2018 Blues Music Awards Reception

Recording Academy Memphis Chapter hosts a reception celebrating the 2018 Blues Music Awards; Photo: Greg Campbell/WireImage.com

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Keb' Mo', Taj Mahal, Samantha Fish, Mavis Staples: 2018 Blues Music Awards

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Annual celebration in Memphis, Tenn., brings together blues performers, industry representatives and fans to celebrate the best in blues recordings and performances
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jun 15, 2018 - 1:17 pm

Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' are riding a steady wave of blues momentum. The dynamic duo emerged as the big winners at the 2018 Blues Music Awards on May 10, taking home Album of the Year honors for their acclaimed TajMo project. This recognition follows their shared GRAMMY win for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Inside The 2018 Blues Awards In Memphis

At the Blues Awards, TajMo also captured Contemporary Blues Album honors. In addition to their joint wins, Mahal won Acoustic Artist and B.B. Entertainer of the Year while Keb' Mo' took Contemporary Blues Male Artist.

"It's a great honor," says Mo'. "I don't know what to say. I'm just really surprised."

Designed as a showcase of the year's best in blues recordings and performances, the annual Memphis, Tenn.-based celebration doled out 26 awards. Like the GRAMMY Awards' American Roots Field, which includes awards for contemporary and traditional blues, the Blues Music Awards recognize the artists who have helped bridge blues' storied lineage and those who are pushing the genre into an exciting future.

Surely an apt title for the awards, "The Blues Ain't Going Nowhere" by Rick Estrin & The Nightcats picked up Song of the Year honors. The band also earned Band of the Year and Estrin, a master harmonica player, took home Traditional Blues Male Artist.

Blues/soul band Southern Avenue — comprising five young musicians, fronted by Tierinii Jackson — picked up Best Emerging Artist Album for their eponymous 2017 debut album. Released on the legendary Stax label, the LP has been likened to a breath of fresh air for the genre with its own unique blend of gospel-tinged R&B vocals, roots/blues-based guitar work and soul-inspired songwriting.

A star surely on the rise, Samantha Fish earned Contemporary Blues Female Artist honors. In 2017 the Kansas City, Mo., native released Belle Of The West, an LP produced by Luther Dickinson that authentically incorporates blues, Americana and country elements.

A trio of formidable blues women were also recognized. GRAMMY nominee Beth Hart, who can wail and sing as quiet as a feather, was honored with Instrumentalist — Vocals. The legendary Mavis Staples took home Soul Blues Female Artist and Ruthie Foster won the Koko Taylor (Traditional Blues Female Artist) award.

Host Steven Van Zandt lent an enthusiastic voice to the event, showing his respect and support for the genre that started it all.

"Whether it's soul music or rock music, it's all kind of based in the blues," said Van Zandt. He went on to talk about how the music serves to get more young people involved. "It's putting a lot of instruments in kids hands, and the more of that we can do the better."

Meet The 2018 Blues Hall Of Fame Inductees

On the day prior to the awards, the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place, honoring performers, music industry professionals and recordings of stature.

"The Blues Hall of Fame is the pinnacle honor for anyone who's worked in or performed in the blues industry," says Barbara Newman, president and CEO of The Blues Foundation. "It is an honor of a lifetime of achievement in blues."

Performers inducted into the blues hall this year included the Aces, Georgia Tom Dorsey, Sam Lay, Mamie Smith, and Roebuck "Pops" Staples. Among the recordings recognized were B.B. King's 1967 album, Blues Is King, Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man," Joe Turner's "Roll 'Em Pete," and the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted "Green Onions" by Booker T. & The MG's.

In all, the action in Memphis proved the blues are more than just the foundation of the music we love — they are alive and kickin'!

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Resources for Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: Asia, Europe & The U.K.

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The Recording Academy is committed to sharing resources to the global community of music creators and professionals affected by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic
GRAMMYs
Mar 23, 2020 - 5:11 pm

In the current coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, music creators and many of the professionals who support them have been greatly affected. The Recording Academy is committed to creating, amplifying, and sharing resources that will provide some form of comfort.

