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Zac Brown Band Releases 2020 Roar With The Lions Tour Dates

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The band's lion-themed tour will kick off in late May in New Hampshire
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 9, 2020 - 12:18 pm

It's only January, but the Zac Brown Band's latest announcement has fans getting excited about summer. The GRAMMY-winning rock band from the South led by Zac Brown has announced a tour set to begin in May.

The Roar With The Lions tour will launch May 24 in Gilford, N.H., and then head to Syracuse, N.Y., Toronto, Camden, N.J., Bristow, Va., Noblesville, Ind., Denver, and other cities before the last stop in Vancouver on Oct. 18.

Brown picked the tour's lion theme to represent a part of his identity that means a lot to him, and overall for what the "king of the jungle" represents. 

"Our summer tour is inspired by the folklore surrounding the figure of the lion," Brown said in a statement. "I am a Leo, and all of the guys in the band are lions. They exemplify strength, courage, intelligence and loyalty, and work in tandem to defend their territory and one another. The crowd is our pride – rooted in togetherness and fiercely loyal. They always show up for each other, no matter what, just like our fans always show up for us. We can’t wait to hear you roar with us!"

Presale tickets for the tour are available Jan. 14 and general tickets will go on sale Jan. 17. For more information on tickets and tour dates, visit the Zac Brown Band website. 

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YouTube & NIVA Team Up On #SOSFEST To Raise Money For Indie Venues

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Miley Cyrus, YG, Foo Fighters, Marshmello with Demi Lovato, the Roots, Sebastian Yatra and more will contribute original performances Oct. 16–18
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 8, 2020 - 4:29 pm

YouTube and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) are joining forces to bring #SOSFEST (Save Our Stages Fest) benefiting independent music venues across the country. The three-day music event on Oct. 16–18 will feature an eclectic lineup of musicians.

Miley Cyrus, YG, Foo Fighters, Marshmello with Demi Lovato, The Roots, Sebastian Yatra and more will contribute live original performances across 25 independent venues. Other artists participating include Leon Bridges, Phoebe Bridgers, Reba McEntire and G-Eazy.  

The festival "aims to generate significant awareness, advocacy and donations for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund." The fund aids the "most vulnerable venues experiencing catastrophic revenue loss."

"Independent venues are closing permanently all around the country. These are the clubs and theaters that you know and love; the rooms our favorite bands play their first gigs at. With no assistance from the federal government in the future, we need to act NOW to #SaveOurStages!" NIVA, whose group of over 2,000 venues includes Los Angeles' The Troubador and New York's Apollo Theater, posted to their Instagram. 

According to a NIVA survey released in June, 90 percent of roughly 2,000 venues without federal help surveyed were going to close in a few months. 

#SOSFEST will livestream on NIVA's YouTube channel. 

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#ChangeMusic Summit

 

 
 
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Watch The Recording Academy's Inspiring "Change Music" Summit In Full

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Alongside Color Of Change, The Recording Academy hosted the virtual industrywide #ChangeMusic Summit, which welcomed leaders in music and media for panels on shifting culture, amplifying diverse voices, driving systemic change and more
Recording Academy
Oct 2, 2020 - 11:38 am

On Thursday (Oct. 1), the Recording Academy joined Color Of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, to host a virtual industrywide #ChangeMusic Summit with leaders in music and media. The digital event is part of an ongoing series of initiatives facilitated by the Recording Academy to help accelerate equity and diverse representation within the organization and to further support inclusion outcomes across the wider music industry. 

Watch the #ChangeMusic Summit in full below. 

ChangeMusic: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit

The four-hour event brought together leaders, executives and experts for panels on shifting culture, amplifying diverse voices, putting leadership in action and driving systemic change throughout the music community. As well, prominent culture trailblazers and music business leaders openly discussed best practices and strategies to encourage systemic change and elevate women, Black and Latinx, as well as all underrepresented music creators and professionals.

Some of the event's participants included singer-songwriters Ledisi and Maimouna "Mumu Fresh" Youssef; television personalities Rocsi Diaz and Jeff Johnson; music culture influencer Karen Civil; award-winning poet and president of the Recording Academy's Chicago Chapter J. Ivy; and prominent executives and industry professionals including Tuma Basa (YouTube), Ingrid Best (Combs Enterprises), Binta Brown (omalilly projects; Black Music Action Coalition), Shari Bryant (Roc Nation), Jeff Burroughs (Def Jam Recordings), Ryan Butler (Recording Academy), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Recording Academy), Harvey Mason jr. (Recording Academy), Rashad Robinson (Color Of Change) and many others. See the full list of participants below.

As part of the summit, the Recording Academy and Color Of Change announced the forthcoming #ChangeMusic Roadmap, a tool to help people at all levels of the music industry take action to enact racial and social justice within the industry. The full roadmap will be released before the end of the year, however, the first aspect of the roadmap discussed was a needed commitment to transparent reporting on Black representation. 

Read: The Recording Academy & Color Of Change Team Up To Promote Positive Change In The Music Industry

"This is a crucial moment in our world, our nation and our society and it is now more important than ever that we bring people together to make progress on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion," Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. said. "As leaders in the music industry, we have an opportunity as role models to lead by example and set a progressive tone for culture and society. We are honored that so many from the industry joined this important conversation and we're committed to the work ahead."

