REGISTER NOW: https://www.michiganmusicalliance.org/upcomingevents

FACEBOOK EVENT: https://fb.me/e/1UKtGXl9C

Whether you are about to start a new company to represent your interests, or you have been operating as a sole proprietor, this hands-on workshop is for you. Chris Newberg, a Michigan based business lawyer and entertainer, will explain the benefits of forming your business as an LLC and guide you through the steps to do so. This workshop is perfect for budding artists who want to get serious about organizing their finances and growing their reach while protecting their interests.

You will learn:

-The legal and tax benefits of starting up as an LLC or changing your business to an LLC status -What an operating agreement is and how to create one as a band or solo performer -How to have conversations about setting up a business with your band mates -What an EIN is, how to obtain one, and how to use it -How to set up a DBA -How to set up a business bank account -The differences between LLC and a corporation -and MORE!

This is your sign to start the new year off right. Take advantage of free advice from experienced professionals. This workshop will be led by a business attorney and an artist development consultant, both of whom have experience helping musical entrepreneurs.

Come prepared:

-Bring your laptop and notebook -Any existing documentation about your business -Think about specific questions that apply to your situation -If you would like assistance filing on the spot, please come prepared to pay the $50 registration fee directly to the State of Michigan via their online portal.

These free music business education sessions are geared towards musicians of all ages free resources and access to professional advice to navigate the more daunting aspects of being a self-employed career musician… aka the business side of things. Learn about how you can take control over your career as an independent musician and use new knowledge and skills to grow a sustainable career that reaches your unique goals.

This is session is presented as part of the Sounds of the Zoo. This inaugural event will showcase local, regional, national, and international live music performances to be showcased at a variety of locations throughout the city of Kalamazoo. Learn more here: https://m.facebook.com/soundsofthezoo/

Special thanks to Bell's for generously hosting this event for artists. Learn more about what's on tap during this event: https://bellsbeer.com/eccentric-cafe/

Visit michiganmusicalliance.org to learn more about Michigan Music Alliance and the B-Side Sessions.

With the retirement of our current President, Bill Chrysler, we had some big shoes to fill. We are extremely lucky to welcome board member John Sinkevics into a new role with Michigan Music Alliance as our new President, beginning January 2022. John has been a tremendous force for MMA and we are excited to continue the momentum in 2022. Congratulations and thank you!

SEP. 20, 2021 - TIKTOK 101

OCT. 18, 2021 - BUILDING A TEAM

NOV. 15, 2021 - CREATING A BRAND

DEC. 13, 2021 - UNDERSTANDING CONTRACTS

JAN. 24, 2022 - PLANNING A TOUR

FEB. 21, 2022 - CAPTURING ROYALTIES

MAR. 14, 2022 - COVERS & COLLABS

APR. 25, 2022 - MAXIMIZING STUDIO TIME

7pm-8pm EST via Zoom Webinar, Facebook, and Instagram Live.

As part of their mission statement, “Collaboration Over Competition,” the Michigan Music Alliance’s goal is to help artists succeed and thrive in the Michigan music industry, especially during the challenging times that the coronavirus has brought into the world.

The Michigan Artist Database will contain basic information on the name of the musician/band, a link to their website/streaming services (as well as social media handles), the genre of the music they play, the Michigan city in which they are located in, and the instruments each of the musicians play. If you are a musician or band who would like to be included, please opt in here.

The Michigan Venue Database will contain information on where the venue is located in Michigan, the type of venue (whether it be a coffee shop or a large stadium), their preferred contact information, the capacity limit, and a link to their website, as well as social media handles. If you are a venue or promoter who would like to be included, please opt in here.

The Michigan Recording Studio Database will contain information on the contact information and location of each studio in Michigan, a link to their contact information (as well as social media handles), and any other relevant information, such as rates for using the studio, specializations, etc. If you are a recording studio who would like to be included, please opt in here.

Michigan Music Alliance is asking artists, recording studios, and venues to opt into being listed on the database, for free. Any information volunteered will be listed in the database on www.michiganmusicalliance.org to be used as a tool for Michigan-based musicians, studios and venue owners to connect with each other faster.

Read more about this project in the Grand Rapids Business Journal HERE!

Please help us keep the mission rolling forward by letting your followers know we are still accepting donations here: https://linktr.ee/michiganartistrelieffund. We expect to disburse more funds to artists in need after May 1. Please keep an eye on this page for more information on how to apply for a share of the grants: https://www.michiganmusicalliance.org/news

Michigan, give yourself a pat on the back. We have powered through over a year of uncertainty for our careers, future of our stages, and lives. It has been constant adversity, with each moment challenging us. Because of this, we are stronger. We have taken the opportunity to band together and create something special with this rich, state-wide community that loves Michigan Music. Thank you for being art of the magic.