While The Academy’s MusiCares has set up a COVID-19 Relief Fund available as a safety net for music creators in need, below you will find resources available to those in the music community who live in Asia, Europe and United Kingdom.
 

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ASIA

Hong Kong Arts Development Council
The organization has increased its support for the Arts & Cultural Sector to HK$55 million to help relieve the financial burden of the arts sector during this difficult period. Information on how to apply is on the org’s website.

Singapore Sets up Funding for Arts and Culture Sector amid COVID-19 Outbreak 
About S$1.6 million will be set aside for the arts and culture sector as part of support for the community amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and to prepare the sector for “post-disease recovery.”

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EUROPE

BELGIUM

Flanders Agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Self-employed persons and assistants in the main occupation and assisting spouses who have to stop their activity due to the corona virus can receive financial benefits.

Wallonia-Brussels Federation
Information on aid for artists negatively impacted by event and job cancellations and/or postponements related to COVID-19.

FINLAND

Finnish Foundations and Ministry Provide Millions In Emergency Aid For Cultural Sector in Distress
A number of large Finnish foundations, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) are working together to grant swift assistance to arts and culture professionals who have been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak. Funding totaling approximately EUR 1.5 million will be apportioned during April via the Arts Promotion Centre (Taike). Foundations will also grant significant sums in aid through their own channels.

FRANCE

Institut Français COVID-19 Resources
This French institute, that promotes French culture abroad, while promoting artistic exchanges and dialogue between cultures, has compiled several available resources for French artists and those employed in cultural sectors.

French Government’s Measures for Temporary Workers and Employees in the Cultural Sector
Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labor, and Franck Riester, Minister of Culture, have announced exceptional measures to support intermittent workers and employees in the cultural sector in the context of the health crisis.

Pays de la Loire Region Coronavirus Emergency Plan
This €50 million plan would be devoted to supporting the local economy --- €25 million in immediately available credits in the form of existing support systems and €25 million in new measures and credits, including €2 million in support of cultural and sports associations. The Pays de la Loire covers the area to the south of Brittany and Normandy, along the lower stretches of the river Loire.

French Government Containment System Certifications
On March 16, 2020, the French Government decided to take measures to minimize contact and travel. “A containment system has been in place since Tuesday, March 17 at 12:00 p.m., for a minimum of fifteen days. Travel is prohibited except in the following cases and only if you have a certificate for: 1.) Move from home to work when telework is not possible 2.) Make essential purchases in authorized local shops 3.) Go to a health professional 4.) Travel for child care or to help vulnerable people, or for a compelling family reason, duly justified, on the strict condition of respecting barrier gestures 5.) Exercise only on an individual basis, around the home and without any gathering. Violations of these rules without a certificate will be punished with a fine of 135 euros.”

GERMANY

GEMA Corona Aid Fund
The German performance rights organization has created a $43 million fund for composers, lyricists, music publishers and songwriter members negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending on how one is personally affected, members can apply for transitional aid of up to EUR 5,000.

The Luxembourg Government – COVID-19 Efforts
The Ministry of The Economy has established a website and hotline for information and recommendations for businesses

Queer Relief (Berlin) 
Created by the queer community in Berlin, this application was created to help offer support for those who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Applicants who are on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, womxn, sex workers, refugees, and other marginalized individuals (i.e. BiPoC) will receive priority.

Petition: Help for Freelancer and Artists during the Corona Shutdown
This petition seeks to urge Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz immediate financial help for freelancers and people from the creative scene, for example in the form of “1.) Non-bureaucratic bridging money, for example in the form of a temporary (unconditional) basic income 2.) Aid fund to quickly compensate for lost income, e.g. connected to the artists' social security fund (but expressly NOT limited to its members, since all freelancers are equally affected) and 3.) A short-time work benefit, in which the net income from the last available tax assessment is based on a monthly support payment by the tax offices.”

