New music competition, proposed legislation introduced at City Hall

At a City Hall press conference this morning in Philadelphia, Councilman-at-large David Oh and
Tri-State Indie’s Stephanie Seiple were joined by Philly artists and entrepreneurs to officially announce the launch of PHL Live Center Stage: a new music competition “highlighting Philly’s top musical talent across multiple genres.”

The event is to be held at numerous venues across the city, including World Café Live, the Trocadero, and ENON Baptist Church, and will showcase artists across many genres of music: classical, country/folk, hip-hop/rap, jazz, world, pop/dance, R&B, rock, gospel, and DJ. Competing artists will be chosen through an online video submission process that will run from August 15^th – September 15^th.  Selected artists will compete live to earn a spot in the finals to be held at the Trocadero in December.  Though a panel of judges selects participants and winners, recognition will also include a people’s choice award.

Organizers hope that PHL Live will be bigger than a musical competition, however.  In fact, Oh, Seiple, and other members of the PHL Live team spoke passionately about their desire that the competition will help to boost Philadelphia’s music and arts communities. Philly artist GoGo Morrow spoke about her desire to make Philadelphia once again a destination for artists, and representing the Philadelphia Jazz Project, Homer Jackson pointed to our city’s storied musical legacy and asserted that it is “our responsibility and role to make sure the future happens here.” The PHL Live organization will even include a non-profit component to benefit music education.

For his part, Councilman-at-large David Oh used the press conference to announce two new bills to benefit Philly’s music community that he will propose this fall.  The first seeks to designate free 30-minute loading zones for musicians and entertainers outside of reputable venues.  Councilman Oh cited the city of Seattle as a model and stated that such a measure will help to reinforce Philadelphia’s dedication to the arts. The second bill will push for a “bonafide” effort to ensure more local artists be represented at the city’s major music festivals, including Wawa Welcome America. Said Oh, Philadelphia should be a “city of opportunity for everyone."

The PHL Live website and submission process will launch August 15^th.  Information can be found at http://phllive.org, on Twitter and Facebook, and artists can stay tuned to Root Down in the Shadow for updates.