Music, like politics, is local. The artists who populate our Apple Music or Spotify playlists started in someone’s basement, found their initial audience in a community center, or perhaps used a friend’s bedroom as their first recording studio. And much like the political scene, the music scene amplifies some voices louder than others.
This webinar will explore the promise, pitfalls, and power of coordinating local, inclusive music scenes through community organizing. Bringing together local artists, activists, and community organizers from Ithaca Underground (a music and arts organization founded in 2007 to provide “an all-ages, radically inclusive environment for do-it-yourself ambitions”), this discussion will challenge us to listen to a broader spectrum of voices; to confront the inequities of labor and access in both local and touring music scenes; and to connect and get involved with local communities of music, art, and social justice.
