Seattle Film and Music Blog Office of Film and Music and Special Events

Seattle Film and Music Blog

Meet the Music Commission: Jennifer Czeisler

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Jennifer Czeisler headshotSeattle Music Commissioner Jennifer Czeisler currently runs Rogue Octopus, a sync licensing company focused on Northwest artists and labels, and previously served as Vice President of Licensing at Sup Pop Records for 16 years. A Seattle native and graduate from the University of Washington School of Law, Jen left her position at Sub Pop in 2012 to create Rogue Octopus. Over her years as a music industry attorney, Jen has negotiated and drafted hundreds of recording contracts, licensing agreements and foreign distribution agreements. Jen’s abilities have showcased themselves in music placements for Sub Pop bands The Shins, The Postal Service, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, as well as local indie artists on Rogue Octopus such as Tangerine, Smokey Brights, Hot Bodies In Motion, J. Pinder, Sweet Water and more.

We spoke with Jen about how she got into her career, her perspective on the local industry and her advice for artists who are just starting out. [Read more…]

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Nordic Music Exchange Coming to Seattle

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Office of Film +Music and Special Events Director Kate Becker has been Skyping with Anna Hildur, the Programme Director of NOMEX (Nordic Music Export). NOMEX will bring 30 music industry leaders from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland on a trade mission to Seattle from April 13, 2016 – April 16, 2016. Becker, Music Commissioners and music industry leaders will be participating in panels and nightlife tours with our Nordic guests.

Stay tuned for more details and we get closer to this event!

In the meantime, let’s listen to one of NOMEX’s Spotify playlists, curated by Miriam Bryant:

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2016 City of Music Career Day Featuring Sir Mix-a-Lot and Ludovic Morlot

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OneReelseattle_city_of_music_RGBCOLOR_WHITE_BG announced the 2016 City of Music Career Day. From their news release:

One Reel is pleased to announce the 2016 City of Music Career Day, which will take place at EMP Museum and The Vera Project on Saturday, March 12, 9am – 4pm.

Seattle music icon, Sir Mix-a-Lot, and Seattle Symphony Music Director, Ludovic Morlot, will be making this year’s keynote remarks to kickoff the event. SassyBlack of THEESatisfaction will be taking part in an Artist panel for attendees interested in performing music as a career. Other accomplished music professionals who will be participating in panels and workshops include Kimya Dawson of the Moldy Peaches; Seattle recording artist, Kris Orlowski; Shaina Foley, Production Manager at The Crocodile; Cecilia Corsano-Leopizzi, Marketing Director of Decibel Festival; John Gilbreath, Executive Director of Earshot Jazz Festival; and more.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN. Attendees will receive free Metro Transit passes for their return trip at registration upon request. For more information and to register, visit www.careerday.onereel.org. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.

City of Music Career Day is a free educational event for young people ages 16 – 24 who have an interest in working in the music industry. Participants will get direct access to music industry professionals through networking, experiential learning, and engaging workshops. Attendees will also be among the first to tour KEXP’s new Seattle Center home as part of the event. Career Day is presented in partnership with the Office of Film + Music, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, EMP Museum, and The Vera Project. Major support is generously provided by The Boeing Company.

Internship and volunteer opportunities will be highlighted during a career fair with regional companies and non-profit organizations focused on performance, concert production, audience development, record label operations, retail, journalism, and gaming.

 

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Behind the Scenes at the 2016 GRAMMYs

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I write this as I am on the plane headed back from the GRAMMYS to the Mayor’s State of the City address. I’ve had the good fortune to go to the GRAMMYS three years in a row. My husband works for the Recording Academy, so amazingly, get to be his +1 to the GRAMMYS. It is always so exciting to be there with the nominees from the Seattle area. The intensity of the anticipation is palpable.

One of the crazy thrills of my GRAMMY +1 perk is that I get to go to the nominees’ reception at the gorgeous Wilshire Ebell.

Seattle was seriously representing!

Seattle GRAMMYs

Northwest Contingent of Recording Academy members with Brandi Carlile, GRAMMY nominee

One of the things I only fully realized about the GRAMMYS once I went is that there is a giant premiere show where many awards are presented in advance of the telecast. It all starts at noon.
Eight nominations are Seattle nominations, so of course, we were rooting for them. It is agonizing to be sitting with excited nominees as they realize they haven’t won. And it is thrilling to be there when they win. Seattle brought home one GRAMMY this year for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Seattle Symphony Board Chair Leslie Chihuly jumped out of her seat when it was announced. Huge congratulations to Seattle Symphony conductor Ludovic Morlot and violinist Augustin Hadelich for winning a GRAMMY for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des Songes. Amazing! Thanks for making our City of Music(TM) shine!
Two years in a row, the Seattle Symphony has brought home a GRAMMY.

Seattle Symphony Grammy

The Seattle Symphony camp is thrilled! Simon Woods, Executive Director, Seattle Symphony, Michael Compton, Executive Director, PNW Chapter of the Recording Academy, yours truly, Leslie Chihuly, Seattle Symphony Board Chair, Patty Sabee, Executive Director, EMP Museum, David Sabee, Seattle Symphony Musician

 

 

Listen!

Here are a few photos from this extraordinary evening….