This production was a fully volunteer undertaking, which truly shows the heart of the artists, venues, and other industry professionals who took it upon themselves to help struggling artists. Please take a moment to read through the complete list of sponsors, partners, artists, and volunteers on spreadthemusicfestival.org. They each deserve a song!

Festival Fact Sheet

Wednesday, March 25 - Sunday, March 29, 2021

• The second annual Spread the Music Festival expanded to 5 days, streaming from 10am to 11pm each day. This is an additional day from the first festival in 2020.

• Volunteer performers streamed live from home, safely from select venue stages, or pre-recorded their sets to allow for proper COVID precautions.

• Live streamed from the stages of…

  • Listening Room, Grand Rapids

  • The Foundry, Port Huron

  • 20 Front Street, Lake Orion

  • Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey

  • Seven Steps Up, Spring Lake

• Featured 47 female fronted acts, almost 200 artists total

• A vast array of genres were represented, including but not limited to: folk, jazz, blues, pop, funk, rock, hard rock, indie rock, garage rock, surf, gothic, traditional, singer-songwriter, Americana, country, alt-country, bluegrass, rap, R&B, EDM, Celtic, contemporary classical, and more.

• Male to female ratio - 2 to 1 for all musicians, .95 to 1 for all acts

• Artists from all over the state were involved representing towns like Houghton, Marquette, East Jordan, Harbor Springs, Grand Haven, Petoskey, Traverse City, Port Huron, Detroit, Cadillac, Big Rapids, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Kalamazoo, and many more!

• All volunteer production- performers, stage managers, organizers, venues, etc. See the whole list here.

• Partnered with GRTV from the Grand Rapids Community Media Center, Blissfest Music Organization, and more.

• Launched a Digital Program for viewers at www.spreadthemusicfestival.org

• Featured Headliners Brian Vander Ark (over 12k views), The Accidentals (over 5.6k views), Jackson Smith, and Vin Dombroski (almost 2k views)

• Average watch for each video is between 600-1,000 views and climbing

• Audience originated from 14 countries: United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Nigeria, Germany, Bangladesh, Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Argentina, and Italy

• During the festival, our Facebook page views went up 519%

• 1.7k people responded to the Facebook Event

• Invited people to donate via credit/debit card, Facebook, PayPal, or Venmo, resulting in over $10,300 being raised during the five day festival.

• Applications for the Michigan Artist Relief Fund reopen

• See all of the press from Spread the Music 2021 HERE.

You can get involved by continuing to share the live streams, donating, and purchasing our Support Michigan Music merch, which supports the Michigan Artist Relief Fund.

Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8AG5vrJdR469GPJmH5xSYA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

GET EMPOWERED to rock your music career. Learn about how you can take control over your career as an independent musician. This session series is geared towards musicians of all ages who are interested in furthering their career in the music industry. The goal of these sessions is to give these artists concrete information to navigate the more daunting aspects of being a self-employed career musician… aka the business side of things!

Get engaged! You can get in on the conversation by tuning in live and chatting with the attendees and panelists. Ask questions, share your experiences, and connect with your community.

This month, we are talking about FESTIVALS!

Featured Panelists:

-John Crissman, Cowpie Music Festival -Seth Bernard, Earthwork Harvest Gathering -Emily Lively, LivelyLands Music Festival -Caroline Barlow, Blissfest Music Festival -Luke Sass, Promoter/Talent Buyer -Jake Robinson, Hoxeyville Music Festival

MODERATED BY John Sinkevics of Local Spins

“Like” Michigan Music Alliance to get notified when the event goes live. Can’t make it this time? Every session is archived on our website, michiganmusicalliance.org. To learn more about upcoming events visit our website michiganmusicalliance.org.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michiganmusicalliance/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michiganmusicalliance/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/supportmimusic

Partners for this event: localspins.com

In celebration of International Women’s Day March 8, and in honor of Women’s History Month, the Michigan Music Alliance organized a state-wide all female jubilee of joyful sounds offering homage to Michigan's own Queen of Soul- ARETHA FRANKLIN!

This very special all-volunteer project gathers together five recording studios and more than 25 fabulous female artists from all across the state, to celebrate The Queen’s legacy and declare the outright divine power of Michigan Women in Music.

“It is our grand mission to highlight the ultimate power that stems from prioritizing collaboration over competition, while recognizing all the legendary female artists that have risen from our state, like the great Aretha Franklin. She and other Michigan stars altered the music industry forever, inspiring so much of the incredible female talent of today to continue pushing forward”, says Executive Director of the Michigan Music Alliance, Elle Lively.

