is a volunteer organization which focuses
on the promotion of Cape Breton Fiddling. Joella Foulds is Co-Director of Celtic Colors
International Festival. Ms Foulds is a driving force behind the creation and growth of the
festival. The festival activities are further developed in the paper. Ken Chisholm is a
musician, writer, editor, actor and promoter of Cape Breton culture. Sam McPhee is the
Director of the Gaelic College which is seen as a foundation to the preservation of the
Scottish heritage in Cape Breton. The Gaelic College promotes the development and
preservation of language, music and customs of the early Scottish immigrants to Cape
Breton. Rodney Chiasson is Director of the Highland Village Museum. The Museum, through
the use of on-site animators, recreates a nineteenth century Highland Village.
The analyses include examining the interviews for thematic threads of commonality or
difference to speak speci?cally to the Cape Breton context of the development, marketing,
and promotion of Cape Breton Celtic music and dance to tourists.
Nara Document of Authenticity (1993), Chhabra et al. (2003) and Cano and Mysyk (2004)
speak to authenticity of experience and product for the cultural tourist which is increasingly
raised in the literature. What is the real cultural experience? Is the cultural experience being
presented to the tourist authentic or has the experience become part of the current cultural
experience of the community and therefore represented as culturally current? Thornton
(1998) in writings about the Irish Celtic music speaks to the near impossibility to determine
with any degree of certainty, the historical sound of Irish music.
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MacNeil (2005) opines, within the Cape Breton context, Celtic may be used to describe
traditional Celtic music representative of the music of the early Scottish immigrants, Celtic
roots music from a folk genre or Celtic fusion where artists experiment with traditional music
and overlays of popular music and other cultural in?uences.
Thornton (1998) argues much of current Celtic music is a product of the world music
industry. MacNeil (2005) suggests the genre of music referred to as Cape Breton Celtic
music or simply Cape Breton music has developed within an island culture, isolated from
Scotland for more than two centuries, is culturally distinct. The research of Malm (1993) also
supports this notion of distinctiveness.
MacNeil (2005) would further suggest that mediaisation forces contextual changes with
music as the product is commercialized. The article explores the evolution of this medium.
The strong Acadian French and Indigenous Aboriginal (Mi’kmaq) culture on Cape Breton
which market a cultural tourism product to tourists are not referenced in this work. For the
purposes of this paper, only the Celtic culture is examined.
Cape Breton cultural development – the Cape Breton sound
Approximately 75 percent of the population of Cape Breton Island can trace ancestral roots
to Scotland. As settlers establish homesteads throughout rural Cape Breton in the
eighteenth and nineteenth century, a constant in the hard agricultural life was the music of
the Highlands of Scotland. Chafe (2005) states the settlers speak Gaelic, develop a culture
of storytelling, and gradually develop their own unique style of ?ddle music (Scottish violin)
which is now widely referred to as Cape Breton ?ddle music.
During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a renewed interest in reintroducing,
promoting, and publishing traditional music in Scotland develops. The ?rst publication of
Scottish ?ddle music (1757) is the work of Robert Bremer in Edinburgh. The research of
Hunter (1979) notes these works sparked a series of publications during the remaining half
of the century. Morgan (2000) writes the ?rst large waves of Scottish immigrants migrate to
Cape Breton in the ?rst decades of the nineteenth century with approximately 30,000 arriving
by mid-century as interest in Scottish music begins to decline in Scotland after 1820. This
appears to be a reasonable date which establishes the divergence of Scottish ?ddle music
and Cape Breton Scottish music. The old repertoire is both nurtured and enhanced as a
distinctive Cape Breton sound begins to emerge. While the music in Scotland develops and
modernises, the music of Cape Breton remains steeped in the old, aural traditions. Feintuch
(2002) reports Cape Bretoners claim their form of music is an older form or more true to the
original traditions than current Scottish music. Matheson (2005) refers to the traditional Cape
Breton music as soul music. She speaks to the emotional ties which are deeply rooted in the
music. As the music, for the most part, was transmitted aurally, the venues become small
community halls, churches, weddings and celebrations. Thus the music and concomitant
dancing become an integral part of community and rural Cape Breton culture and key to
preservation of this link to a cultural past while evolving into a unique form. The research by
MacInnes (2007) states by the 1940s, the ?rst published collections of Cape Breton Celtic
?ddling are made available by MacDonald, MacEachern and MacQuarrie. This is an
important evolution for the Cape Breton Celtic sound as the aural tradition is preserved and
disseminated more widely than through community performance.
MacInnes (2007) notes in 1948, Hugh Allan (Buddy) MacMaster learns to read music and
this seemingly simple event has had a deeply entrenched impact on the Gaidhealtachd
(Gaelic speaking ?ddlers and pipers). MacMaster had a direct link to the historical music of
Scotland through the aural traditions, to the Cape Breton Celtic ?ddlers by the same means,
and now, with this new skill, to the published works. He becomes a proli?c performer and
mentor of the Cape Breton style at the time of a revival of Cape Breton Scottish Heritage.
