In the era of Covid where live shows are increasingly impossible, other than the occasional backyard bacchanal with a boozy payout, The Music District and Assemble Sound are proposing an alternative
It’s 2020 — The year that the modern live music industry has faced its most pressing challenge since its inception. A complete and total shutdown due to an out-of-control pandemic that continues to surge across the nation. Venues are shuttering, and countless jobs are lost. Working musicians (arguably a key component) are left with playing semi-safe backyard hootenannies or begging for tips on Facebook live with little-to-no hope of financial salvation until 2022, as a recent worst-case-scenario suggests. It seems hopeless, but is there something, or anything, that can help quell the nightmare that has been this past year?
The damage already has been so all-encompassing that it would take a miracle or millions to bring back what we have already lost, but are there ways to soften the blow? Adaptability is key as we trudge on into the dark uncertainty of this “long winter” — finding new ways to generate cash as musicians, while continuing to perfect the craft, is the next fight.
Our friends over at the Music District and Assemble Sound are leading the charge by bringing sync licensing to Northern Colorado. “Sync” is an often misunderstood topic in the music industry, I spoke with Mickey Davis and Kyle Hauser of the Music District ahead of their free panel with Assemble Sound that will kick off the submission window on Thursday.
“Assemble Sound is based in Detroit. They’re kind of similar to the Music District in that they have rehearsal space and wraparound services for artists,” said Mickey during our Zoom call. “They do an artist residency program, but where they differ is they also represent Detroit artists for sync licensing placement…The Music District and Assemble Sound are teaming up to bring sync licensing to Northern Colorado. Assemble Sound is opening their catalog to Northern Colorado artists for the first time, by way of a partnership with the Music District.”
The common misconception for artists, outside of a major hub, is that sync is unattainable. Therefore it is usually ignored as a viable revenue stream for musicians. Assemble Sound is changing this paradigm. Starting in Detroit they have placed artists’ music on various massive platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, and HBO, to name a few.
“They’ve really created a strong pipeline between independent artists in Detroit, and pretty major licensing opportunities.” Mickey continued, with Kyle chiming in: “Assemble represents a pretty interesting side of the industry, in that they’ve had good success in smaller unknown sync communities. So they feel like they can duplicate that, but in a community-focused way.”
If your submission is selected, you will join Assemble Sound’s roster of artists to be pitched for sync placements.
Those who are not selected will meet with Assemble Sound and Music District staff to plan what they need to do to be sync ready and re-apply. Every artist who applies will receive a consultation and feedback about their submission.
This is a fantastic opportunity to adapt as an artist to the changing times. Now we are not saying that this is the way to stay alive, but merely one way to keep moving forward in some downright scary seas.
Learn more on the Music District’s main page, and tune in to the free panel they are hosting on Facebook on October 29th: