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ARChive of Contemporary Music Receives Grant to Create the NYMIA The ARChive of Contemporary Music (ARC) is the recipient of a $250,000 grant from The New York State Music Fund to create The New York Music Index and Archive (NY-MIA). This program will create an online, on disc and physical resource focused on popular music produced in New York State that will catalogue information on musicians, recording and sectors of the support industry (e.g., labels, music publishers, managers, venues, distributors, retailers and rights organizations).ARC is the largest collection of popular music in the world, with over two million sound recordings. Founded in 1985, ARC collects preserves and provides information on the popular music of all cultures throughout the world. Along with creating an electronic resource for working musicians, this grant will create a special collection, housed at ARC, of recordings produced in New York, encompassing all genres, formats and eras. Bob George, Director of the ARChive, believes that this grant is an important first step in preserving an important segment of American music and providing greater access for working musicians to the often complicated and confusing entertainment business. The New York State Music Fund was created when the New York State Attorney General's Office resolved investigations against major record companies that had violated state and federal laws prohibiting ³pay for play² (also called ³payola²). The settlement agreement stipulated that funds paid by music businesses would support music education and appreciation for the benefit of New York State residents The Attorney General's Office enlisted the services of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, one of the nation's largest and most experienced philanthropy services, to develop and manage the grant program. 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, classical and folk music of all cultures. Applications related to recording, distribution, or broadcast through traditional or 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. An Advisory Panel comprised of recognized leaders from a cross-section of the music world evaluated and recommended applications based on criteria focusing on artistic merit and community impact, and recommended 218 of 402 applications the Fund received for its second cycle Awards to the 218 grantees represent every region of New York State and range from $10,000 to $500,000, with $19 million awarded in all. Diverse forms of popular or experimental music, including indie rock, salsa, electronic, fusion and reggae account for almost 37 percent of grants and more than 15 percent celebrate a spectrum of jazz; nearly 25 percent include new classical music. The state's ethnic or racial minority communities are served by close to a third of all programs, while 28 percent specifically target rural communities. The Fund's size and emphasis on music of our time in all its forms set it apart from other arts grant programs. It is hoped that all established and emerging musicians, labels and music related organizations in New York State will contribute information and materials to this important project.
Dan Neely is the Director of the NYMIA project Look for the website soon, where anyone can access and enter their information in this database.
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