MacInnes (1997) and Chafe (2005) show the music evolves over the centuries, but the
advent of radio in the 1950s brings the music to a larger audience.
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Community input
As the Cape Breton Development Corporation initiates the ?rst ?ve year development plan
targeting tourism development, the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association is formed in 1972. The
1970s are a decade of nurturing Celtic culture on Cape Breton and preparing the way for the
evolution of the Cape Breton Development Corporation initiatives on culture, heritage and
entertainment in the 1980s. Mr MacMaster’s contribution to culture and community receives
the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour in 2000, the Order of Nova Scotia in 2003 and
an Honorary Doctorate from Cape Breton University in 2006 for his contribution to the culture
of Cape Breton.
As the Corporate Plans of the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1986, 1987,
1988) report, a broad based consultation process within the generally de?ned tourism
culture and heritage community on Cape Breton is commences. Groups come together and
talk. Community groups wanting to celebrate their local festivals join in the consultation.
Cape Breton culture and talent form the foundation for the federally sponsored international
marketing campaign launch in 1987. The DEVCO (1988, 1989) Corporate Plans report the
campaign wins international acclaim.
The transition from consultation to inclusion of culture, heritage and entertainment into a
broader strategic development plan is by no means without confrontation. Numerous,
community based culture and heritage groups enter the discussion raising the issue of the
desirability of selling culture to tourists. This discussion continues well into the early 1990s.
During community consultations in this period, several members of the cultural community
are critical of the potential for commodi?cation of local culture. This issue is of prime
importance in consideration of community based cultural tourism. Earlier in the paper, a brief
reference to the issue and importance of authenticity of the cultural tourismproduct is noted.
The work of George (2004) also notes that traditional community culture may slowly die and
be replaced with a more current offering. The current culture, drawn from past traditions,
evolves. Brown and Pyke (2005) and Foulds (2005) report culture, by very de?nition is
dynamic. The research of Brown (1999) illustrates cultural tourists visiting Cape Breton rank
highly the importance of authenticity, though as the literature suggests, are prepared to
accept compromise in levels of authenticity as long as the evolution of the product remains
culturally true.
In 1994, the Federal and Provincial governments and the Municipalities of Eastern Cape
Breton, recognize the traditional industries of coal and steel are facing extinction. The three
levels of government commission a broad based strategic economic development plan for
the diversi?cation of the Cape Breton industrial economy. The Cape Breton County
Economic Development Authority (CBCEDA) is created with a
federal/provincial/municipal/432#community governance model as noted in the strategic
plan of CBCEDA (1994). The ?ve year strategic plan segments future growth for the region
into the knowledge based, tourism, heritage and lifestyle and aquaculture/agriculture
sectors. This process consults with 162 individuals, many representing community
organizations with signi?cant membership. Culture, entertainment and tourism are three
separate consultation processes, eventually culminating in ?fty-two of the one hundred
thirteen speci?c recommendations for economic diversi?cation and investment. The
CBCEDA Strategic Plan (1994) Recommendation (T)-13 C, suggests the establishment of a
Pan-Celtic Festival with the goal of strengthening ties to the Celtic world and the
development of an international cultural tourist attraction could meet the goals of cultural
preservation and tourism marketing. While this recommendation is being further developed
by community activists, Cape Breton music is marketed and promoters are brought to Cape
Breton to hear and experience how the music is intertwined with rural Cape Breton. Millions
of copies of Cape Breton performers work are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom. The
performances promoting the Cape Breton sound are also promoting the region as a
destination to experience a unique form of Celtic music and culture.
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Celtic colors international festival
A strong example of the success of a particular product to market entertainment and culture
within the broader cultural tourism strategy can be seen in the development of the Celtic
Colors International Festival. The festival is promoted to government as a non-pro?t society
with a volunteer Board of Directors. The Celtic Colors International Festival (1996) Business
Plan state the goals of the 1996 proposal include the creation of awareness of the Celtic
culture of Cape Breton within the national and international marketplace, the creation of new
markets for cultural products and the enhancement of the autumn tourism season in Cape
Breton. The structure of the festival is envisaged as a combination of large, gala events
intertwined with small community based performances throughout rural and traditionally
Scottish Cape Breton. The notion is to build upon the existing Cape Breton musical traditions
noted earlier in the paper and take the world to the communities which form the backbone of
the MacMaster School of Community Music. The proposal notes the success of the Glasgow,
Scotland Celtic Connections and Tønder Festival in Tønder, Denmark, somewhat basing
their projections of ticket sales and economic impact on these two festivals. Foulds (2005)
notes the importance and impact of the early visits to these sites and the additional expertise
shared by visits of organizers fromthese sites to Cape Breton. The Celtic Colors International
Festival (1996) Business Plan projects total attendance of 15,000 to 20,000, with 50 percent
local attendees, 40 percent other Canadian tourists with a 10 percent international tourist
base and an overall economic impact of $1.4 million to $3.4 million Canadian. To put these
?gures in perspective, at that time, approximately ?ve hundred thousand tourists visits Cape
Breton annually with gross expenditures of $150 million. The Nova Scotia Department of
Tourism and Culture (2001) reports, these projections, if successful, will represent a 4
percent increase in tourist activity in the off-season, with the generation of an increase of up
to 2 percent of gross tourism receipts.
