Newport Folk Festival Producer gets Sweet Job Promotion

Since 2009, Jay Sweet has been producer of the iconic Newport Folk Festival. Since then, he has made one of the greatest and vastest summer music festivals in the world even bigger and better.

Under his guidance, the festival has set a benchmark for all other festivals to follow when it comes to marketing and promotion, mastering the art of building intense anticipation with a slow trickle of signed act announcements for months leading up to the three-day festival at historic Fort Adams State Park in Newport.

Each year, the buzz surrounding the festival on social media has increased. He spearheaded the launch of Newport Folk Radio, which connects Internet listeners from around the world to the festival. He expanded outreach with Newport Folk Presents, which includes concerts in Boston, New York and beyond. The Festival has been increasingly environmentally friendly. The artists lineup has become a guaranteed mix of chart-topping legends, hot up-and-comers and brilliant lesser known musicians.

The result is a guarantee that the festival will sell out every year -- and quickly.

And it also has resulted in a promotion.

Sweet has been named Executive Producer of the Newport Festivals Foundation, a nonprofit founded by legendary George Wein to manage, enhance and propagate the legacies of the famed Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals.

Wein, chairman of the foundation, announced Sweet’s appointment last week and said that in his new role, Sweet will be responsible for the “development, management and execution of the Jazz and Folk festivals in Newport, RI and other music programs that enhance brand outreach.

“Since meeting Jay in 2007, I have witnessed a hard-working producer with outstanding vision, a passion for music and the desire to see the festivals grow and live on for decades to come,” Wein said. “This is an important step as we plan for the sustainability of NFF, and we strongly believe in Jay’s work now and for the future.”

Sweet said he looks forward to continuing to work closely with Wein, the board and their team.

“I am humbled by the board’s confidence in me. To be appointed as the Foundation’s torchbearer is not only an amazing opportunity, but also a great responsibility as people know and respect the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals throughout the world,” Sweet said.

Sweet’s primary responsibilities will include hiring and management of producers and staff, management of artist negotiations, sponsorships, licensing and merchandising as well as budgets and financial planning.

The Newport Folk Festival has been named Pollstar Music Festival of the Year for the past three years and is nominated again for 2015.

Sweet joined the Newport Folk Festival in 2007 as a consultant and became an associate producer in 2008 and producer in 2009. He has served as editor-at-large and Director of Business Development for Paste magazine, as a principal and co-founder of Sweet & Doggett Consulting and is a frequent keynote speaker at film and music conferences. Before the Newport events, Sweet spent a decade helping corporate America with its music initiatives and now continues that expertise with the Newport Festivals Foundation.

The 2016 Newport Folk Festival (www.newportfolk.org) is set for July 22-24, followed by the Newport Jazz Festival (www.newportjazzfest.org) July 29-31.

Photo: Jay Sweet shares a moment with legendary musician Roger Waters. (Photo by Brian Lima)