Sacramento launches new effort to help local musicians make money
There are new efforts underway to help Sacramento singers and musicians make money. The city is banding together with music industry experts to teach artists how to make a living here locally instead of moving away to bigger cities.
Historically, Sacramento has lost a lot of its top talent. That's why the City of Sacramento is partnering with the nonprofit group Department of Sound to help teach local musicians how to get gigs and earn a profit from their passion.
J. Hamilton Hodgson, co-founder of Department of Sound, said he envisions creating "a creative oasis" in Sacramento.
"Too often, these people leave town because they don't find opportunities here," Hodgson said.
The city is now sponsoring a series of workshops for musical artists, with industry experts talking about things like marketing, royalties, and selling merchandise. The city is spending $150,000 in federal grant money to hold these workshops, with more than 100 local artists attending.
"There are a growing number of opportunities to perform in Sacramento and we want to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to support those artists," said Jason Jong, the city's cultural and creative economy manager.
Singer-songwriter Kristi Matal has seen some local success, but she hopes this workshop teaches her how to expand her audience.
"My priority would be just getting a few of my songs out into the world, so learning more about distribution, promotion and also licensing," she said.
So could the next Taylor Swift really come from Sacramento?
"You never know," Jong said. "We have so much talent here in Sacramento."
Since the pandemic, the City of Sacramento has dedicated $12 million towards boosting the creative economy, like funding more festivals and providing a monthly $850 income for 200 local artists.