ITALY

Petition: Appeal for Urgent Support For Show Business Workers
Fondazione Centro Studi Doc has set up this Change.org petition advocating Italy’s President and government to extend immediate emergency relief to the artistic community

POLAND

Poland’s Culture Promotion Fund
Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage is offering social assistance from The Culture Promotion Fund can be obtained by artists who are in a difficult financial situation.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Coronavirus (COVID-19): What You Need To Do
The UK Government has set up a webpage offering information on financial support, school and business closures, small business support, and health related updates.

UK Tax Helpline for Businesses
New Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) helpline launched to help businesses concerned about paying their tax due to coronavirus (COVID-19)

Help Musicians Health and Welfare Support
Help Musicians’ Health and Welfare team offers structured support to professional musicians in times of personal crisis. Their approach is “person-centered; building tailored support around an individual’s specific needs.” Help Musicians is unable to replace lost earnings. But they are able to provide financial support in cases of significant financial hardship as well as signposting for debt/welfare-related issues. The organization also provides financial assistance for health interventions and access to music specialist health assessments for performance-related health issues. Applicants who live in the United Kingdom who have savings that do not exceed £16,000 (rare exceptions may be made; for example, the limit is a higher £20,000 for retirees) should apply.

Music Venue Trust
Emergency legal advice for music venues. The organization allows every venue in the country to access free legal and expert advice on licensing, planning, development, noise, and even tenancy issues.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Guidance for Musicians
Incorporated Society of Musicians has compiled an online resource hub for performers, music professionals, private and employed music teachers.

Musicians’ Union Coronavirus (COVID-19) Advice
Find advice and read latest news on Coronavirus for musicians

Association of Independent Promoters
The Association of Independent Promoters (AIP) is a new not for profit trade association bringing together independent promoters from across the UK. Our aim is to represent, empower and provide a vital support network to promoters.

Petition: UK Government to offer economic assistance to the events industry during COVID-19
For the UK government to provide economic assistance to businesses and staff employed in the events industry, who are suffering unforeseen financial challenges that could have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector.

Petition: Temporary Income Protection Fund
This Change.org petition is asking the government to create a Temporary Income Protection Fund to support freelancers through the Coronavirus crisis. The idea is for a time-limited, targeted injection of funds to keep businesses afloat over the coming months and cover basic income costs like food and rent.

Scottish Government COVID-19 Relief Efforts
The Scottish government has announced a £350m fund for councils, charities, businesses and community groups. Roughly £45 million will be added to the existing Scottish Welfare Fund which makes community grants and crisis grants to those in immediate need. In addition, £20 million will be allocated to a Third Sector Resilience Fund, £40 million to the Supporting Communities Fund to support the rapidly growing and inspiring community efforts at a local level; £70m will be allocated to a Food Fund and £50 million will be given to the Wellbeing Fund which will help charities and others who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people.

Ireland Artist Emergency Relief Fund
The Civic Theatre in Dublin has created this fund to provide financial relief to Irish artists experiencing lost income related to COVID-19. Small grants of up to €500 will be paid rapidly on a first-come, first-served basis to affected artists and groups.
 

GENERAL RESOURCES

MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund
The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and subsequent cancellation of multiple music events. From hotel and bar gigs to major music festivals, COVID-19 is deeply impacting live music events, and the creative community behind it all. Administered through MusiCares, the COVID-19 Fund will be used to directly support those in the music community with the greatest need. To establish the fund, both the Recording Academy and MusiCares have contributed an initial donation of $1 million each, totaling $2 million. Additionally, all Recording Academy Chapters have committed to fundraising in their local communities. Further updates and announcements will be made in the coming days.

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Atlanta, Georgia

Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

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Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: South Region

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The Recording Academy's Memphis, Nashville, Florida and Atlanta chapters are committed to sharing resources for music creators and professionals affected by the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic
GRAMMYs
Mar 19, 2020 - 2:24 pm

In the current Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, music creators and many of the professionals who support them have been greatly affected. The Recording Academy’s Memphis, Nashville, Florida and Atlanta chapters are committed to creating, amplifying, and sharing resources that will provide some form of comfort.

While The Academy’s MusiCares has set up a COVID-19 Relief Fund available as a safety net for music creators in need, below you will find resources available to those in the music community who live within states that make up the Academy’s South Region. Please visit regularly for updates.

