SONIC GUILD PRESENTS: SONIC SESSIONS
Tue, Jun 06
|KEXP
Sonic Sessions provides musicians access to industry experts' wealth of experience, tactics, and strategies to support career development.
Time & Location
Jun 06, 2023, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM
KEXP, 472 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
About the event
Sonic Guild, a music non-profit organization committed to supporting the creation and performance of new music by exceptional local musicians, is proud to announce Sonic Sessions. This free (with RSVP) event is set up to give Seattle area musicians access to valuable information to help them market their music and better understand booking local and national shows and tours.
Sonic Sessions will comprise two panels featuring an impressive group of Seattle music professionals sharing their wealth of experience, tactics, and strategies.
Panel 1: Marketing Your Music: Maximizing promotional power of social media to build scale for live performances and recordings:
● Rachel White- Director, Social Marketing + Community Engagement, Sub Pop Records
● Laurie Kearney – Music Publicist, Riot Act Media / Founder, Ghost Gallery
● Nikki Barron- Outreach & Communications Manager, SMASH
● Leigh Bezezekoff- Marketing and Ticketing, Tractor Tavern
● Kate Van Petten- Marketing & Communications Manager, Sonic Guild (Moderator)
Panel 2: Maximizing Live: How to best build scale locally and nationally through live performances:
● Kevin Sur- Owner and Founder of Artist Home & Timber! Outdoor Music Festival
● Valerie Topacio- Founders, Belltown Bloom Festival, La Fonda
● Veronica Topacio- Founders, Belltown Bloom Festival, La Fonda
● Jodi Ecklund- Co-owner & Booking Agent, The Clock Out Lounge
● Ben London- Executive Director, Sonic Guild (Moderator)
Funding for Sonic Sessions is provided by the Washington State Microenterprise Association (WSMA) thanks to a grant made by the WA State Department of Commerce. WSMA is dedicated to strengthening 120+ non-profit business technical assistance providers that support the smallest businesses to strengthen their business skills, access financing, innovate, create jobs and build wealth.
Sonic Guild was one of the non-profits selected by WSMA to create programming that focused on supporting gig entrepreneurs in urban settings.
ABOUT SONIC GUILD
Sonic Guild is a leading organization that builds community to support the creation and performance of new music by exceptional musicians. With a focus on providing resources, networking opportunities, and education to musicians of all genres and backgrounds, Sonic Guild is committed to advancing musician’s career opportunities within the music industry and empowering them to succeed. Founded in 2013, Sonic Guild (originally known as Black Fret) is a 501c3 public charity headquartered in Austin, TX whose mission is to build community that supports the creation and performance of new music by exceptional musicians. The organization is an innovative evolution of the age-old symphony patronage model that is instead focused on supporting popular local music. Together, Sonic Guild’s limited membership, sponsors and supporters have distributed over $3.5 million in grants and direct payments to musicians since 2013. In return for annual dues, members enjoy a broad range of private events in a multitude of venues. Grant recipients are selected annually through a yearlong process where members, advisors and prior grant recipients nominate, attend performances by and finally vote on their favorite artists.
For more information, visit https://www.sonicguild.org/
“Sonic Guild Seattle is an organization that musician dreams are made of. We can all agree that funding the arts is vital, but sometimes independent songwriters and bands can get left in the dust when it comes to grants because they are not a symphony, opera, or classical music oriented…Sonic Guild changes that” - Cumulus
HOW SONIC GUILD WORKS
Each year, Sonic Guild Members pay dues ($750 for an individual, $1,500 for a dual, or $3,000 for quad membership) that fuel the organization’s events and grants. Members gain access to monthly private curated performances featuring an amazing cross section of local music, the right to nominate artists (along with a panel of music industry advisors and past Sonic Guild grant recipients) for yearly grant consideration, and the ability to vote for the allocation of grant dollars at the end of each season. Along with sponsors, individual & corporate donors, foundations, government, and strategic partnerships, Sonic Guild has built a new model of philanthropy to support the creation and performance of popular local music.
“It's pretty encouraging to see musicians get grant money they can use” - The Stranger
HOW TO JOIN
Those interested in supporting the future of Seattle music can join Sonic Guild today by going to www.sonicguild.org/membership/
“It's no secret that I love our city and its music community. Sonic Guild provides valuable support to Seattle’s musicians as they work to take their music to the next level. If you love music like I do, then consider joining Sonic Guild and support the future of Seattle music.”
– Mike McCready, Pearl Jam