The Music Cities Awards are presented by Saxony - State of the Arts. This is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward the most outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental and cultural development in cities and places all around the world.
As the announcement of the nominees (on August 3rd) and the awards ceremony (October 18th as part of the Huntsville Music Cities Convention) are getting closer, we're excited to share the amazing and inspiring group of applicants for each of the contest categories.
Scroll down to discover this year's applicants for "Best Organisation or Individual Supporting Music in their City", 40 projects from 5 continents coming all the way from U.S.A. to Kenya, Indonesia, Australia and more.
The Hendley Group (U.S.A.): The Hendley Group is an event creation + event execution company focused on supporting local musicians that write and perform their own original music.
Made in Pécs (Hungary): Made in Pécs festival is a local initiative at the city of Pécs, South-West Hungary, founded by grassroot venue-managers and a cultural blog under the same name with the purpose to to support and highlight the amazing music scene of this stunning small city, that has rich historic and contemporary music heritage.
Big Heavy World (U.S.A.): James Lockridge, head of Big Heavy World is a community builder who is committed to inclusion, and has expressed this over 27 years by organizing
volunteers to celebrate, promote and preserve local music. The work led to creating a grass roots music development office, a tiny museum, a large music archive, and a community radio station.
D.LIVE GmbH & Co. KG (Germany): D.LIVE is responsible for the six venues MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA, PSD BANK DOME, Mitsubishi Electric HALLE, CASTELLO Düsseldorf and Club MTV as well as the all tours Open Air Kino am Rhein.
Mark Roach of the Auckland City of Music (New Zealand): Mark is Director - Auckland City of Music; Executive Manager - NZ Music Hall of Fame; Special Projects Manager - Recorded Music NZ, encompassing brand & creative management of the company and its brands such as the NZ Music Awards; and Director - Muse Creative.
Music Export Memphis (U.S.A.): Music Export Memphis is a nonprofit export office for Memphis music. They create opportunities for Memphis musicians to showcase outside the city, growing their careers, driving talent attraction and tourism and enhancing Memphis'
reputation as a contemporary music city.
Timmins Festivals and Events Committee (Canada): The Timmins Festivals and Events Committee is a non profit board of volunteers who work to enhance the community's quality of life by hosting events throughout the year with the goal of hosting our two day summer festival called Rock on the River.
Kassu Music (Tanzania): Music Recording and Talent Development/Management Startup located in Tabora, Tanzania, that aspires to raise fresh talents from disadvantaged groups, localities and situations.
Merlijn Poolman of the Nachtraad Groningen (The Netherlands): Merlijn Poolman is the founder of nightclub Subsonic. Since 2018 he is the Night Mayor of the Dutch city of Groningen, He is also leader and founder of the Groningen Nachtraad Groningen, member of the Dutch Popcoalitie and is a former European Music Council fellow-member.
Mercer Music at Capricorn (U.S.A.): Mercer Music at Capricorn is a multi-purpose music venue in Macon, Georgia, whose mission is to leverage Macon's music heritage to create Macon's music future. It includes the Capricorn Music Incubator, Capricorn Sound Studios, Capricorn Museum, Offices and Meeting Rooms.
Jill Hamlin (U.S.A.): An award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter, and an Ethnomusicologist from Queen's University Belfast, Jill spearheaded the creation of the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Awards or "The Appy's" which seeks to showcase the entire 13-state Appalachian Region by highlighting established talent and showcasing emerging talent.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Australia): Established in 1906, MSO is Australia's pre-eminent orchestra and a cornerstone of Victoria's rich, cultural heritage. MSO campaigns for the rights of all people to gain access to music, presenting carefully curated learning programs, a regional touring schedule, accessible concerts, and free community events.
MDLBEAST (Saudi Arabia): MDLBEAST is a global music entertainment company based in Saudi Arabia, dedicated to showcasing both established and emerging local, regional, and international talent.
Les SMAQ - Les Scènes de Musique Alternatives du Québec (Canada): Les Scènes de Musique Alternatives du Québec (Les SMAQ) is an organization whose main aim is to represent smaller independent music venues so as to give them a voice and defend their interests. Their members represent more than 75% of the music concerts in Québec each year.
The Ella Project (U.S.A.): With the mission "We believe in the importance of the culture of New Orleans and Louisiana, and we empower the creators of their culture in a way that is just, equitable, and serves the artists, patrons and our diverse community," The
Ella Project provides pro bono legal assistance, arts business development, and cultural advocacy in their home city of New Orleans, LA.
John Taylor of City of Galva (U.S.A.): John Taylor is a live music promoter from the City of Galva. His works has allowed the city to teceive the Levitt AMP [Your City] Grant to ensure the production of concerts at Wiley Park through 2025. I
sonaBLAST! (U.S.A.): sonaBLAST! is a record label and music publishing company working with many first time artists. It has projects such as LaLaLand, a music production studio involved in the music community and NuLuFest, a street and music festival we co-founded 14 years ago to help revitalize a neglected part of Louisville.
Mitra Manch (India): Mitramanch is an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich heritage of Indian classical music and dance. Their primary objective is to support and showcase young artists and provide them with a platform to shine
and inspire others.