The Swedes also look to cultural festivals to broaden the base of their regional tourism
product. Aldskogius (1993) notes the birth of the movement in the 1960s had grown to
hundreds of festivals in Sweden by 1993. Interestingly, the Swedish model focuses on not
only folk music, though that category represents approximately 50 percent of the offerings,
but a wide range of music encompassing classic, jazz, rock and mixed genres.
The Cape Breton decision is clearly to focus on traditional Cape Breton Celtic music with
guest appearances of primarily traditional Scottish and to a lesser extent, Irish musicians.
The Celtic Colors Festival is introduced in October, 1997 and celebrates the tenth season in
2007. Celtic Colors International Festival Final Reports (1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005) indicate total attendance of 12,900 in the ?rst year with an estimated economic impact
of approximately $3 million, attracting 4,000 non Cape Breton tourists for the nine day
festival. By 2004, the last reporting year for the event, 18,711 tickets have been sold with
50.5 percent of the visitors being non Cape Breton, creating an estimated economic impact
of $5.77 million, attracting tourists from 24 countries. The number of performing artists has
increased from 300 in the ?rst year to 436 in year eight. Foulds (2005 and 2007) states the
2005 festival is estimated to attract 7000 international visitors from 25 countries, generating
revenues exceeding $6.2 million over the nine days from October 7 to 15, 2005. Foulds also
notes in addition to the approximately 19,000 attendees, they perform for 10,000 school
children to hopefully inspire the next generation of artists.
Has the festival met and exceeded the early goals? Yes, in terms of attendance, international
participation and economic impact. The Cape Breton Post (2006) reports the Celtic Colors
Festival has been named the American Bus Association’s Top Event in Canada, Attractions
Canada’s Top Cultural Event and event of the year at the East Coast Music Awards. Celtic
Colors is by no means the only festival and celebration of Cape Breton culture. The festival is
the largest and most widely publicized and the success attracts other forms of entertainment
at other times in the tourist season. Chisholm (2005) speaks to the variety of offerings and
locations of Cape Breton music which is now available throughout the entire tourism season.
A dramatic change from the ?rst intervention made before the Cape Breton Development
Corporation twenty years earlier. MacPhee (2005) and Chiasson (2007) speak to the
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experiential nature of the tourists who come to Cape Breton for the Celtic roots and music.
Celtic Colors establishes a brand for Cape Breton and this cultural brand is carried
throughout many sectors of the tourism industry.
Conclusion
Cape Breton Island has undergone enormous economic upheaval, transformation and
diversi?cation since the birth of the Cape Breton Development Corporation. When this
federal crown corporation is born in 1967, almost 50 percent of Cape Breton’s labor force of
30,000 works in coal or steel. One can argue without the direct intervention of the Cape
Breton Development Corporation in the 1970s, the existing tourism industry would be very
different, and perhaps dramatically smaller, than the industry which currently exists. The
Cape Breton Development Corporation made many mistakes in the decade of tourism
development, but the corporation had the resources and time to use Cape Breton Island as a
living laboratory, building on successes and abandoning the failures. The Cape Breton
Development Corporation’s principal dif?culty in tourism development is the attempt to
balance economic development and diversi?cation while speaking to the needs of the
tourism market. Oftentimes the corporation looks to areas of Cape Breton which are
underdeveloped for property location. This speaks clearly to the corporate goal of
diversifying the local economy but at times at the expense of the most desirable location for
tourist traf?c. This practice, in time, sees the need to close facilities and focus on target
market needs.
The Cape Breton tourism cluster can serve as a very distinct case for the need for time,
planning and investment in infrastructure. Governments and economic development
practitioners looking to tourism development for an immediate solution to economic
problems have much to learn from the Cape Breton experience. The region chooses to
enhance the natural attractions and to capitalize on people and their culture. The long history
of rural, community based traditional Celtic music is encouraged to growfromperformances
in local church halls to large venues in Cape Breton, throughout North America and the
United Kingdom and Ireland. As the interest in the music and dance grows, the tourist
industry begins to brand itself and the region as a place where friendly, fun-loving people
remain true to their Celtic traditions. Scottish, Celtic and Cape Breton cultures meld together
to create a unique sound which celebrates the aural Scottish traditions of the eighteenth
centuries but allows itself to mature and develop a distinct musical genre.
