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Saint Louis Music Week, the Midwest Music Summit, and the Music At The Intersection three-day music event are the key elements in the Saint Louis Music Initiative, beginning Labor Day Weekend 2020.
At its core, the Saint Louis Music Initiative is designed to promote the St. Louis music scene, connect and grow the local music industry infrastructure and celebrate the city’s music heritage. Launched by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, in partnership with more than two dozen civic, corporate and cultural organizations, the initiative focuses on recognizing “music as an economy” rather than “music as an amenity.”
Saint Louis Music Week will actively market and promote music events at participating music venues throughout St. Louis. This service comes at no cost to participating venues and organizations, and will serve to showcase the depth and breadth of music offerings available throughout the region during the nine-day period, Sept. 4 to 13, 2020.
Music at the Intersection is a three-day music and place-making event celebrating St. Louis’ musical heritage and wrapping up Saint Louis Music Week on Sept. 11 to 13, 2020.
More than 60 national, regional and local music performances will perform on two outdoor and seven indoor stages within the Grand Center Arts District. The footprint will be walkable, and will allow attendees to create their own music experience under a single ticket for all indoor stages. The two outdoor stages, at Strauss Park and the Big Top, will be free to the public. Tickets for the indoor stage portion of the event will be available in the spring. Music genres represented will span the spectrum, and national and regional performers selected will skew toward St. Louis-connected musicians and content.
Music at the Intersection is a collaboration of more than two dozen supporting partners, and is sponsored by DDI Media, Edward Jones, Kranzberg Arts Foundation, Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology.
The Midwest Music Summit, which will launch in 2021, is designed to build music industry infrastructure in St. Louis through panels, workshops, exhibitions and classes. Professional development opportunities will be geared toward musicians and music industry professionals who are in production, or who are promoters, venue owners and more. Presenters will include music industry professionals from St. Louis and across the United States.
“With the professional landscape shifting away from physical workspaces, cities have a need to attract talent in new ways. The music industry provides transferable skills for professionals, including the areas of production, marketing, public relations, legal and publishing,” said Chris Hansen, executive director of The Kranzberg Arts Foundation. “St. Louis’ rich musical heritage, from Miles Davis and Tina Turner to Nelly and Pokey LaFarge, provides a solid base on which to build.”
The initiative launches at a critical time for the local music scene, with many local artists across multiple genres beginning to break nationally. The music industry creates jobs as part of the broader nonprofit arts economy that creates 19,200 jobs locally, and beyond. It also drives local tourism.
A recent survey by the Regional Arts Commission found that 86% of non-resident respondents identified attending an arts and cultural event as the primary purpose of their most recent trip to the greater St. Louis area. Appraising, understanding and promoting the region’s music economy will allow St. Louis to take its rightful place among other music cities.
“It’s the right time for our city to celebrate our music – past, present and future,“ said Sean Smothers, director of strategic communications and project lead for the Saint Louis Music Initiative. “This cross-organizational partnership is a true collaboration between civic, corporate and nonprofit entities, as well as being an opportunity for our community to uplift St. Louis and our music economy. St. Louis is a great place to make music. Now, let’s make some noise!”
The Saint Louis Music Initiative has a five-year plan in place and has assembled seven working committees consisting of more than 100 volunteers to manage each critical aspect of the plan and the events therein. For more information, artist announcements and ticket on-sale dates, please visit saintlouismusicweek.org.
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