Educated young adults aren’t the only ones leaving Baton Rouge in droves.Long before last year’s census indicated the flight of more than 2,000 skilled workers from the Baton Rouge area, country singers have been dispersing from the entire state, looking for new performance venues.These venues, known commonly as oprys, have been cycling through their short lives all over Louisiana, trying vainly to gain foothold but usually dying within years.Oprys in Louisiana do not fail for want of talented singers. In fact, there is such an overabundance of talent, many singers, not wanting to wait months for their next turn to perform, often leave the state to practice their craft.Mallory Richard, mass communication freshman, is one of many who travel outside of Louisiana to find new places to perform. “My sister and I usually travel out of state to perform in oprys about once a month, usually to the Liberty Opry in Texas,” she said.The Liberty Opry, which has been in business for 13 years, has outlasted most Louisianan oprys.Richard also supports more oprys in her home state.”Louisiana certainly could use some more oprys if not for the sheer economic and tourist benefits, but for the cultural benefits.”The best way to implement this would be for oprys to investigate the tax incentives offered by the Office of Live Performance Development, a subdivision of the Louisiana Entertainment Department, the latter which is known for offering tax incentives to film projects. But no oprys have explored these resources.”I can tell you with certainty that none have applied for the incentives,” said Philip Mann, director of Live Performance Development.This is troubling, because if an opry were to qualify for the incentives offered by the LPD, they would likely enjoy an economic boom similar to that of Louisiana’s film industry; the film tax credits have generated more than $2 billion in new revenue during the last seven years.Additionally, this has allowed Louisianians to carve out their creative niche without resorting to leaving the area.Therefore, a similar break for oprys would result not only in an economic improvement, but a systematic restoration of southern culture, centered around an industry which prides itself on great family entertainment and quality live music.Arguably, the country music niche already has providers in Louisiana’s market. But there is no reason why oprys shouldn’t be able competitors, especially considering they can afford to cut corners by not paying their performers, who are usually more than happy to put on a show free of charge.If performers already leave the state to do just that, then it’s hardly unreasonable to assume they’ll walk across the street to do the same thing.  Furthermore, if performers really do desire compensation, they are allowed to sell their demo CDs to fans and talent scouts who attend the show. Obviously, this does not cost the owners of the establishment anything. The burden of the recouping the cost of the CDs in the sells rests solely on the individual, and, in turn, the quality of his or her performance. This allows the opry to operate as a flexible entity, free from potential blemishes of its performers.Essentially, a great opportunity awaits in the opry business, which has all the ingredients to be an incredible competitor.The resources are readily available: the incentives, the surplus of performers outsourced to out-of-state venues, and a target audience. What is required is an individual with the desire to provide a forum for wholesome entertainment — and make a buck in the process.  Linnie Leavines is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Central City. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_lleavines.—-Contact Linnie Leavines at [email protected]