A new non-profit is working to unite and grow Cleveland鈥檚 music scene. For this week鈥檚 Shuffle, we hear about , which launched this summer by bringing local music to the public -- whether in a coffee shop or at a bus stop.
On a bright, hot afternoon earlier this month, Cleveland singer-songwriter set up a microphone and amp and performed some songs with her acoustic guitar while commuters mulled around University Circle鈥檚 Little Italy Rapid Station.
"I鈥檝e done my share of busking over the years," Shortt says.
Pop-up concerts
She wasn't busking on this day. Shortt, who鈥檚 been playing local gigs for nearly 20 years, was invited to play by Sixth City Sounds, a new nonprofit that鈥檚 helping to make local artists more visible and to attract new ones to what was once the nation鈥檚 sixth largest city.
One of its founders, Jeanette Sangtson, says one of their first projects is partnering with the for a summer pop-up concert series where artists perform on a bus, train or station.
"Maybe not everybody is going to the record stores or going to the local shows. It鈥檚 another way of bringing the music to the people," Sangston says.
Rachel Shortt says she鈥檚 played everywhere from subway stations to street corners. But she says this concert was special because people passing by really took notice.
"We need these types of things to keep the community that we have relevant and fruitful and growing and evolving."
CLE music shelves
In addition to hearing local music, Sixth City Sounds wants to make it easier for people to support local artists through their 鈥淐LE music shelves.鈥�
Similar to the displays you鈥檇 find at Starbucks, Sixth City Sounds has placed racks of CDs at area businesses. Albums by Cleveland punk band , hip-hop duo and Akron rockers can be found at University Circle鈥檚 , e and .
The plan is to rotate artists and locations and all proceeds from CD sales go back to the musicians.
Musician Rachel Shortt says efforts like this can also help to unite the local music community -- a place that can be tough to break through.
"You make these connections and form these relationships and when something comes about, people remember you and they pull you in, because we鈥檙e all like a family."
An online resource
A key component of Sixth City Sounds is its website, where there's a one-stop-shop for the music industry. There's information from where to record and produce music to businesses that can create posters and album cover art. And, it鈥檚 also a community forum -- where artists can add resources they know about and grow the database.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJE3Df2b3aI