The track, paired with a video featuring the artists recording at home or in one of the five partnered studios, showcases a multitude of female artists from around the state. Grand Rapids’ Serita (aka Black Rose) and rising star Sarena Rae’s vocals drive the energy for the track in a fun duet. Recorded live at Third Coast Recording Co. in Grand Haven, MI, Sarena and Serita bring a fresh take to the classic song, while maintaining the original vibe. Detroit’s Gayelynn McKinney, who played with Aretha Franklin, recorded drums for the project at Plymouth Rock Recording Co. in Plymouth, MI. The track also features the talents of Ann Arbor natives Christina Nielsen of Jack & the Bear, Josie Ala, and Ingrid Racine. Detroit brought its share of power to the table offering up Zoe Cutler, Sami Blosser, BethAnne Kunert of Virago, Kaleigh Wilder of Gnostikos, Emily Burns of Escaping Pavement, and Alice Sun. Hannah Laine of Earth Radio, Stacy Noonan of Beaver Xing, Jennifer Adams of Annagail, Patty PerShayla, Rachel White of Lighting Matches, Sandra Effert, Olivia Vargas of August, and Lauren Kelley all hail from the Grand Rapids area. Kalamazoo ramped up the project with the likes of Carolyn Koebel, Carrie McFerrin, Rachel Gorman of The Red Sea Pedestrians, Dede Alder of Dede and the Dreamers, Lauren Elliott, Roo Heins of Oneirine, and Laurie Laing of Belfast Gin.

The track was mixed by female engineers, Cynthea Kelley and Maggie Heeren at La Luna Recording & Sound in Kalamazoo, MI. Dogtown Studio in Grand Rapids collaborated to create the video that features the behind the scenes footage recorded by participants. Later this month, the podcast Impactually, will be releasing a very special episode about the collaborative project and the musical legacies that are being created by the women of Michigan.

“Fun, inspiring and impactful projects like this one illustrate the extraordinary diversity and depth of the Michigan Music Community as a whole. Not only do they leave a lasting impression, but also remind us how much pride we all share in our rich Michigan musical heritage. The Michigan Music Alliance is ever focused on creating a higher standard for us all working together as a music community.” says Elle.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

DOWNLOAD THE TRACK HERE

For photos and contact information for organizer and participants, please click HERE.

info@michiganmusicalliance.org

MichiganMusicAlliance.org

DONATE NOW TO THE MICHIGAN ARTIST RELIEF FUND

Want to learn more? Catch up on SPREAD THE MUSIC 2021!

• John Sinkevics is a lifelong journalist who started the Local Spins website covering West Michigan's music scene in 2012. After serving as a lead music critic and entertainment writer for The Grand Rapids Press for 10 years, he now serves as editor and publisher of Local Spins, providing news updates on Grand Rapids-area musical happenings, band features, photo galleries, concert and album reviews, podcasts and guest columns, as well as hosting the weekly Local Spins on WYCE radio show at 11 a.m. Fridays on WYCE (88.1 FM) spotlighting local and regional music and interviews with Michigan artists. He holds an honors degree in journalism from the University of Michigan and is co-founder of The Honeytones, once described as “the deans of Grand Rapids’ pop-rock scene” and a band that stages an annual Feedback concert to benefit Access of West Michigan’s food pantries for the needy -- an event that's featured dozens of other West Michigan artists for the past two decades.

• Detroit-based Nancy Schoenheide Phares is a lifelong music superfan whose toddler infatuation with the Beatles, and later all artists rooted in the 70’s west coast folk rock lexicon led to a career path which includes radio station management in both Michigan and California, and serving as Executive Director/Co-Producer of the Detroit Music Awards for nearly a decade. She also helped craft the communications strategy and signature music programs for the revived Michigan State Fair. Nancy currently mentors and provides strategic marketing and media support for a variety of Michigan artists, businesses and events. More about Nancy at www.RockSteady.Biz

• Shane German moved to Grand Rapids in 2015 with over 20 years of professional music industry experience. He started as a volunteer programmer at WYCE in 2016, eventually moving into his full time role as WYCE Music Director in 2018. Between 1995 and 2004, Shane was a music buyer for Tower Records, Circuit City, and Plan 9 Music in Richmond, Va., working directly with label clients such as Warner Brothers, Sony Music, EMI, Universal Music, and numerous independent record labels. In 2004, he became Manager of Artist and Label Relations at SoundExchange, the only organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for recording artists and record labels from digital, satellite and streaming internet radio services. In 2012, Shane moved from Washington DC to New York City to be Head of U.S. Artist & Label Relations for the European digital distribution company Believe Digital. Shane is also a (retired) recording artist who has shared the stage with many artists such as Bright Eyes, Bob Mould, Ted Leo, Tegan and Sara, and Le Tigre to name a few. Over the years, Shane has been invited to speak and participate as an industry expert at many music conferences and was Guest Lecturer at Loyola University’s Music Business Program in New Orleans. Shane has been featured in American Songwriter, Billboard, Spin, and Washington Post publications. Shane also served as a Grammy voter and an elected official on the Board of Governors for the DC Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences from 2010-2012.

