Author: Press Release
Published: July 24, 2006
Tools: [printer
friendly | email ]
Music Fund Created by 'Payola' Settlement Makes First Grants
$13 million Awarded by The New York State Music Fund to 153
Nonprofit
Contemporary Music Appreciation Programs
NEW YORK, July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
today announced the first 153 grantees of the New York State Music Fund
("the Fund"), a groundbreaking grant program created by the Office of
the
New York State Attorney General to make contemporary music of all
genres
more available and accessible to diverse audiences and communities
within
New York State. Grants totaling $13 million were awarded to nonprofit
groups from Oswego to Brooklyn for programs ranging from hip-hop to new
classical music, and jazz to folk music from around the world. The Fund
grew out of settlements with major recording companies investigated for
violating state and federal laws prohibiting "pay for play" (also
called
"payola").
"This first round of grants, in its geographic breadth and
diversity of
exciting programs, represents a significant step in achieving the
Fund's
goals to enable people all across the state to experience the joy of
music,
and especially to learn about new forms of music," said Jessica Chao,
vice
president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the nonprofit
organization
that developed and manages the grant program. "The enthusiastic
response we
received from groups of many sizes and types demonstrates the deep
interest
in music by people of all ages and backgrounds, and the related needs
that
remain unmet in many communities. We're pleased to be part of the
solution."
The New York State Music Fund published guidelines and criteria and
accepted grant applications in a number of categories, including music
education and public performances of music by artists working in
hip-hop,
reggae, fusion, jazz, new classical and folk music of all cultures.
Applications related to recording, distribution, or broadcast through
traditional and new media were also eligible. Special emphasis was
placed
on reaching underserved populations and broadening awareness of
artists,
genres or styles with limited access to commercial broadcast or other
mass
distribution vehicles. The Fund received a total of 304 applications
for
its first cycle.
Awards to the 153 grantees represent every region of New York State
and
range from $15,000 to $750,000. Diverse forms of popular or
experimental
music, including hip-hop, indie rock, fusion and reggae account for
about
37 percent of grants and more than 13 percent celebrate a spectrum of
jazz;
30 percent include new classical music. The state's ethnic or racial
minority communities are served by 45 percent of the programs, while 47
percent target low-income communities. The Fund's size and emphasis on
music of our time set it apart from other arts grant programs.
An Advisory Panel comprised of recognized leaders from a
cross-section
of the music world evaluated and recommended the applications. The
panel
included Karen Park Canning, ethnomusicologist and musician; Joseph
Dalton,
arts reporter and critic; Willie L. Hill, Jr., musician, educator and
director of the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts,
Amherst; Murray Horwitz, radio commentator, songwriter and director of
the
American Film Institute's Silver Theater and Cultural Center; James
Jordan,
music publisher and former director of the New York State Council on
the
Arts' music program; Mike Ross, director of the Krannert Center for the
Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign;
Mildred
Ruiz, singer, actress and playwright; Ray Vega, jazz trumpeter and
lecturer
at the music conservatory at SUNY-Purchase; and Su Zheng,
ethnomusicologist
and associate professor of music at Wesleyan University.
Grantees include:
* City Parks Foundation (New York City) to expand free concerts to
low-
income neighborhoods in all five boroughs of New York City
showcasing
hip-hop, reggae, soul, funk, blues, Latin American, and jazz
music -
$230,000
* Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center (Buffalo) for increased
programming
of experimental and new music to be presented in The Church, its
new
space featuring concerts, residencies, new works and recordings
-
$150,000
* Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture (Bronx) for Bomplenazo
2006: A
Biennial of Afro-Puerto-Rican Culture and the Mott Haven Latin
Jazz
Connection, two festivals celebrating the African and Latin
musical
roots of the South Bronx - $90,000
* Mama Foundation for the Arts for Gospel for Teens (Harlem), a
community-based music education program stressing artistic
discipline
and commitment by training aspiring teens in this uniquely
American
musical form - $30,000.
* North Country Public Radio (Adirondack Region) for "UpNorth
Music," a
collaborative project with regional arts councils to record,
archive,
broadcast, and podcast all genres of music by artists living and
working in New York's North Country - $330,000
* Syracuse Jazz Fest, which annually features legendary artists
such as
David Fathead Newman, Dr. John, Ahmad Jamal, Diana Krall, Richie
Havens, Jimmy Heath, Aaron Neville and the Ramsey Lewis Trio,
among
others - $39,000
A full list of grantees and information about the second cycle of
applications, which are due by September 12 and will be announced in
late
December, can be found at http://www.rockpa.org/music.