The economy of Cape Breton has grown and diversi?ed greatly since 1967 with a labor force
which is more than double the size of those troubled days. In 2008, no one is employed in
coal or steel in Cape Breton, but according to the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and
Culture (2003, 2004, 2005) approximately 5,500 or 8 percent of the workforce are employed
by the tourism sector. Cape Breton has differentiated the tourism product from other
destinations in maritime Canada. The cultural tourism product and natural beauty have
consistently been awarded top honours by international travel writers. The cultural product
has matured and continues to attract new entrants including a young generation eager to
add their infusion of new ideas to old traditions. This living culture encourages innovation in
product offerings and broadens the target segments for cultural tourism marketing. Cape
Breton Celtic culture has become a powerful brand within the Canadian tourism industry.
This product is renewable, organic and creates a competitive advantage for the region.
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Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1976), Annual Report, (1976),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1977), Annual Report, (1977),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1978), Annual Report, (1978),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1983), Annual Report, (1983),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1984), Annual Report, (1984),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1986), Annual Report, (1986),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1987), Annual Report, (1987),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1988), Annual Report, (1988),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), Annual Reports (1989), Annual Report, (1989),
Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton Post (2006), ‘‘ECMA Event of the Year-Again’’, Cape Breton Post, March 6, Sydney, Nova
Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (1997), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (1998), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (2001), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (2002), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (2003), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (2004), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (2005), Annual Reports, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Celtic Colors International Festival (1996), Business Plan, Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Chafe, W. (2005), Personal interview.
Chhabra, D., Healy, R. and Sills, E. (2003), ‘‘Staged authenticity and heritage tourism’’, Annals of Tourism
Research, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 702-19.
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Chiasson, R. (2007), Personal interview.
Chisholm, K. (2005), Personal interview.
Feintuch, B. (2002), In recording, Cape Breton Tradition, by Buddy MacMaster, recorded by Rounder
Records, Burlington, MA.
Foulds, J. (2005), Personal interview.
Foulds, J. (2007), Personal interview.
George, W.E. (2004), ‘‘Commodifying local culture for tourism development: the case of one rural
community in Atlantic Canada’’, PhD thesis, University of Guelph, Guelph.
Hunter, J. (1979), The Fiddle Music of Scotland, W. and R. Chambers Ltd, Edinburgh.
Laventhol and Horvath (L&H) (1985), Cape Breton Strategic Marketing Plan, Toronto.
MacInnes, S. (1997), A Journey in Celtic Music – Cape Breton Style, UCCB Press, Cape Breton
University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
MacInnes, S. (2007), Buddy MacMaster: The Judique Flyer, Potters?eld Press, Lawrencetown Beach,
Nova Scotia.
MacNeil, S. (2005), Personal interview.
MacPhee, S. (2005), Personal interview.
Malm, K. (1993), ‘‘Music on the move: traditions and mass media’’, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 37 No. 3,
pp. 339-52.
Matheson, B. (2005), Personal interview.
Morgan, R. (2000), Early Cape Breton, Breton Books, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
The Nara Document on Authenticity (1993), ‘‘The Nara document on authenticity’’, Proceedings of the
1993 Conference on Authenticity in Relation to the World Heritage Convention, Japan.
Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourism and Culture (2001), Tourism Activity in Nova Scotia –
a 25 Year Comparison, Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourism and Culture, Nova Scotia.
Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourism and Culture (2004), 2003 Tourism Activity by Region,
Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourism and Culture, Nova Scotia.
Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourismand Culture (2005), Nova Scotia Department of Tourism,
Culture, and Heritage Business Plan 2005-2006, Province of Nova Scotia, Department of Tourism and
Culture, Nova Scotia.
Thornton, S. (1998), ‘‘Fanning the Celtic ?ame: music patronage and practice in contemporary Ireland’’,
Western Folklore, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 261-75.
Further reading
Brown, K.G. (1994), Strategic Economic Action Plan, Cape Breton County Economic Development
Authority, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
McKercher, B. and du Cros, H. (2002), Cultural Tourism, Haworth Hospitality Press, Binghamton, NY.
Corresponding author
Keith G. Brown can be contacted at: [email protected]
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doc_174253912.pdf
The purpose of this paper is to provide an historical context of the growth of Celtic music on
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada and to trace the development as a component of a cultural
tourism product.
International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research
Island tourism marketing: music and culture
Keith G. Brown
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Island tourism marketing: music and
culture
Keith G. Brown
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an historical context of the growth of Celtic music on
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada and to trace the development as a component of a cultural
tourism product.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines literature on music and cultural tourism as well
as government reports. Semi-structured interviews were done with a cross-section of people, key to the
development of musical cultural tourism on Cape Breton Island.
Findings – The paper reports on the initial investments of the federal government of Canada in tourism
infrastructure on Cape Breton Island in the 1970s and the initial investments in entertainment as a
component of tourism in 1986. The paper examines the growth of Celtic music in Cape Breton and the
birth of the success of the Cape Breton sound.