FLORIDA

III Points Miami Artist Initiative
III Points has created the III Points Miami Artist Initiative, in Partnership with ICA Miami, to give back to Miami artists who continue to drive the scene to new heights. Together, III Points and ICA Miami will provide financial assistance to artists and musicians experiencing uncertainty at this time. 

GEORGIA

Georgia Department of Labor Unemployment Assistance
Georgia’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program provides temporary income for workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and who are either looking for another job, have a definite recall to their jobs within six weeks of the last day worked, or are in approved training. The funding for unemployment insurance benefits comes from taxes paid by employers. Workers do not pay any costs. Eligibility for benefits is determined based on past wages, reason for job separation, and availability and job search requirements. Claims are effective on the date they are filed and are not retroactive to the last day worked. 

Garrie Vereen Memorial Emergency Relief Fund
Established by musician-focused suicide prevention organization Nuçi's Space in Athens, Georgia; this fund aims to support musicians, artists, crew, venue and bar employees. The goal is to help those who will be hit the hardest by the economic shut-down and not eligible for assistance through traditional channels.

Georgia State Unemployment Insurance
Georgia residents can submit an application for unemployment benefits here.

Atlanta Community Food Bank
The Atlanta Community Food Bank partners with a network of 700 nonprofit food pantries and meal programs in 29 counties. A list of pantries and programs will come up with contact info. It is recommended that persons call ahead to find out the pantry’s hours and the zip codes that they serve. Some of the partners only serve people who reside in their zip code while others serve beyond their zip code.

HomeSafe Georgia – Free Mortgage Payment Assistance
HomeSafe Georgia is operated by the State of Georgia. Applications will not be accepted after Tuesday, March 31, 2020. Due to limited funding not all applicants will receive funding.

MISSOURI 

St. Louis Arts and Music Fund
Created by Ben Majchrzak (Native Sound Recording), this fund seeks to help artists in need in the St. Louis, MO community. Donations will go directly into the hands of those that we are helping to aid them with rent, mortgage, groceries, utilities, etc.

NORTH CAROLINA

NC Artist Relief Fund
This fund has been created to support creative individuals who have been financially impacted by gig cancellations due to the outbreak of COVID-19. 100% of donated funds will go directly to artists and arts presenters in North Carolina. Musicians, visual artists, actors, DJs, dancers, teaching artists, filmmakers, comedians, and other creative individuals and arts presenters are experiencing widespread cancellations due to this global pandemic. Many North Carolina artists rely on markets, performances, classes, and exhibitions in order to pay the bills directly aligned with their costs of living.

Durham Artist Relief Fund
Durham-based artists, arts presenters and arts venues in need of funds due to coronavirus-related cancellations can apply for financial assistance, with priority given to BIPOC artists, transgender and non-binary artists and disabled artists.

LOUISIANA

New Orleans Business Alliance Relief Fund
As a result of the anticipated local economic impact of COVID-19, the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) is setting up a relief fund to meet the needs of gig economy workers (musicians, arena workers, and festival production staff) who have been directly impacted via loss of income.  NOLABA has committed $100,000 to initiate the fund, with a goal of increasing the fund assets to a minimum of $500,000.

Culture Aid Nola
Culture Aid Nola (CAN) is group of organizations that advocate for hospitality and culture workers. CAN is working with multiple restaurants, management groups, suppliers and chefs to provide access to healthy food for out of work service and entertainment workers. CAN also assists with Medicaid access navigation, and advocacy for cultural groups.

The Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, has established this fund as a statewide relief fund to support Louisiana-based musicians who have lost income amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

TENNESSEE

Nashville COVID-19 Response
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville has created a website to help local citizens understand the disease, answer questions and provide information on available resources.

Opry Trust Fund
The Opry Trust Fund provides financial assistance in time of extraordinary need, emergency or catastrophe to individuals who are or have been employed full time in a facet of the country music industry (i.e. performer, songwriter, publisher, radio, session musician, etc.). The Opry Trust Fund is not able to assist in situations of financial need that result solely from lack of employment, poor sales and/or poor business practices. The Opry Trust Fund accepts referrals from individuals within the country music community, including Opry members, as well as from other charitable organizations, such as MusiCares.