GRAMMY After Party

The After Party

Hollywood Vampires

Hollywood Vampires with Seattle musician Duff McKagan

Taylor Swift

TAylor Swift

 

 

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CITY OF MUSIC ROADSHOW: BLACK MUSIC SUMMIT A SUCCESS

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BlackMusicSummit_headerFMNL

On Saturday, January 31st, the Office of Film + Music’s Director, Kate Becker, and Creative Industries Advocate, Mikhael Mei Williams, participated in the day long City of Music: Black Music Summit at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Orchestrated by Seattle Music Commissioner Wyking Garrett, this event is an evolution and direct outreach program of the Music Commission’s annual City of Music Career Day held each spring at the Seattle Center. The goal of the Roadshow events is to engage local communities around equity and opportunities in Seattle’s music industry and to provide a framework for discussion around ways to ensure Seattle’s vibrant music scene is accessible and open to everyone.

Over 150 people attended and participated throughout the day long event, including six Music Commissioners. Panels covered a variety of topics including the state of Black Music in Seattle, how to make a living in today’s music business, and how music can be used to activate and enrich neighborhoods. Panelists featured a mix of working artists and performers, promoters, venue owners and operators, and music and cultural organizations and included Ishmael Butler, Shabazz Palaces/Sub Pop Records; Ouwar Arunga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Arunga Music, LLC; Jazmyn Scott, The Town Entertainment; Ricardo Frazer, Seattle Music Commission/Zaki Rose Agency; LaTanya “Sista Luv” Horace, Singer/Songwriter; Tendai Baba Maraire, Shabazz Palaces/Chimerunga Renaissance; Larry Mizell, The Stranger/KEXP; Lara Davis and Liz Johnson, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture; Evelyn Allen, Exec. Director Village Spirit Center for Community Change; Suntionio Bandanaz, 206Zulu and many others.

The event generated lively conversation and discussion around challenges facing the Black music community and how artists, musicians, promoters, and others working in the industry could better connect to create more opportunities to make a living in music. The event involved a high-level of active participation and collaboration and the ideas, strategies, and feedback that resulted from the summit will help inform the direction of the City of Music Initiative as it progresses.

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Seattle Music Commissioner and Black Music Summit organizer Wyking Garrett kicking off the program.

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“State of Black Music” panel featuring Jazmyn Scott, Ouwar Arunga, Ishmael Butler, Music Commissioner Wyking Garrett, Dr. James Gore, Music Commissioner Ricardo Frazer, and Erinn “Ms. Urban 411” Renee

 

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City of Music Career Day Roadshow – this Saturday, Jan. 31st

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Black-Music-Summit_webMusic is a $2+ Billion industry in Seattle with over 20,000 jobs represented. African-Americans and the Central District have played a significant role in the development of Seattle’s rich musical legacy – from jazz and blues to funk and hip hop – yet have minimal representation in the industry economics and policy influence.

The Black Music Summit “A Motown in Seattle?” will take place this Saturday, January 31st from 11 am to 6 pm at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. This event is free and open to the public.

Register online now

The purpose of this summit is to bring together stakeholders—musicians, artists, promoters, venue owners and operators, members of the media, educators, and other industry participants—to increase awareness of available opportunities and strengthen networks for action. The goal is to address the current state, and future growth, of Black Music in Seattle and the Central District and explore the opportunities and challenges in the context of Seattle’s City of Music Initiative to make Seattle a global music mecca by 2020.

The Roadshows were developed as an outreach tool for the annual City of Music Career Day to provide information, assess challenges and opportunities, and provide access to the music industry in underrepresented communities. These events showcase talent in these hyper-local communities and bring neighborhoods together to celebrate their vibrant and rich musical histories and cultures.

The Black Music Summit “A Motown in Seattle” program schedule features the following:

  • 11:00am – 12pm Industry Stakeholders Meet & Greet Brunch
  • 12:15pm Welcome & Opening Statements
    • Kate Becker, Director Seattle Office of Film & Music
    • Randy Engstrom, Director, Seattle Office of Art & Culture
  • 12:30 State of Black Music in Seattle
    • Ishmael Butler, Shabazz Palaces/SubPop Records
    • Ouwar Arunga, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/Arunga Music, LLC
    • Dr. James Gore, Ariel Media/Jackson St. Music Program
    • Jazmyn Scott, The Town Ent.
    • Erinn “Ms. Urban 411” Renee, C89.5FM The Gospel Show/Rite Marketing
  • 1:45pm – 2:45 Feast or Famine: Making Money In Today’s Music Biz
    • LaTanya “Sista Luv” Horace, Singer/Songwriter
    • Darryl Crews, Executive, Sky Movement (Tacoma, WA)
    • Tendai Baba Maraire, Shabazz Palaces/Chimerunga Renaissance
    • Larry Mizell, The Stranger
    • Lara Davis, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
    • Mark Henderson, International Musican & Band Leader (Hong Kong)
  • 3:15-4:15 Using Music To Activate Neighborhoods Roundtable
    • Royal Alley Barnes, Executive Director, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute
    • Evelyn Allen – Exec. Dir., Village Spirit Center for Community Change
    • Felix Ngoussou, Owner – Lake Chad Cafe
    • Liz Johnson, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
    • Jason Davidson, Owner – Cortona Cafe & Parklet
    • Robert Stevens – African American Veterans Group of Washington State/23rd Ave ACT/Garfield Community Council
    • Savior Knowledge, Union Street Business Association
    • Heidi Jackson, CEO Hidmo Cypher
    • Suntonio Bandanaz – Artists, 206Zulu
  • Young Artists Roundtable facilitated by Freshest Roots
  • 4:30 -5:45 Music, Technology & Marketing presented by Hack The CD

The Roadshow events are produced by Seattle Music Commissioner K. Wyking Garrett of UMOJA PEACE Center in collaboration with the Office of Film + Music, Seattle Music Commission, and the Office of Arts & Culture.

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