#95 - Rocky Mountain Audiofest - Another Tragic Pandemic Casualty

Two days ago we received the same letter many others received. It was the news none of us wanted to hear, that Rocky Mountain Audiofest had been canceled. And even worse that Marjorie and Marcie were not going to pursue ever putting it on again.

Yes, we had plans to go. Marjorie and I had just talked the week before and we both were determined to do something different and fun. But I completely understand her position. We were having second thoughts about going as well.

Our plan was to put on a meditation room - a room where no one talked, only listened. Ambient music would emanate from various corners of the room. Marjorie had an idea to bring in yoga mats. We would play music from Qobuz. David Solomon had even suggested a wonderful system we could use. Many artists were excited to come and participate.

Most of all, we were thrilled that we would be able to hang with our friends and manufacturers, share coffee and other libations, have some good laughs, and hear great stories.

The outpouring on social media of Marjorie's announcement to close the show brought heartfelt tears and sadness. It was the show where most of us became friends. It was the show where Blue Coast always had a presence. Our artists loved coming to Rocky Mountain. It's where the "Flashjamm" was born (when artists who never played together jammed in a manufacturer's room). Where we held many workshops and panels discussing the promise of DSD year after year.

Those memories will last a lifetime. I'm so very thankful for all the work Marjorie and the Denver audiophile group did to keep us as a family. We look forward to joining her in whatever roads she takes next. Hats off and thank you, Ms Baumert. You deserve to be in the audiophile Hall of Fame.

With much respect,
Cookie Marenco
Blue Coast Records and Music

From Marjorie Baumert

Dear Cookie,

A year and a half ago, our hearts were aching as we made the hard decision to cancel our 2020 show. Back then, we somehow imagined that as a country, we could band together and transcend COVID-19, and our lives could return to normal. We hoped we could ride out a year in isolation and emerge healthy and ready to gather again. Here at RMAF, we spent the year improving our business by producing new room layouts with all the outlets marked, and created a handbook to guide exhibitors as they learned yet again to navigate their exhibitor accounts. We imagined ourselves enthusiastically greeting our audio industry friends in a few weeks, and we’ve held onto that dream in spite of our nervous fears and scary news reports.

Even though some parts of the United States are fully open, the number of people contracting the virus, and the number of deaths attributed to it are still rising, and the CDC is projecting an even more deadly Lambda wave this fall. We are frightened on behalf of our friends in the audio industry on many levels. The very worst thing that we can envision is for someone to fall ill because they came to our show, whether as an exhibitor, a journalist, an attendee, or a volunteer. Good health is a precious gift, and we are learning that although recovery is possible, the residual effects of COVID-19 and its variants can be profound, and we are unwilling to risk even one case. Up until now, we have held onto the possibility that our October show could be produced as planned. After reading and listening to the news concerning the Coronavirus pandemic, and watching the cancellation of numerous other shows, we no longer hold that hope. In spite of our initial optimism, we have read and listened to all of your thoughtful comments and then looked at the numbers and made the difficult decision to cancel RMAF 2021.

As is our policy, RMAF will be issuing refunds to those exhibitors who have made payments for their rooms. We understand that in times such as these, finances can be a delicate balance, so you may expect to see your refund within the next 7 to 10 business days.

This has been a wrenching decision, and along with it comes the added impact of deciding that we are no longer able to envision RMAF as our hearts delight. RMAF was our founder Al Stiefel’s dream, and we’ve done our best to nurture his vision for 12 years, along with help from the Colorado Audio Society and all our volunteers from around the world. Now, we are off to new adventures! And so it is with both sadness and anticipation for the future, we announce that the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest as we have all known it will be no more. It has been our very great pleasure to have served this community of audio professionals. We have learned so much from you! Thank you for 17 years of friendship and support. It has meant more than you can possibly imagine.

We offer you our heartiest wishes for good health and great happiness.

Your Friends,

Marjorie and Marcie

Marjorie Baumert and Marcie Miller

Rocky Mountain International Audio Fest

October 8-10, 2021