"Black artists' rich contributions have undeniably shaped the music industry into what it is today. The industry must tear down the systems that silence, harm and pigeonhole Black artists for profitable gains," President of Color Of Change Rashad Robinson said. "Everyone has the responsibility to work towards progress. The #ChangeMusic Roadmap will begin the process of giving the industry the tools to challenge injustice and enact tangible change now. The Recording Academy is setting a strong example for the industry from the inside, holding those in power accountable to change. Together, we can propel music into the equitable future Black artists have earned, and always deserved."

Participants in the #ChangeMusic Summit included: singer/songwriters Ledisi, Rico Love and Maimouna "Mumu Fresh" Youssef; television personalities Rocsi Diaz and Jeff Johnson; music culture influencer Karen Civil; poet J. Ivy; and prominent executives and industry professionals including Tuma Basa (YouTube), Ingrid Best (Combs Enterprises), Binta Brown (omalilly projects; Black Music Action Coalition), Shari Bryant (Roc Nation), Jeff Burroughs (Def Jam Recordings), Ryan Butler (Recording Academy), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Recording Academy), Qiana Conley (Recording Academy), Caroline "Baroline" Diaz (Interscope Records), Michelle Edgar (Epic Records; Music Unites; XX Project), Ethiopia Habtemariam (Motown Records; Capitol Music Group), Erin Hall Harris (Combs Enterprises), Tammy Hurt (Recording Academy), Jeriel Johnson (Recording Academy), Debra Lee (formerly BET Networks), Harvey Mason jr. (Recording Academy), Adam McFarland (Blacksmith Recordings; #TheShowMustBePaused), Riggs Morales (Atlantic Records), Jessica Rivera (YouTube), Rashad Robinson (Color Of Change), Travis Robinson (Universal Music Group), Lenny Santiago (Roc Nation), Rashid Shabazz (Color Of Change), Dr. Maurice Stinnett (Warner Music Group), Tiffany R. Warren (Omnicom Group; ADCOLOR), and Roe Williams (KWL Enterprises).

The Recording Academy's strategic alliance with Color Of Change and solidarity with ongoing social justice movements, such as #TheShowMustBePaused, was also a highly prioritized conversation topic among attendees. 

Learn more about the progress and future announcements regarding the Recording Academy's Diversity & Inclusion efforts.

The Recording Academy Establishes Black Music Collective

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Laura Jane Grace And The Devouring Mothers At SXSW

Photo: Justin Zamudio 

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SXSW Looks Forward With Virtual Festival Offerings For 2021

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The newly announced SXSW Online: A Digital Experience will happen March 16–20
GRAMMYs
Sep 23, 2020 - 4:35 pm

South By Southwest (SXSW) announced Sept. 22 it will go virtual for their conference and festival events in 2021. 

The virtual edition will happen March 16–20 with SXSW EDU Online happening before on March 9–11. SXSW Online announced screenings, showcases, keynotes, exhibitions and networking opportunities will make up some of the digital event. SXSW also noted they are working with public health authorities and the city of Austin "on plans for a physical event in 2021."

"The challenge of building a new future is one that we’re excited to tackle. This has been such a year of change and we, like the entire world, are reshaping our perspective on how we connect," said CEO and Co-Founder Roland Swenson in statement on the SXSW website. "We’re pleased to be working on SXSW Online as part of our program for 2021, and regardless of platform, we will continue to bring together the brightest minds from creative industries worldwide."

The major music, film and tech live event in Austin announced in March it would cancel their 2020 edition due to fear of the spread of COVID-19.

SXSW and SXSW EDU PanelPicker proposals and Film Festival submissions will open on Oct. 6. Staff will program the 2021 music festival edition. Priority will be given to presenters and artists who were on the 2020 lineup. 

For more information, visit the SXSW website.

Inside VAULT Productions' Real-Time Doc On Electronic Music's Evolution During The Pandemic

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GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center To Launch Fall Music Industry Program

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The classes aim to continue empowering students around the N.J. area and "develop the next generation of GRAMMY Award winners" 
GRAMMYs
Sep 18, 2020 - 12:49 pm

The GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center in New Jersey is launching a fall session music industry program for students 13–18 years old. From Oct.10–Nov. 21, students can enroll for Contemporary Songwriting 101, Contemporary Songwriting 201, Audio Mixing 101 and Intro to Careers in Music Business. Leading the courses, Mark Conklin, Director of Artist Relations and Programming and other guest professionals in the industry will share their knowledge via Zoom. 

Behind The Board: Natalia Ramirez

The classes aim to continue empowering students around the N.J. area and "develop the next generation of GRAMMY Award winners," Conklin said in a statement.

He continued: “Building upon our extremely successful Summer Session program we’ve designed new offerings to provide high school students the building blocks for what it takes to succeed in the music business, both on and off the stage.”

The Contemporary Songwriting 101 and Contemporary Songwriting 201 classes will run for seven weeks every Saturday  starting on Oct. 10 from 9:30 a.m. EST until 12:30 p.m. EST. Tuition is $100 for each class.

Audio Mixing 101 will run for six weeks on Tuesdays, Oct. 13– Nov. 17, from 7 p.m. EST to 8:30 p.m. EST. Tuition is set at $75.

Intro to Careers in Music Business, for 11th and 12th grade students only, will run for four weeks Oct. 19– Nov. 9 on Mondays from 3:30 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. Tuition is set at $50. 

A limited number of free scholarships are available for Newark residents for all classes. For more info on each class, their requirements and other aspects of the program, visit the museum website.

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