Research limitations/implications – The practitioners of the music industry are quite clear in their
views of the importance of their sector to the broader tourismindustry. However, the study is quiet on the
actual perceptions and views of the tourist. Further research should examine the importance of the
cultural experience in contributing to the satisfaction of the visitors’ experience.
Practical implications – The success of the Celtic Colors International Festival has clearly indicated the
market for Cape Breton Celtic music and that festivals of this sort have the ability to extend the tourism
season.
Originality/value – The paper chronicles the development of one of the most successful Atlantic
Canadian cultural tourism products which has broad applications in comparable tourist destinations.
Keywords Culture, Entertainment, Economics, Diversi?cation
Paper type Research paper
C
ape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, is located off the eastern most portion of mainland
Canada at roughly 478N, 608W. Arguably, the region has a ?edgling tourism industry
at the turn of the twentieth century as wealthy Americans travel to the area during the
summer to escape the heat and humidity of the industrialized cities on the Eastern
Seaboard. However, it is not until the creation of the federal Crown Corporation, the Cape
Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1967) and the ?rst ?ve year plan for economic
development on Cape Breton Island, which recognizes tourism as a sector of the economy.
This is the most signi?cant turning point of the birth of a viable tourismsector in Cape Breton.
The corporate plans of the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1973, 1974,
1975) detail these development strategies and plans. The Corporation recognizes the
tremendous potential of tourism as a generator of income and employment and begins a
large scale infrastructure program constructing marinas, golf courses, motels and hotels,
cottages, restaurants, and craft shops. By 1978, the corporate plans of DEVCO note the
corporation is the owner of 78 properties (DEVCO, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978).
The Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1983, 1984) begins a series of
community consultations in the mid 1980s to garner reaction on the decision to privatise the
DOI 10.1108/17506180910940324 VOL. 3 NO. 1 2009, pp. 25-32, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1750-6182
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PAGE 25
Cape Breton University,
Sydney, Nova Scotia,
Canada.
Received March 2008
Revised June 2008
Accepted September 2008
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remaining properties. The community consultations focus on privatisation and marketing,
hearing from scores of interested tourist operators whose primary interest is ?xed roof
accommodations and food services. One group taking a unique stance is successful in
arguing to the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1986) that entertainment
could be an industry on Cape Breton. Following the sectoral input, further industry
consultation and research, visits to Scotland spark a relationship which develops into
numerous cultural and sectoral exchanges. The Scottish approach to cultural tourism has a
profound effect on future tourismstrategies in the illustration that the world is interested in the
Celtic, cultural tourism product. DEVCO begins to turn corporate attention to culture,
heritage and entertainment as a sub sector of a rapidly diversifying tourism product. This
new interest coincides with the commissioning of the ?rst major tourism sectoral study in
more than a decade.
The ?rm, Laventhol and Horvath (L&H) (1986)was contracted to analyze the current state of
the industry and to project future trends. Strong recommendations are made in support of
the development and implementation of an integrated marketing plan for the area. As the
initial programs begin to develop to support this segment of the industry, DEVCO, once
again in consultation with industry, begins to develop the ?rst integrated international
marketing strategy for Cape Breton. Entertainment culture and heritage become a vibrant
component of the tourism marketing strategy as reported in the Corporate Plan for DEVCO
(1988).
The tourism sector in Cape Breton accounts for an annual expenditure of approximately
$219 in 2004 million and the maintenance of approximately 5,500 jobs. Brown and Geddes
(2007) note this represents approximately 8 percent of the total Cape Breton employment.
Method
Participants representing a broad section of community organizations of the performing arts,
festivals and traditional Cape Breton music during a period of three months in the summer of
2005 and 2007 form the basis of the primary research of this paper. The target groups, in
response to a series of nine, semi-structured, in-depth interviews comprised of 134
questions, register broad views to the probing questions. A brief description of the interview
participants follows. The Barra MacNeil’s are one of Canada’s premier Celtic Bands,
performing extensively in North America and the United Kingdom. Stuart MacNeil is a twenty
year member of the professional troupe. Dr Winifred Chafe’s career in music spans decades
and is rooted in both classical violin and Cape Breton ?ddling. She is a performer, a teacher
and an advocate for Cape Breton Celtic music. Betty Matheson is Secretary/Treasurer of the
Cape Breton Fiddlers Association. The Association is a volunteer organization which focuses
on the promotion of Cape Breton Fiddling. Joella Foulds is Co-Director of Celtic Colors
International Festival. Ms Foulds is a driving force behind the creation and growth of the
festival. The festival activities are further developed in the paper. Ken Chisholm is a
musician, writer, editor, actor and promoter of Cape Breton culture. Sam McPhee is the
Director of the Gaelic College which is seen as a foundation to the preservation of the
Scottish heritage in Cape Breton. The Gaelic College promotes the development and
preservation of language, music and customs of the early Scottish immigrants to Cape
Breton. Rodney Chiasson is Director of the Highland Village Museum. The Museum, through
the use of on-site animators, recreates a nineteenth century Highland Village.