• Chris Newberg is an attorney and partner at Rodenhouse Law Group. He helps individuals and businesses in civil litigation, business, cannabis, intellectual property, and entertainment matters. While much of his litigation experience comes from working on large-scale, complex lawsuits, there is no case too big or too small for Chris as he takes a great deal of pride in providing his services to individuals and businesses traditionally underserved by the legal community. Chris is one of Michigan’s few entertainment attorneys with actual, first-hand experience in the entertainment industry. Chris knows that to properly represent entertainers, you must not only know the law, but also the business. That’s where he starts to separate from the pack. For over the past decade, Chris has traveled the country as the lead guitarist for Gunnar & the Grizzly Boys, which has given him invaluable perspective and experience concerning the operations of all sides of the music industry. Whether it’s helping a new artist get started in business, working through complex intellectual property licensing issues, or negotiating publishing and record deals, Chris is more than qualified to help. Chris grew up in Rockford, Michigan, and is now raising a family with his wife on the west side of Grand Rapids. He is a graduate and devoted fan of Michigan State University. After attending MSU, he received his law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. When he’s not working, Chris enjoys playing music, playing with his rambunctious little boys, traveling, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors.

LEARN MORE ON OUR ABOUT PAGE

Monday, Sept. 28th, 2020 at 7pm EST ---> TUNE LIVE IN HERE // FACEBOOK EVENT

Here's the deal. 

Its FREE. It'll be the best free time you've ever spent. Something good will come of it. We appreciate donations to help keep this program growing and you can give online at www.michiganmusicalliance.org, if you feel inclined. 

Get engaged! Comment and chat with the host and panel, as well as other attendees! Please use basic common sense and keep comments /questions topic relevant and polite so a good time can be had by all. 

We'll be talking everything BOOKING. This is a BIG topic, so we'll be focusing on how our favorite local venues are coping with COVID, what you should be doing as an artist (re booking) right now, and general standard practices. Tips and tricks shared by MI experts, so you can put your best foot forward. You control the conversation- get engaged and ask questions!

Featuring...

-Val Nelson Walters, Talent Buyer at Bell's Eccentric Café

-Brandon DeJaynes, Booking & Promotions Manager at The Livery

-Luke Sass, Promoter from Grand Rapids, MI

-Lara Supan, Booking Agent at Fleming Artists

Moderated by booking agent at Crooked Tree Creative, Dutcher Wright Snedeker. 

Special thanks to our sponsors, La Luna Recording & Sound & Third Coast Recording Company who would have hosted two sessions in the month of September at their physical locations. You can still check out the studios though- message them to make an appointment and support local business. 

To learn more about upcoming events, like Michigan Music Alliance on Facebook, or visit our website michiganmusicalliance.org. 

As of May 15th, 2020, the Michigan Artist Relief Fund is no longer accepting applicants for emergency relief due to the COVID-19 crisis. We hope that the efforts the State of Michigan has made to open unemployment benefits to gig workers has elevated some of the crisis as artists adjust to the new normal. 

We will continue to welcome donations via our PayPal or website beyond May 15th as we retool the fund to service Michigan artists who are dealing with a health crisis, or other family emergency that is impacting their ability to cover basic expenses. We are hoping this becomes a permanent resource for our community. More information about this version of the fund will be posted in the coming weeks. 

We want to say thank you to the donors, companies, artists, and media who helped make this project a success. You can read more about the fund here. 

Our community is stronger than ever. Thank you!

-Michigan Music Alliance

GET EMPOWERED to rock your music career. Learn about how you can take control over your career as an independent musician. Let's talk about Michigan FESTIVALS with some of the scene's movers and shakers.

PANELISTS:

SETH BERNARD of Earthwork Harvest Gathering JAKE ROBINSON of Hoxeyville Music Festival LUKE SASS of Founders Taproom - Grand Rapids RANDALL ERNO of Level Up Management KEVIN LAMB of This Is A Good Sound JOHN CRISSMAN of Cowpie Music Festival

*** PARTNERS FOR THIS EVENT: Third Coast Recording Company Crooked Tree Creative *** This event is made possible by the Michigan Music Alliance. This session series is geared towards musicians of all ages who are interested in furthering their career in the music industry. The goal of these sessions is to give these artists concrete information to navigate the more daunting aspects of being a self-employed career musician. www.michiganmusicalliance.org

A special thank you to the Listening Room for supporting this event.