MANHATTAN, NY—New York City’s mayor, Bill De Blasio, announced through his Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) on May 4 that June 2017 would be New York Music Month. The city would underwrite free and paid concerts, walking tours, workshops, conferences and utilities for musicians, including more than 2,000 hours worth of free rehearsal space. On June 6, MOME Commissioner Julie Menin attended A2IM’s Indie Week 2017 conference at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center to officially proclaim the day as “American Association of Independent Music Day.”
A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) hosted Indie Week 2017 on June 5-8 with a series of conferences and networking events in the daytime and concerts and presentations in the evenings. Keynote speeches, interactive panels and workshops offered independent labels and music industry personnel to gain a more profound understanding of developing trends that could advance independent music. The concerts allowed exposure to budding independent bands from around the world.
A2IM member organizations M for Montreal, Sneak Attack Media, Bandsintown, and Dutch Music Export & Dutch Culture showcased music acts from Canada (Lisa LeBlanc, Helena Deland, Ghostly Kisses, Beyries) and the Netherlands (Klangstof, Amber Arcades) at Pianos on June 6. Consequence of Sound hosted the Reeperbahn Festival – New York Edition showcase at Pianos on June 7, featuring Carnival Youth (Latvia), We Bless This Mess (Portugal), Leyya (Austria), Lydmor (Denmark), Albin Lee Meldau (Sweden), Megan Bonnell (Canada), and Olivier St. Louis (United States). The concluding event will be the Libera Awards at the PlayStation Theater, featuring performances by Nick Lowe, Ani DiFranco, Talib Kweli, Twin Peaks and Nick Hakim; Ted Leo will host the event, and A2IM will honor Nick Lowe with its Independent Icon Award and Ani Difranco with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership includes a coalition of more than 440 Independently-owned American music labels.