The analyses include examining the interviews for thematic threads of commonality or
difference to speak speci?cally to the Cape Breton context of the development, marketing,
and promotion of Cape Breton Celtic music and dance to tourists.
Nara Document of Authenticity (1993), Chhabra et al. (2003) and Cano and Mysyk (2004)
speak to authenticity of experience and product for the cultural tourist which is increasingly
raised in the literature. What is the real cultural experience? Is the cultural experience being
presented to the tourist authentic or has the experience become part of the current cultural
experience of the community and therefore represented as culturally current? Thornton
(1998) in writings about the Irish Celtic music speaks to the near impossibility to determine
with any degree of certainty, the historical sound of Irish music.
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MacNeil (2005) opines, within the Cape Breton context, Celtic may be used to describe
traditional Celtic music representative of the music of the early Scottish immigrants, Celtic
roots music from a folk genre or Celtic fusion where artists experiment with traditional music
and overlays of popular music and other cultural in?uences.
Thornton (1998) argues much of current Celtic music is a product of the world music
industry. MacNeil (2005) suggests the genre of music referred to as Cape Breton Celtic
music or simply Cape Breton music has developed within an island culture, isolated from
Scotland for more than two centuries, is culturally distinct. The research of Malm (1993) also
supports this notion of distinctiveness.
MacNeil (2005) would further suggest that mediaisation forces contextual changes with
music as the product is commercialized. The article explores the evolution of this medium.
The strong Acadian French and Indigenous Aboriginal (Mi’kmaq) culture on Cape Breton
which market a cultural tourism product to tourists are not referenced in this work. For the
purposes of this paper, only the Celtic culture is examined.
Cape Breton cultural development – the Cape Breton sound
Approximately 75 percent of the population of Cape Breton Island can trace ancestral roots
to Scotland. As settlers establish homesteads throughout rural Cape Breton in the
eighteenth and nineteenth century, a constant in the hard agricultural life was the music of
the Highlands of Scotland. Chafe (2005) states the settlers speak Gaelic, develop a culture
of storytelling, and gradually develop their own unique style of ?ddle music (Scottish violin)
which is now widely referred to as Cape Breton ?ddle music.
During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a renewed interest in reintroducing,
promoting, and publishing traditional music in Scotland develops. The ?rst publication of
Scottish ?ddle music (1757) is the work of Robert Bremer in Edinburgh. The research of
Hunter (1979) notes these works sparked a series of publications during the remaining half
of the century. Morgan (2000) writes the ?rst large waves of Scottish immigrants migrate to
Cape Breton in the ?rst decades of the nineteenth century with approximately 30,000 arriving
by mid-century as interest in Scottish music begins to decline in Scotland after 1820. This
appears to be a reasonable date which establishes the divergence of Scottish ?ddle music
and Cape Breton Scottish music. The old repertoire is both nurtured and enhanced as a
distinctive Cape Breton sound begins to emerge. While the music in Scotland develops and
modernises, the music of Cape Breton remains steeped in the old, aural traditions. Feintuch
(2002) reports Cape Bretoners claim their form of music is an older form or more true to the
original traditions than current Scottish music. Matheson (2005) refers to the traditional Cape
Breton music as soul music. She speaks to the emotional ties which are deeply rooted in the
music. As the music, for the most part, was transmitted aurally, the venues become small
community halls, churches, weddings and celebrations. Thus the music and concomitant
dancing become an integral part of community and rural Cape Breton culture and key to
preservation of this link to a cultural past while evolving into a unique form. The research by
MacInnes (2007) states by the 1940s, the ?rst published collections of Cape Breton Celtic
?ddling are made available by MacDonald, MacEachern and MacQuarrie. This is an
important evolution for the Cape Breton Celtic sound as the aural tradition is preserved and
disseminated more widely than through community performance.
MacInnes (2007) notes in 1948, Hugh Allan (Buddy) MacMaster learns to read music and
this seemingly simple event has had a deeply entrenched impact on the Gaidhealtachd
(Gaelic speaking ?ddlers and pipers). MacMaster had a direct link to the historical music of
Scotland through the aural traditions, to the Cape Breton Celtic ?ddlers by the same means,
and now, with this new skill, to the published works. He becomes a proli?c performer and
mentor of the Cape Breton style at the time of a revival of Cape Breton Scottish Heritage.
MacInnes (1997) and Chafe (2005) show the music evolves over the centuries, but the
advent of radio in the 1950s brings the music to a larger audience.
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Community input
As the Cape Breton Development Corporation initiates the ?rst ?ve year development plan
targeting tourism development, the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association is formed in 1972. The
1970s are a decade of nurturing Celtic culture on Cape Breton and preparing the way for the
evolution of the Cape Breton Development Corporation initiatives on culture, heritage and
entertainment in the 1980s. Mr MacMaster’s contribution to culture and community receives
the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest honour in 2000, the Order of Nova Scotia in 2003 and
an Honorary Doctorate from Cape Breton University in 2006 for his contribution to the culture
of Cape Breton.
