What is Music aLIVE?
A program of the nonprofit Whippoorwill Arts, Music aLIVE provides ethical guaranteed-pay performance opportunities for working professional Roots musicians while bringing the highest quality live music to the people who need it most.
Music aLIVE serves working professional musicians who play Roots genres. Music aLIVE’s Community Bookers set up one-hour concerts that are local for our musicians. Currently funding musicians performing as soloists, duos, or trios, Music aLIVE guarantees payment of $200 per musician for each concert and a small fee to community bookers for arranging each concert. We value equity booking and aim to support Roots musicians of all backgrounds, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and disabled musicians.
Music aLIVE serves audiences of traditionally marginalized communities by bringing professional music to them, at the agencies that serve them. Live music is an essential public good, but for certain communities, there are many barriers to attending a traditional concert, whether it be the ability to pay, physical or mental disability, or discretionary time, to name just a few. All Music aLIVE concerts take place at non-traditional venues like K-12 public schools, low-income housing complexes, elder care facilities, and more. By booking professional musicians, Music aLIVE offers concert experiences that are expertly tailored to each audience. Plus, our practice of equity booking allows us to optimally curate for the unique demographic needs of each community.
By serving both working musicians and underserved audiences, Music aLIVE exists to build and enrich community. Live music brings us together like nothing else can. We know that live music is medicine, and we are grateful to help bring this medicine to your community.
Music aLIVE is currently available in California, Colorado, and Tennessee. We will be expanding Music aLIVE with new communities passionate about the mission, especially where motivated musicians, community bookers, and funders will work together to make it come alive! We invite your feedback and recommendations. If you know any artists who would be a good fit, please feel free to share this guaranteed-performance-pay opportunity.
640 Musicians Served
Reaching 18,000 people in Underserved Communities
Bring Music aLIVE to Your Community
Does your facility serve a particular traditionally underserved population? Interested in bringing the medicine of high-quality live music to your constituents at your facility? Let’s chat!
*Current Agency Partners: For all booking or scheduling matters, please contact your Community Booker. Otherwise, feel free to reach out if you have a question or need assistance!
Seeking Community Bookers
Successful bookers are fans of roots music, passionate about building community, are organized, detailed, good communicators, have experience booking gigs and working with musicians. They love the music AND the musicians.
The primary role is to book gigs for Music aLIVE musicians at non-traditional venues working with underserved communities, such as public K-12 schools, seniors, programs for unhoused, disabled and people in memory care or rehab, etc.
Bookers are paid a small fee per accepted booked gig. Interested?
Below are some examples from funded musicians:
Sound Affects at Elderhouse
Rob Reich
Melody Yan
The DeWayne Oakley Blues Ensemble
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TESTIMONIALS
“After hitting countless glass ceilings, I realized very quickly that as a woman of color, good opportunities are rare, especially in the music industry. I’ve been on a life’s mission to seek out and provide fair pay opportunities to under-represented musicians, especially BIPOC. I was serendipitously offered the opportunity to be a Community Booker for Whippoorwill Arts. Since then I’ve been able to connect countless musicians to fair-pay opportunities, while also bringing immense joy to underserved communities! What an immense blessing!”
“I am looking forward to having dinner at the shelter when I know we’ll have the volunteer musicians. It is like going out to a fancy restaurant! I feel happier and lighter every time the musicians come.”
“Having quality musicians to play at the shelter has elevated the morale significantly. Now our residents look forward to those nights! There is a celebratory atmosphere that is created thanks to the power of art and the willingness of the artists to perform as if they were in a “real” music venue. Our hope was to create a sense of caring and community through food and thanks to Whippoorwill Arts, connection and joy was brought into the equation. We would love to have this gift once a week! Thank you!”
“We really appreciate what you’re doing and value your foundation’s mission. It’s a brilliant concept in how it connects the community to its musicians, explores diversity in roots and expression, and jumpstarts musicians to re-emerge from the pandemic. I loved the organic feel of our last experience.”
“Thank you so much for the opportunity! The kids loved it and we had a great time as well. Joe took them through each type of the blues.”
Spotlight on our Nashville Chapter
Community Booker, Rosa Rodriguez, performed live on Nashville’s NBC Channel 4 in honor of Latinx Heritage Month. Watch her perform her original song, “Adios,” below.
Spotlight on our Los Angeles Chapter
Congratulations Abby Posner, Music aLIVE musician on her win!
Abby Posner wins grand prize in USA Song Writing Competition
When Will Carpenter and I wrote the song Get Loud, we wanted to craft a protest anthem after Roe V Wade was overturned... we were not planning on winning awards, or making money off of it. We simply wanted to make art that inspired movement and energy to create change. When we found out that we won the best song in the Rock Alternative Genre we were absolutely thrilled. We certainly did not expect to win the overall grand prize...
