The race is on to see whether more oil shows up along Alabama beaches this summer or more music. Truth is, oil appears to be bringing music to the coast.

Rick Shell, the promoter and producer of the Festival of Musicians, is bringing that musical event to local beaches from July 8-12.

Shell had first tried to get his Festival of Musicians in place in Foley for spring break. When that didn’t happen he moved it to Bicentennial Park near Stockton. As of last week, however, the Festival that Shell says will feature hundreds of musical acts from all over the nation will be held at several venues along the coast from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach to Perdido Key.

Shell said the landmark Flora Bama would be the main staging location for the Festival of Musicians, which Shell conceived as a “gauntlet” of stages where acts perform on everything from large stages to “intimate acoustic settings.” The bands and acts perform over the five-day event and collect what Shell calls “kudos” as payment for their performances. Kudos are how bands are rated, and Shell said top acts will perform in featured spots on the biggest stages.

Shell’s announcement about the “Beach Jam” comes at roughly the same time it was announced that Jimmy Buffett will hold a concert on July 1 at Gulf Shores Public Beach. Buffett hopes to give the area’s struggling tourism industry, hit hard by the oil spill crisis, a boost.

Shell too hopes to see local beaches full of fun and business on July 8-12 and has said he will donate up to $1 million in tickets to the Festival of Musicians Beach Jam to oil spill cleanup workers.