As the Corporate Plans of the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO, 1986, 1987,
1988) report, a broad based consultation process within the generally de?ned tourism
culture and heritage community on Cape Breton is commences. Groups come together and
talk. Community groups wanting to celebrate their local festivals join in the consultation.
Cape Breton culture and talent form the foundation for the federally sponsored international
marketing campaign launch in 1987. The DEVCO (1988, 1989) Corporate Plans report the
campaign wins international acclaim.
The transition from consultation to inclusion of culture, heritage and entertainment into a
broader strategic development plan is by no means without confrontation. Numerous,
community based culture and heritage groups enter the discussion raising the issue of the
desirability of selling culture to tourists. This discussion continues well into the early 1990s.
During community consultations in this period, several members of the cultural community
are critical of the potential for commodi?cation of local culture. This issue is of prime
importance in consideration of community based cultural tourism. Earlier in the paper, a brief
reference to the issue and importance of authenticity of the cultural tourismproduct is noted.
The work of George (2004) also notes that traditional community culture may slowly die and
be replaced with a more current offering. The current culture, drawn from past traditions,
evolves. Brown and Pyke (2005) and Foulds (2005) report culture, by very de?nition is
dynamic. The research of Brown (1999) illustrates cultural tourists visiting Cape Breton rank
highly the importance of authenticity, though as the literature suggests, are prepared to
accept compromise in levels of authenticity as long as the evolution of the product remains
culturally true.
In 1994, the Federal and Provincial governments and the Municipalities of Eastern Cape
Breton, recognize the traditional industries of coal and steel are facing extinction. The three
levels of government commission a broad based strategic economic development plan for
the diversi?cation of the Cape Breton industrial economy. The Cape Breton County
Economic Development Authority (CBCEDA) is created with a
federal/provincial/municipal/432#community governance model as noted in the strategic
plan of CBCEDA (1994). The ?ve year strategic plan segments future growth for the region
into the knowledge based, tourism, heritage and lifestyle and aquaculture/agriculture
sectors. This process consults with 162 individuals, many representing community
organizations with signi?cant membership. Culture, entertainment and tourism are three
separate consultation processes, eventually culminating in ?fty-two of the one hundred
thirteen speci?c recommendations for economic diversi?cation and investment. The
CBCEDA Strategic Plan (1994) Recommendation (T)-13 C, suggests the establishment of a
Pan-Celtic Festival with the goal of strengthening ties to the Celtic world and the
development of an international cultural tourist attraction could meet the goals of cultural
preservation and tourism marketing. While this recommendation is being further developed
by community activists, Cape Breton music is marketed and promoters are brought to Cape
Breton to hear and experience how the music is intertwined with rural Cape Breton. Millions
of copies of Cape Breton performers work are sold in Canada and the United Kingdom. The
performances promoting the Cape Breton sound are also promoting the region as a
destination to experience a unique form of Celtic music and culture.
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Celtic colors international festival
A strong example of the success of a particular product to market entertainment and culture
within the broader cultural tourism strategy can be seen in the development of the Celtic
Colors International Festival. The festival is promoted to government as a non-pro?t society
with a volunteer Board of Directors. The Celtic Colors International Festival (1996) Business
Plan state the goals of the 1996 proposal include the creation of awareness of the Celtic
culture of Cape Breton within the national and international marketplace, the creation of new
markets for cultural products and the enhancement of the autumn tourism season in Cape
Breton. The structure of the festival is envisaged as a combination of large, gala events
intertwined with small community based performances throughout rural and traditionally
Scottish Cape Breton. The notion is to build upon the existing Cape Breton musical traditions
noted earlier in the paper and take the world to the communities which form the backbone of
the MacMaster School of Community Music. The proposal notes the success of the Glasgow,
Scotland Celtic Connections and Tønder Festival in Tønder, Denmark, somewhat basing
their projections of ticket sales and economic impact on these two festivals. Foulds (2005)
notes the importance and impact of the early visits to these sites and the additional expertise
shared by visits of organizers fromthese sites to Cape Breton. The Celtic Colors International
Festival (1996) Business Plan projects total attendance of 15,000 to 20,000, with 50 percent
local attendees, 40 percent other Canadian tourists with a 10 percent international tourist
base and an overall economic impact of $1.4 million to $3.4 million Canadian. To put these
?gures in perspective, at that time, approximately ?ve hundred thousand tourists visits Cape
Breton annually with gross expenditures of $150 million. The Nova Scotia Department of
Tourism and Culture (2001) reports, these projections, if successful, will represent a 4
percent increase in tourist activity in the off-season, with the generation of an increase of up
to 2 percent of gross tourism receipts.
The Swedes also look to cultural festivals to broaden the base of their regional tourism
product. Aldskogius (1993) notes the birth of the movement in the 1960s had grown to
hundreds of festivals in Sweden by 1993. Interestingly, the Swedish model focuses on not
only folk music, though that category represents approximately 50 percent of the offerings,
but a wide range of music encompassing classic, jazz, rock and mixed genres.