Spotlight on our San Francisco Chapter
Elise Engelberg and DeWayne Oakley are two talented Bay Area roots musicians - and new Music aLIVE Community Bookers - who have jump-started a new chapter in January 2023. In less than three months, this dynamic duo has already booked more than 40 gigs supporting over 100 musicians and 1200 underserved listeners! Check out the San Francisco concerts in the Calendar above to see the variety of music(ian), agency and community they have brought together. And please check out the DeWayne Oakley Blues Ensemble and Elise’s old-time band, Skillet Licorice.
IN THE NEWS
News
PAST CONCERTS
Application Requirements
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Because we are small, Whippoorwill Arts programming is focused on roots musicians, which is a community and family of music we know well:
• Folk in all its heritages
• Americana
• Blues
• Bluegrass
• Old-time
• US-based global musicAs we see it, Pop Music is popular in a given time; Roots Music, on the other hand, comprises traditions and repertoire that are passed on–both preserved and freshly interpreted–from generation to generation, transcending a particular time. It is often story-based, and features specific instrumentation (eg, the cuatro in Puerto Rico).
American and US-based Folk Music is understood to be underfunded and under-resourced at this time. While there are funders and organizations economically supporting other genres, our mission is to provide support for the working musicians who keep the unique traditions of Roots Music alive.
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• Working professional musicians within the Roots Music genre: Bluegrass, Folk, Americana, Blues, Old-time, and US-based global music (Note: musicians/bands do not need to play Roots Music exclusively. For example, a straight-ahead jazz band that also plays Americana may be approved and funded)
• You must live in an area with a Music aLIVE Chapter (Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay area, Nashville area, and Fort Collins Colorado area) and perform as a solo, duo or trio in a funded genre. We are expanding, stay in touch!
• Solos, duos, and trios. Up to 3 members per group, maximum
• Musicians working within their own region (eg, an easy drive away from the venue)
• Musicians may play up to eight (8) Music aLIVE concerts within the calendar year and no more than 1 concert within a calendar month***
***With the exception of Community Bookers doubling as band leaders – see Community Booker Info section.We strongly encourage applications from BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA musicians
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• Concerts at agencies dedicated to serving underserved communities (see “Acceptable Venue Types” section for more info).
• Concert must be a one-off event. No series or festivals will be funded.
• Concerts are 1 hour.
• Generally acoustic performances. Bringing sound equipment is not necessary. Concerts are typically in a small room where an acoustic setup is completely appropriate. Please perform dynamically.
• Performances must cater to the specific audience (eg, when playing at a senior center, the setlist should include some covers the audience knows, and interaction should be positive and fitting for that audience). -
• Children's Day Care
• Homeless shelter
• Developmentally Disabled Care Facility
• Detention Facility
• Assisted Living Center
• Mental Health Center
• Senior Day Program
• Drug & Alcohol Recovery Program
• Special Needs School
• Skilled Nursing Care
• Hospital
• Low Income Housing
• Visually Impaired Facility
• K-12 Public schools
• Farmers Markets (limited spots available)
• Libraries (limited spots available) -
• Guaranteed pay of $200/musician for one hour of live music
• Payment will be made out directly to the band leader
• All musicians must be paid $200 per gig -
• You will handle the online application on behalf of the bands you’re booking.
• You will be paid $35 per gig you book, following proof the concert took place.
• You may book your own band for Music aLIVE concerts, not exceeding one gig/month. ***Musicians playing in your band may perform in up to 12 Music aLIVE concerts per calendar year.
***You will be paid the $50 admin fee per completed gig for your own band, as is standard for band leaders. -
• You must live in an area with a Music aLIVE Chapter (Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay area, Nashville area, and Fort Collins Colorado area) and perform as a solo, duo or trio in a funded genre. We are expanding, stay in touch!
• We will have *new* streamlined applications, expected by early January 2024. Until then, all curation is done through the Community Bookers. Please feel free to contact musicalive@whippoorwillarts.org if you would like to have an application emailed to you.
Requirement: Whippoorwill Arts is not responsible for the production, licenses, insurance, venue management, liability and expenses of the event. Whippoorwill Arts must be acknowledged by stating “Concert Made Possible by a Grant from Whippoorwill Arts Music aLIVE” on online and print material and promotional materials.
COVID-19 Safety: Safety of musicians, staff and audience is a top priority. The application will include a section on the Covid Safety protocols. Please see Whippoorwill Arts COVID-19 Safety for Musicians.
Questions?
