[BlazeX at Happy Dog as part of the Live from the Underdog series. Photo: iFilm216]

Live Music Society introduced its inaugural Music in Action grant in June 2023, awarding 17 small performance venues a total of $500,000 to facilitate community engagement, audience expansion, and new revenue streams. Four highlights of the first grant include: Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights, IL held its second annual Women’s Jazz Festival from January 4-7, 2023. Chip Brooks, Hey Nonny's owner, collaborated with jazz historian Karuna Maddava to organize the event. Supported by the Music in Action grant, the 2024 festival became possibly the world's largest women’s jazz festival (Chicago Tribune), showcasing 14 women-led acts across four days. Brooks and Maddava emphasized diversifying programming, including a broader range of jazz subgenres alongside an increased number of performances compared to the previous year. Happy Dog in Cleveland, OH initiated a monthly series, Live from the Underdog, showcasing emerging hip-hop acts in their basement space and fostering community engagement with artists from diverse backgrounds. Students from iFilm216 captured these events, creating short episodes that spotlight the series. The Muse Performance Space in Lafayette, CO used their grant to drive Storytelling at the Muse, a platform promoting discussions on themes like identity and culture through music, art, and spoken word, aiming to cultivate new audiences and stimulate vital community dialogues. Stone Church in Brattleboro, VT launched GRRRLS 2 The Front, empowering women and non-binary individuals in the music industry through meet-ups and upcoming training sessions in live sound engineering. These courses, spanning 12 weeks each, provide hands-on experience and mentorship, shaping future talents in sound tech and lighting design. Read more about the first Music in Action grant at Billboard.

[Chip Brooks - owner of Hey Nonny, and Karuna Maddava - Hey Nonny patron and co-organizer of the Women's Jazz Festival]

General Eligibility Requirements for applicants include venue and grantee business entity locations within the United States or its territories, a legal capacity of 50-300 individuals (including standing room), operational status on or before January 1, 2020, a primary focus on live music (featuring solo artists or bands), a minimum of 50 annual music performances, and management or ownership by the applicant.

Music in Action grants will be evaluated based on five general criteria: 

• Innovation/Technology: The selection committee will evaluate whether projects are novel, solve a meaningful problem, and/or create value for the venue.
• Feasibility: Can the program be implemented and evaluated during the grant period?
• Relevance: To the venue, to the audience, or to the local community.
• Reach/Inclusivity: How might the project increase accessibility for historically marginalized groups?
• Potential Impact: What's the hope for long-term impact? (e.g., increased visibility of the venue, repeat visitors, more new visitors, higher ticket revenue, more community support/membership?) How will the impact be evaluated?

Live Music Society made significant strides in 2023. Alongside the inaugural Music in Action Grant, the nonprofit introduced the Toolbox grant. Over two cycles last year, the Toolbox grant was distributed to 43 venues and totaled over $300,000. The Toolbox grant offers crucial practical support, ensuring sustained growth for these valued establishments. Among the projects funded, xBk, in Des Moines, IA, will be installing a portable wheelchair ramp and ADA-compliant stage to better serve artists with disabilities, while Skylark Cafe and Club in Seattle, WA, aims to provide artists with audio/video support for broader audience outreach through multimedia content. 

In addition to launching its grant funding, Live Music Society forged partnerships with like-minded organizations - The House of Songs, the Americana Music Association, and the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) - to advocate for and support the small music venue community. In September, the nonprofit announced a partnership with The House of Songs to bring the respected artist collaboration hub back to East Austin, where the new songwriting incubator invites artists worldwide to collaborate with locals, emphasizing cultural connections and the joy of shared artistry. Also in September, Live Music Society founder Pete Muller spoke at the star-studded Americana Honors & Awards gala in Nashville.  

Live Music Society traveled to Washington D.C., last year for the  NIVA ‘23 Conference. In addition to leading on-site activations for attendees, they hosted an insightful panel exploring the distinctive challenges and successes of small music venues with some of the venue owners the organization has supported. Live Music Society was honored with the NIVA Community Development Award during The Independent Awards Gala for “creating a program or initiative that improves the music, comedy, theater, and/or performing arts ecosystem in their neighborhood, community, or state.”

About Live Music Society: 

Live Music Society’s mission is to recognize and protect small venues and listening rooms across the United States so that live music can remain accessible to all.  The nonprofit foundation has distributed over $3 million in grant funding to 143 venues since it was founded in 2020, providing critical financial support to intimate live music venues that nurture emerging musicians, help to sustain the careers of both established and under-recognized music makers, and provide affordable access to live music in traditionally underserved communities.  

For more information, visit: https://shorefire.com/roster/live-music-society