The Cape Breton decision is clearly to focus on traditional Cape Breton Celtic music with
guest appearances of primarily traditional Scottish and to a lesser extent, Irish musicians.
The Celtic Colors Festival is introduced in October, 1997 and celebrates the tenth season in
2007. Celtic Colors International Festival Final Reports (1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005) indicate total attendance of 12,900 in the ?rst year with an estimated economic impact
of approximately $3 million, attracting 4,000 non Cape Breton tourists for the nine day
festival. By 2004, the last reporting year for the event, 18,711 tickets have been sold with
50.5 percent of the visitors being non Cape Breton, creating an estimated economic impact
of $5.77 million, attracting tourists from 24 countries. The number of performing artists has
increased from 300 in the ?rst year to 436 in year eight. Foulds (2005 and 2007) states the
2005 festival is estimated to attract 7000 international visitors from 25 countries, generating
revenues exceeding $6.2 million over the nine days from October 7 to 15, 2005. Foulds also
notes in addition to the approximately 19,000 attendees, they perform for 10,000 school
children to hopefully inspire the next generation of artists.
Has the festival met and exceeded the early goals? Yes, in terms of attendance, international
participation and economic impact. The Cape Breton Post (2006) reports the Celtic Colors
Festival has been named the American Bus Association’s Top Event in Canada, Attractions
Canada’s Top Cultural Event and event of the year at the East Coast Music Awards. Celtic
Colors is by no means the only festival and celebration of Cape Breton culture. The festival is
the largest and most widely publicized and the success attracts other forms of entertainment
at other times in the tourist season. Chisholm (2005) speaks to the variety of offerings and
locations of Cape Breton music which is now available throughout the entire tourism season.
A dramatic change from the ?rst intervention made before the Cape Breton Development
Corporation twenty years earlier. MacPhee (2005) and Chiasson (2007) speak to the
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experiential nature of the tourists who come to Cape Breton for the Celtic roots and music.
Celtic Colors establishes a brand for Cape Breton and this cultural brand is carried
throughout many sectors of the tourism industry.
Conclusion
Cape Breton Island has undergone enormous economic upheaval, transformation and
diversi?cation since the birth of the Cape Breton Development Corporation. When this
federal crown corporation is born in 1967, almost 50 percent of Cape Breton’s labor force of
30,000 works in coal or steel. One can argue without the direct intervention of the Cape
Breton Development Corporation in the 1970s, the existing tourism industry would be very
different, and perhaps dramatically smaller, than the industry which currently exists. The
Cape Breton Development Corporation made many mistakes in the decade of tourism
development, but the corporation had the resources and time to use Cape Breton Island as a
living laboratory, building on successes and abandoning the failures. The Cape Breton
Development Corporation’s principal dif?culty in tourism development is the attempt to
balance economic development and diversi?cation while speaking to the needs of the
tourism market. Oftentimes the corporation looks to areas of Cape Breton which are
underdeveloped for property location. This speaks clearly to the corporate goal of
diversifying the local economy but at times at the expense of the most desirable location for
tourist traf?c. This practice, in time, sees the need to close facilities and focus on target
market needs.
The Cape Breton tourism cluster can serve as a very distinct case for the need for time,
planning and investment in infrastructure. Governments and economic development
practitioners looking to tourism development for an immediate solution to economic
problems have much to learn from the Cape Breton experience. The region chooses to
enhance the natural attractions and to capitalize on people and their culture. The long history
of rural, community based traditional Celtic music is encouraged to growfromperformances
in local church halls to large venues in Cape Breton, throughout North America and the
United Kingdom and Ireland. As the interest in the music and dance grows, the tourist
industry begins to brand itself and the region as a place where friendly, fun-loving people
remain true to their Celtic traditions. Scottish, Celtic and Cape Breton cultures meld together
to create a unique sound which celebrates the aural Scottish traditions of the eighteenth
centuries but allows itself to mature and develop a distinct musical genre.
The economy of Cape Breton has grown and diversi?ed greatly since 1967 with a labor force
which is more than double the size of those troubled days. In 2008, no one is employed in
coal or steel in Cape Breton, but according to the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and
Culture (2003, 2004, 2005) approximately 5,500 or 8 percent of the workforce are employed
by the tourism sector. Cape Breton has differentiated the tourism product from other
destinations in maritime Canada. The cultural tourism product and natural beauty have
consistently been awarded top honours by international travel writers. The cultural product
has matured and continues to attract new entrants including a young generation eager to
add their infusion of new ideas to old traditions. This living culture encourages innovation in
product offerings and broadens the target segments for cultural tourism marketing. Cape
Breton Celtic culture has become a powerful brand within the Canadian tourism industry.
This product is renewable, organic and creates a competitive advantage for the region.
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Corresponding author
Keith G. Brown can be contacted at: [email protected]
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