At a City Hall press conference this morning in Philadelphia,
Councilman-at-large David Oh and
Tri-State Indie’s Stephanie Seiple were joined by Philly artists and entrepreneurs to officially announce the launch of PHL Live Center Stage: a new music competition “highlighting Philly’s top musical talent across multiple genres.”
Tri-State Indie’s Stephanie Seiple were joined by Philly artists and entrepreneurs to officially announce the launch of PHL Live Center Stage: a new music competition “highlighting Philly’s top musical talent across multiple genres.”
The event is to be held at numerous venues across the city,
including World Café Live, the Trocadero, and ENON Baptist Church, and will
showcase artists across many genres of music: classical, country/folk,
hip-hop/rap, jazz, world, pop/dance, R&B, rock, gospel, and DJ. Competing
artists will be chosen through an online video submission process that will run
from August 15th – September 15th. Selected artists will compete live to
earn a spot in the finals to be held at the Trocadero in December. Though a panel of judges selects
participants and winners, recognition will also include a people’s choice
award.
Organizers hope that PHL Live will be bigger than a musical
competition, however. In fact, Oh,
Seiple, and other members of the PHL Live team spoke passionately about their
desire that the competition will help to boost Philadelphia’s music and arts
communities. Philly artist GoGo Morrow spoke about her desire to make
Philadelphia once again a destination for artists, and representing the
Philadelphia Jazz Project, Homer Jackson pointed to our city’s storied musical
legacy and asserted that it is “our responsibility and role to make sure the
future happens here.” The PHL Live organization will even include a non-profit
component to benefit music education.
For his part, Councilman-at-large David Oh used the press
conference to announce two new bills to benefit Philly’s music community that
he will propose this fall. The first
seeks to designate free 30-minute loading zones for musicians and entertainers
outside of reputable venues.
Councilman Oh cited the city of Seattle as a model and stated that such a
measure will help to reinforce Philadelphia’s dedication to the arts. The
second bill will push for a “bonafide” effort to ensure more local artists be
represented at the city’s major music festivals, including Wawa Welcome
America. Said Oh, Philadelphia should be a “city of opportunity for everyone."
The PHL Live website and submission process will launch August
15th. Information can
be found at http://phllive.org, on Twitter and
Facebook, and artists can stay tuned to Root Down in the Shadow for updates.
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