Music Export Memphis
Music Export Memphis has started a COVID-19 Emergency relief fund for local musicians who have lost income because of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic. To qualify, those applying must be a musician who lives in Memphis and can provide some proof of lost income from COVID-19.

Nashville Musicians AFM Local 257
Members of the Nashville chapter of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) have access to its Local 257 Emergency Relief Fund for financial assistance, as well as access to group health insurance through Sound Healthcare.

Nashville UNITED WAY COVID-19 Response Fund
This more than $1 million fund, housed by United Way of Greater Nashville and chaired by former Senator Dr. Bill Frist, will deploy resources to community-based organizations. Funding decisions will be made by an advisory committee including former Sony Music Nashville CEO Joe Galante.

GRATITUNES
Say “Thank You” to the local doctors, nurses, and staff of Vanderbilt University Medical Center with a song.

GENERAL RESOURCES:

Crew Nation
Live Nation has committed $10 million to Crew Nation – contributing an initial $5 million to the fund, then matching the next $5 million given by artists, fans and employees dollar for dollar. Crew Nation is powered by Music Forward Foundation, a charitable 501c3 organization that will be administering the fund.

NEW MUSIC SOLIDARITY FUND
The New Music Solidarity Fund is designed to help new/creative/improvised music freelancers whose livelihood has been threatened as a result of performances which have been canceled during the COVID-19 crisis.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Disaster Loans
The U.S. Small Business Administration notes small business owners in the following designated states are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to Coronavirus (COVID-19): California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Utah, and Washington.

Creative Capital’s List of Arts Resources During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Creative Capital has created a list of resources for artists working in all disciplines, as well as arts philanthropists, and arts professionals.

Foundation for the Contemporary Arts Emergency Fund
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts has created a temporary fund to meet the needs of artists who have been impacted by the economic fallout from postponed or canceled performances and exhibitions. For as long as the foundation’s Board of Directors determines it is necessary and prudent to do so, the Foundation will disburse $1,000 grants to artists who have had performances or exhibitions canceled or postponed because of the COVID-19 virus.

Jazz Foundation of America
The Jazz Foundation’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund provides housing assistance, pro bono medical care, disaster relief and direct financial support in times of crisis.

Rauschenberg Emergency Grants Program
New York Foundation for The Arts has partnered with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to administer a new emergency grant program that will provide one-time grants of up to $5,000 for medical emergencies. The grants are available to visual and media artists and choreographers who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. Territories.

SAG-AFTRA Foundation COVID-19 DISASTER FUND
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation and the SAG-AFTRA Motion Picture Players Welfare Fund (MPPWF) have created the COVID-19 Disaster Fund that is now available to eligible SAG-AFTRA members who have been impacted by this pandemic.

Sound Girls
Sound Girls, an organization that supports women working in professional audio and music production, is compiling a list of resources to utilize during this forced downtime and unemployment. From best business practices, career development, continuing education, and side hustles to get you through this trying time.

Sweet Relief Musicians Fund
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

Resources for Writers in the Time of Coronavirus
As writers, teachers, publishers, and booksellers in local, national, and international communities “grapple with how to proceed in their creative, financial, professional, and personal lives during this time of uncertainty,” POETS & WRITERS has compiled a list of resources.

Queer Writers of Color Relief Fund
Started by Luther Hughes, founder of Shade Literary Arts, this relief fund seeks to “help at least 100 queer writers of color who have been financially impacted by the current COVID-19. Priority will be given to queer Trans women, and queer disabled writers of color. The minimum disbursement is $100, and the maximum is $500.

The New Music Solidarity Fund 
This fund is an artist-led initiative that aims to grant emergency funding to musicians impacted by COVID-19. The Fund has raised over $130,000, primarily from fellow musicians, composers, and music professionals. At least two hundred and sixty, $500 emergency assistance grants will be made available to applicants who meet the criteria.

