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Filed under: Music, Seattle City of Music Initiative, Seattle Music Commission | Tags: Black Music Summit, City of Music Career Day Roadshow, Music
On Saturday, January 31st, the Office of Film + Music’s Director, Kate Becker, and Creative Industries Advocate, Mikhael Mei Williams, participated in the day long City of Music: Black Music Summit at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Orchestrated by Seattle Music Commissioner Wyking Garrett, this event is an evolution and direct outreach program of the Music Commission’s annual City of Music Career Day held each spring at the Seattle Center. The goal of the Roadshow events is to engage local communities around equity and opportunities in Seattle’s music industry and to provide a framework for discussion around ways to ensure Seattle’s vibrant music scene is accessible and open to everyone.
Over 150 people attended and participated throughout the day long event, including six Music Commissioners. Panels covered a variety of topics including the state of Black Music in Seattle, how to make a living in today’s music business, and how music can be used to activate and enrich neighborhoods. Panelists featured a mix of working artists and performers, promoters, venue owners and operators, and music and cultural organizations and included Ishmael Butler, Shabazz Palaces/Sub Pop Records; Ouwar Arunga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Arunga Music, LLC; Jazmyn Scott, The Town Entertainment; Ricardo Frazer, Seattle Music Commission/Zaki Rose Agency; LaTanya “Sista Luv” Horace, Singer/Songwriter; Tendai Baba Maraire, Shabazz Palaces/Chimerunga Renaissance; Larry Mizell, The Stranger/KEXP; Lara Davis and Liz Johnson, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture; Evelyn Allen, Exec. Director Village Spirit Center for Community Change; Suntionio Bandanaz, 206Zulu and many others.
The event generated lively conversation and discussion around challenges facing the Black music community and how artists, musicians, promoters, and others working in the industry could better connect to create more opportunities to make a living in music. The event involved a high-level of active participation and collaboration and the ideas, strategies, and feedback that resulted from the summit will help inform the direction of the City of Music Initiative as it progresses.
Seattle Music Commissioner and Black Music Summit organizer Wyking Garrett kicking off the program.
“State of Black Music” panel featuring Jazmyn Scott, Ouwar Arunga, Ishmael Butler, Music Commissioner Wyking Garrett, Dr. James Gore, Music Commissioner Ricardo Frazer, and Erinn “Ms. Urban 411” Renee
Filed under: Music, Seattle City of Music Initiative, Seattle Music Commission
Music is a $2+ Billion industry in Seattle with over 20,000 jobs represented. African-Americans and the Central District have played a significant role in the development of Seattle’s rich musical legacy – from jazz and blues to funk and hip hop – yet have minimal representation in the industry economics and policy influence.
The Black Music Summit “A Motown in Seattle?” will take place this Saturday, January 31st from 11 am to 6 pm at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. This event is free and open to the public.
The purpose of this summit is to bring together stakeholders—musicians, artists, promoters, venue owners and operators, members of the media, educators, and other industry participants—to increase awareness of available opportunities and strengthen networks for action. The goal is to address the current state, and future growth, of Black Music in Seattle and the Central District and explore the opportunities and challenges in the context of Seattle’s City of Music Initiative to make Seattle a global music mecca by 2020.
The Roadshows were developed as an outreach tool for the annual City of Music Career Day to provide information, assess challenges and opportunities, and provide access to the music industry in underrepresented communities. These events showcase talent in these hyper-local communities and bring neighborhoods together to celebrate their vibrant and rich musical histories and cultures.
The Black Music Summit “A Motown in Seattle” program schedule features the following:
- 11:00am – 12pm Industry Stakeholders Meet & Greet Brunch
- 12:15pm Welcome & Opening Statements
• Kate Becker, Director Seattle Office of Film & Music
• Randy Engstrom, Director, Seattle Office of Art & Culture
- 12:30 State of Black Music in Seattle
• Ishmael Butler, Shabazz Palaces/SubPop Records
• Ouwar Arunga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Arunga Music, LLC
• Dr. James Gore, Ariel Media/Jackson St. Music Program
• Jazmyn Scott, The Town Ent.
• Erinn “Ms. Urban 411” Renee, C89.5FM The Gospel Show/Rite Marketing
- 1:45pm – 2:45 Feast or Famine: Making Money In Today’s Music Biz
• LaTanya “Sista Luv” Horace, Singer/Songwriter
• Darryl Crews, Executive, Sky Movement (Tacoma, WA)
• Tendai Baba Maraire, Shabazz Palaces/Chimerunga Renaissance
• Larry Mizell, The Stranger
• Lara Davis, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
• Mark Henderson, International Musican & Band Leader (Hong Kong)
- 3:15-4:15 Using Music To Activate Neighborhoods Roundtable
• Royal Alley Barnes, Executive Director, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
• Evelyn Allen – Exec. Dir., Village Spirit Center for Community Change
• Felix Ngoussou, Owner – Lake Chad Cafe
• Liz Johnson, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
• Jason Davidson, Owner – Cortona Cafe & Parklet
• Robert Stevens – African American Veterans Group of Washington State/23rd Ave ACT/Garfield Community Council
• Savior Knowledge, Union Street Business Association
• Heidi Jackson, CEO Hidmo Cypher
• Suntonio Bandanaz – Artists, 206Zulu
- Young Artists Roundtable facilitated by Freshest Roots
- 4:30 -5:45 Music, Technology & Marketing presented by Hack The CD
The Roadshow events are produced by Seattle Music Commissioner K. Wyking Garrett of UMOJA PEACE Center in collaboration with the Office of Film + Music, Seattle Music Commission, and the Office of Arts & Culture.
Seattle Office of Film + Music 