Event Archive

Opening Remarks: Event Organizers

Opening remarks from event organizers Music Policy Forum, Music Idaho, Campfire Music Foundation, the City of Boise, and Boise State University.

Opening Remarks: Michael Bracy, Co-founder, Music Policy Forum

Opening Remarks: Jimmy Hallyburton, Boise City Council President

Session 1: Introducing the Cascadia Music Corridor

Since before the pandemic, music advocates across Cascadia have explored developing collaborative infrastructure that would support the vibrant yet fragile music ecosystems across Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. What are the core ideas behind this concept? And what are the next steps in development and rollout?

• Kate Becker, Creative Economy Director, King County, Washington
• Nathan Walker, Music Idaho
• Marian Call, AKIMI
• Meara Mclaughlin, MusicPortland

Session 2: Artists' Perspectives on Strengthening Collaborative Infrastructure in the West

Every cliche about being a professional musician in this era is true: it is absolutely the best of time and worst of times. Building and sustaining a music career can be exhausting and overwhelming, especially in the geographically isolated Cascadia region. How can we as stakeholders and advocates build more tangible and meaningful support for professional musicians? What are the tradeoffs involved in staying based in Cascadia?

• Amanda Ashley, Boise State University (moderator)
• Rose Gerber, Portland, OR
• Ben London, Seattle, WA
• Ashley Young, Anchorage, AK
• Ukiah Bogle, Boise, ID

Featured Presentation: Hunter and Lori Noack | In A Landscape

Session 3: Engaging Government, Philanthropy and the Business Community

Our work as music stakeholders is rooted in a fundamental contradiction: the underlying importance of music for our humanity, sense of community and expression is rarely in alignment with the economic structures of the industry. To that end, we are constantly searching for policies, strategies and funding initiatives that compensate artists, increase the public’s access to music and strengthen the small businesses that struggle to sustain in a difficult marketplace. Advocates, policymakers and philanthropists are constantly innovating in pursuit of tangible initiatives that can align with music to support multiple civic objectives while being replicable or scalable. How can these initiatives inform our own work as we look for regional solutions?

• Dena Morris, MPF Board,  moderator, Seattle, WA
• Sean Keithly, Economic Development Director, City of Boise
• Jami Duffy, Executive Director, Youth on Record, Denver, CO
• Jamie van Leeuwen, ​​CEO and Founder, Global Livingston Institute, Denver, CO
• Aaron Myers, Executive Director, Washington DC Commission on Arts and Humanities

Featured Presentation: Stephen Parker, Executive Director, National Independent Venue Association

Featured Presentation: James Miles, Creative Economy Manager, City of Seattle

Session 4: The Role of Qualitative and Quantitative Data in Informing Music Policy/Strategies

All music stakeholders are reliant on qualitative and quantitative data to inform policies, strategies and initiatives. Music Policy Forum joins many other music advocates in celebrating the maturation and acceleration of the field, including a richer understanding of how to utilize best practices and quantitative data, what questions are the “right” ones to ask under different circumstances and how the field can maximize return on investment through lower research costs and higher overall impact. What are the most exciting trends in research design? Are there great examples of how data has been effectively used to shape policy? And are there any pitfalls that should be avoided in commissioning or executing research strategies?

• Tilley Bubb, City of Boise, Moderator
• Don Pitts, Founder and President, Sound Music Cities, Austin, TX
• Donna Harrison, Director of Cultural Tourism and Inclusive Marketing, Chattanooga, TN
• Dr. Michael Seman, Director of Arts Management Studies, Colorado State University
• Shannon Roach Halberstadt, Washington State Department of Commerce, WA

Featured Presentation: Daniel Pak, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Totem Star, Seattle, WA

Session 5: Festivals, Venues and Maximizing Infrastructure

The Cascadia region is well known for festivals and venues that are community anchors and beloved by artists and audiences alike. At the same time, many cities grapple with post-pandemic dynamics, including fewer downtown workers, housing and public health challenges and uncertainty about the future of work. How do festivals and venues relate to these broader civic challenges? And does the live music industry present an opportunity to strengthen a workforce development pipeline by strengthening partnerships with Creative Youth Development organizations?

• Kate Becker, Creative Economy Director, King County, Washington
• Reese Tanimura, Managing Director, Northwest Folklife, Seattle, WA
• Deb Mahar, Wow Hall, Eugene, OR
• Kevin Sur, Artist Home, Seattle, WA
• Kori Hazel, Artist Manager, Denver, CO

Featured Performance: N3ptune and Rusty Steve

Artist Keynote: Dessa, N3PTUNE, Rusty Steve, and Eric Gilbert

• Emily Fox, KEXP, Seattle, WA (moderator)
• Dessa, Minneapolis, MN
• N3PTUNE, Denver, CO
• Rusty Steve, Denver, CO
• Eric Gilbert, Treefort and Duck Club, Boise, ID

Spoken Word Feature: Dessa

Town Hall: Moving From Concept to Action

After a long day of discussion, what themes, strategies and ideas have emerged as we look to take the Cascadia Music Corridor from concept to reality? What are tangible next steps we can take as advocates, music workers, researchers or government officials? If this group reconvened in two years, how would we define success?

• Hans Larson, Founder, Campfire Music Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 
• Lynn Ross, Executive Director, Performing Arts Lodges, Vancouver, BC
• Sarah Rathbone, Co-Founder and CEO, Co-Stellar, Seattle, WA