American Guild of Musical Artists Relief Fund
Any AGMA member in good standing is invited to apply for financial assistance under the AGMA Relief Fund, which has temporarily doubled the amount of assistance available to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

AudioAssemble.com Online Resources For Musicians The website has compiled a list of online remote opportunities that are available for U.S.-based musicians during the COVID-19 outbreak. Their financial resources page has short-term and long-term job opportunities, as well as governmental resources to help musicians generate revenue. 

Coronavirus: Resources for Property Owners
National Association of Realtors has compiled an online hub of resources for property owners impacted by the global pandemic

The Creator Fund
The fund covers up to $500 per creator to help cover medical, childcare, housing or grocery needs.

Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Mortgage Help for Homeowners Impacted by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) and the Federal Home Loan Banks are taking steps to help people who have been impacted by the coronavirus.   If your ability to pay your mortgage is impacted, and your loan is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you may be eligible to delay making your monthly mortgage payments for a temporary period

Feeding America
The Feeding America nationwide network of food banks secures and distributes 4.3 billion meals each year through food pantries and meal programs throughout the United States and leads the nation to engage in the fight against hunger.

HART Fund (Handy Artists Relief Trust)
The Blues foundation’s fund helps underinsured or uninsured blues musicians and their families in financial need due to a range of health concerns.

THE INNER LIGHT CHALLENGE
The Material World Foundation, created by George Harrison in 1973, is today donating $500,000 to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, Save the Children, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) charities, which are providing much needed aid and care during this COVID-19 pandemic. For every person that shares their own “Inner Light” moment on social media using the hashtag #innerlight2020, the MWF will give another $1 to help those affected by COVID-19 (up to $100k.)

Harpo Foundation Visual Arts Grant
This grant provides direct support to under-recognized artists 21 years or older. Amount awarded can be up to $10,000. Application deadline is May 1, 2020

MORE RESOURCES

Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: East Region
Resources For Music Creators & Professionals Affected By COVID-19: West Region
Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

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Hero The Band perform at the Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter Annual Membership Celebration
Photo: Marcus Ingram/WireImage

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Report: Music & Culture Infrastructure Can Create Better "Future Cities"

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How sound planning for a creative future in our urban areas makes all the difference for artists and musicians
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 23, 2019 - 2:27 pm

The future, as they say, is now. And for music makers around the world, building a future for themselves often starts at home, in their local creative community and in the city where they live. While technology has expanded communication and made the world smaller, cities continue to grow, making planning for the future a critical cultural mission of the present.

To that end, a new report by global organization Sound Diplomacy titled "This Must Be The Place" examines, "The role of music and cultural infrastructure in creating better future cities for all of us." The 37-page deep dive into community planning and development highlights the importance of creative culture in what it calls "Future Cities."

"The government defines ‘Future Cities’ as 'a term used to imagine what cities themselves will be like," the report states, "how they will operate, what systems will orchestrate them and how they will relate to their stakeholders (citizens, governments, businesses, investors, and others),'"

According to the report, only three global cities or states currently have cultural infrastructure plans: London, Amsterdam and New South Wales. This fact may be surprising considering how city planning and sustainability have become part of the discussion on development of urban areas, where the UN estimates 68 percent of people will live by 2050.

"Our future places must look at music and culture ecologically. Much like the way a building is an ecosystem, so is a community of creators, makers, consumers and disseminators," the report says. "The manner in which we understand how to maintain a building is not translated to protecting, preserving and promoting music and culture in communities."

The comparison and interaction between the intangibility of culture and the presence of physical space is an ongoing theme throughout the report. For instance, one section of the report outlines how buildings can and should be designed to fit the cultural needs of the neighborhoods they populate, as too often, use of a commercial space is considered during the leasing process, not the construction process, leading to costly renovations.

"All future cities are creative cities. All future cities are music cities."

On the residential side, as cities grow denser, the need increases for thoughtful acoustic design and sufficient sound isolation. Future cities can and should be places where people congregate

"If we don’t design and build our future cities to facilitate and welcome music and experience, we lose what makes them worth living in."

For musicians and artists of all mediums, the answer to making—and keeping—their cities worth living in boils down to considering their needs, impact and value more carefully and sooner in the planning process.