Big Front Porch Productions (U.S.A.): Big Front Porch Productions is a production company based in the Mississippi Delta, offering unique musical and edutainment opportunities in the areas of live performance, audio and visual recordings, songwriting workshops, and
artist residencies.
A Flor de Piel (U.S.A.): A Flor de Piel is a family band and was founded in April 2007 by Grammy® and Latin Grammy® nominee multi-instrumentalist Renato Ceron, AKA Renatonatiuh, and front woman, author, teacher, musician and entrepreneur Marisol Ceron, AKA Marisol La Brava.
The Busking Project CIC (Global): The Busking Project is the world's largest community of street performers, with over twelve thousand registered buskers in 133 countries. It hosts a suite of tools and services for street performers, including a cashless payments service, a booking system, digital music sales (straight to people's phones), an archive of information street performers use in their everyday lives.
FIM GDL (Mexico): The Guadalajara International Music Fair FIM GDL is the most important music industry event in Mexico and Latin America. In this space a series of activities are developed that promote agreements and business between local creators and programmers of national and international events.
The Ladybug Music Festival (U.S.A.): The Ladybug Music Festival was founded in 2012. It is a free celebration of Women in Music in the United States, boasting a 100% female-fronted lineup. Ladybug started as a downtown block party, functioning as a tool for local economic revitalization.
Ubunifu Arts Centre (Kenya): Ubunifu Art Centre (UAC) is a community-based organization based in Kariobangi, east of the capital, Nairobi. The organization offers inspiring, creative, artistic, and cultural experiences for their target population. They provide creative arts programs driven by young people's innovation and creativity.
Birthplace of Country Music (U.S.A.): Birthplace of Country Music (BCM) in Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia is the parent nonprofit of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum , the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival, and WBCM Radio Bristol, which broadcasts and streams from the museum 24/7. BCM's mission seeks to perpetuate,
promote, and celebrate Bristol's rich music heritage and more.
Zeineb Laroussi (Tunisia): Zeineb is the General Coordinator of the JMC (Journées Musicales de Carthage) Tunisia- Music Days of Carthage. Additionally, she has a long career promoting the music ecosystem in Tunisia including several roles in music and film festivals and managing performing artists.
MusikaPilipinas from University of Santo Tomas (UST) (Philippines): The UST Research Center for Culture, Arts, and Humanities (RCCAH) is implementing MusikaPilipinas, a project funded involved in academic and policy research on the Philippine music industry with the final objective of helping to develop music cities around the Philippines.
Mona Foma (Australia): Mona Foma is Tasmania's standout summer festival, an annual celebration of diverse music, art, and performance primarily featuring unique Australian artists. For over 14 years, Mona Foma has been a champion of variety, presenting
a mix of contemporary and traditional arts to the public.
Impresario Productions LLC (U.S.A.): Impresario Productions LLC is a boutique public relations and production company that specializes in public relations, entertainment productions and talent brokering. Supporting the curation of music and entertainment
ecosystems at both the national and global level.
WJCT Public Media (U.S.A.): WJCT is the community-owned and operated public media organization serving Jacksonville and the First Coast since 1958, using television, radio, digital media, and live events to help community members learn, share, and grow. WJCT is also the creator of Jacksonville Music Experience (JME) is an online platform dedicated to local music and curation on jaxmusic.org.
Tope Alejo (Nigeria): Tope Alegbejo (Tope Lead) is a dynamic song writer, composer and performer. A Gospel artist from the city of JOS, Nigeria.
Bradford Music Scene (GBR): We are Bradford Music Scene, (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) 2 lovers of music championing the music of Bradford artists through social media,
insta/Facebook/tiktok/twitter, our mailing list, a monthly newsletter and a top 9 initiative showcasing 9 artists each season.
GXR Records (UAE): UAE music label for the MENA region, established in August 2022 and working to support the region music industry with music production and artist management.
Akbar Nicholas (Indonesia): Akbar nicholas is an activist, musician and art organizer from Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. He has an international award from culture of resistance entitled "creative activism award" in 2021 . Akbar and his team continue to show their contribution to the community by trying to raise awareness in their community on how art could be a used as a powerful tool to change the world.
Kirklees Council - Kirklees Year of Music 2023 (GBR): Kirklees has designated 2023 as a Year of Music for the district. KYOM23 celebrates the richness and diversity of its music heritage, the music created and performed today, and its ambition for the future. A year where this vision comes to life, where residents can enjoy music, inclusive of all genres, all communities and all forms.
MusicNSW & VibeLab (Australia): MusicNSW is the state music body in NSW. MusicNSW is a not-for-profit organisation, funded by Create NSW. VibeLab is a nightlife research, advocacy and consulting agency. VibeLab creates solutions that are backed by data to protect creative communities & nighttime culture.
TNGRECORDS NPO (South Africa): Muhammad Plaatjies is a local artist from Beaufort West who started the group The Next Generation (TNG). The group was formed in 2012 with members from Beaufort West, Murrays Burg, Touws River and Cape Town. Muhammad
Plaatjies and TNG have become the first in Beaufort West and Central Karoo to win the Award for Most Innovative contribution Of an Artist/ NGO in the music discipline in 2022.
The Music Cities Awards Ceremony will take place on October 18th as part of the Huntsville Music Cities Convention. The last Early Bird Price tickets for the event will be available until the end of July. Head here to get yours.
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