"The report argues that property is no longer an asset business, but one built on facilitating platforms for congregation, community and cohesion," it says. "By using music and culture at the beginning of the development process and incorporating it across the value chain from bid to design, meanwhile to construction, activation to commercialisation, this thinking and practice will result in better places."

The report offers examples of how planners and leaders are handling this from around the world. For instance, the Mayor Of London Night Czar, who helps ensure safety and nighttime infrastructure for venues toward the Mayor's Vision for London as a 24-hour city. Stateside, Pittsburgh, Penn., also has a Night Mayor in place to support and inform the growth of its creative class.

Diversity, inclusion, health and well-being also factor into the reports comprehensive look at how music and culture are every bit as important as conventional business, ergonomic and environmental considerations in Future Cites. Using the Queensland Chamber of Arts and Culture as a reference, it declared, "A Chamber of Culture is as important as a Chamber of Commerce."

In the end, the report serves as a beacon of light for governments, organizations, businesses and individuals involved in planning and developing future cities. Its core principals lay out guideposts for building friendly places to music and culture and are backed with case studies and recommendations. But perhaps the key to this progress is in changing how we approach the use of space itself, as the answer to supporting music may be found in how we look at the spaces we inhabit.

"To develop better cities, towns and places, we must alter the way we think about development, and place music and culture alongside design, viability, construction and customer experience," it says. "Buildings must be treated as platforms, not assets. We must explore mixed‑use within mixed‑use, so a floor of a building, or a lesser‑value ground floor unit can have multiple solutions for multiple communities."

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Be Like Björk: Iceland Unveils New 'Record In Iceland' Initiative

Don Was at the Memphis Chapter's 2018 Studio Summit in New Orleans

Don Was

Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage.com

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Don Was, Hip-Hop & Metadata: Inside The New Orleans Studio Summit

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The summit's packed agenda featured an inspiring keynote address from GRAMMY winner Was, informative panels on metadata and hip-hop, and a remembrance of local studio legend Cosimo Matassa
John Wirt
Recording Academy
May 3, 2018 - 12:59 pm

For the past four years, between the two weekends of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Recording Academy Memphis Chapter and the Producers & Engineers Wing have teamed to present the Studio Summit at Esplanade Studios in the Big Easy. A keynote conversation with Don Was, GRAMMY-winning producer and president of Blue Note Records, headlined this year's event, held May 1.  

"We love coming here," said Jon Hornyak, Senior Executive Director for the Memphis Chapter. "We are very much a regional chapter, including Louisiana, St. Louis, west Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas."

The Studio Summit also featured panels with GRAMMY-winning producers and engineers. The day's panels wrapped with a tribute to Cosimo Matassa, a 2007 Recording Academy Trustees Award recipient. The late Matassa engineered hundreds of R&B and rock and roll classics at his New Orleans studios.

Music writer Alison Fensterstock interviewed Was in the former Presbyterian church sanctuary that's now Esplanade Studios' Studio A. Was spoke about his formative years in Detroit; producing the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan; and being music director for tribute shows, the latest of which is Exile On Bourbon St., a Rolling Stones tribute with Ryan Adams taking place May 5 in New Orleans.

"It's a trip," Was said about producing artists he idolized when he was a kid in Detroit. "I produced Bob Dylan in 1989 when I probably wasn't prepared to do it. I'd do a better job now."

During sessions for his 1990 Under The Red Sky album, Dylan told his guest session player, George Harrison, to play a solo with no preparation. Afterward, Was remembered, "The voice in my head said, 'Bob's not paying you to be a fan.' So, I said, 'That was good, but we should try another one.' George was like, 'Thank you.' Bob was testing me. I have to forget that they're my heroes and tell the truth — but be diplomatic."

Despite working with the Rolling Stones for 25 years, Was still finds them awe-inspiring.

"Every session there's a moment when I look at who's in the room and get a little dizzy," he said about working with Mick Jagger & Co. on albums such as their 1994 GRAMMY-winning LP, Voodoo Lounge. "But it's a thrill to be in a room with your heroes and see how the greats do it."

But even the greats may not know how they do it.

"I asked Bob, 'How come you can write 'Gates Of Eden' and I can't?'" Was recalled. "Bob said, 'I didn't really write it. I remember holding the pencil, moving my hand over the page, but I don't know where it came from.' Everyone who's really great — Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Wayne Shorter, Bob, Keith Richards — they'll all kind of tell you the same thing."

The Detroit of Was' youth was much like New Orleans, he said. "It's a music city, especially in the 1960s. People from all over came to work in the auto factories. They brought their cultures with them. A lot of the music that came out of Detroit in that time reflects that."

Detroit's working-class grit influenced its music, too. "If you want to know about Detroit, listen to John Lee Hooker," Was said. "He exemplifies the rawness and the honesty of the people in the city."

The Studio Summit's panels included What's The Deal With Metadata? Maureen Droney, Managing Director of the Recording Academy P&E Wing, and Gebre Waddell, CEO and co-founder of Soundways Inc., a Memphis-based software company, participated in the metadata panel with moderator Bill Wilson, digital programming and industry relations consultant with the New Jersey-based Music Business Association.

The long quest to give proper credit to producers, engineers, artists, and songwriters in the digital music era dominated the metadata discussion. Before digital music distribution, credits routinely appeared in CD booklets, but no credits have accompanied the digital releases that dominated music sales today.

"My theory is that producers and engineers experience things that are going wrong first," Droney said. "They were among the first to be hurt by credits going away because that's how they got work. It's a lot harder to get work when no one knows what you've done."

In turn, absent credits also affect royalty streams. Memphis Chapter President Waddell spoke about the software his company — which operates with the motto "Serve The Music" — has developed to connect credits to digital music files.

Memphis-based engineer/ producer Jeff Powell (Afghan Whigs, St. Paul & The Broken Bones) moderated the summit's Developing Your Craft panel, which featured GRAMMY-winning Memphis engineer/producer and Chapter Vice President Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, Jason Isbell), and New Orleans-based engineer Emily Eck (Ani DiFranco, PJ Morton, Arcade Fire). The trio discussed pathways to becoming an engineer, the value of assistant engineers and the late nights that can be necessary to get the job done.

"You have to accept that you're giving up your hobbies for this gig," Ross-Spang said.

Engineer/producer Carl Nappa (Nelly, *NSync) moderated Hip-Hop Production Today, which featured panelists Jimmy Douglass, a Miami-based GRAMMY-winning engineer/producer (Timbaland, Jay-Z, Duran Duran), and Nesby Phips, a New Orleans producer and rapper (Wiz Khalifa, Lil Wayne). The discussion included Douglass' mid-career transition from rock and funk to hip-hop and the possible demise of the demo.

Nesby Phips at the Memphis Chapter's 2018 Studio Summit in New Orleans

Nesby Phips
Photo: Erika Goldring/WireImage.com

"I recommend all hip-hop producers and artists don't get married to that first take if they're actually trying to optimize what that song sounds like," Phips said.

The Cosimo Matassa Family Tree panel included Robert Parker, a saxophonist who worked frequently as a session player at Matassa's studio before scoring his 1965 hit, "Barefootin.'" Also participating were Matassa's longtime engineer, Roberta Grace; GRAMMY-winning New Orleans engineer and producer Chris Finney (Dr. John, Harry Connick Jr.); and moderator Ira "Dr. Ike" Padnos, founder of the Ponderosa Stomp music festival and conference.

How did Matassa — who helmed classics such as Fats Domino's "The Fat Man" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" — attain his golden touch? It was all in the ears, according to Grace. "He knew every microphone, what it would do, and what every instrument needed."

"He stressed that it's really not about us," added Finney, who was an aspiring engineer in his teens when he met Matassa. "It's about the musicians and creating an environment where they're able to express themselves and perform at the best of their ability. Our job is to stay out of the way."

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(John Wirt writes about music, film and other arts and entertainment topics in Louisiana. He's also the author of the New Orleans music biography Huey "Piano" Smith And The Rocking Pneumonia Blues.)