There is a new initiative in the works with the goal of boosting musical career opportunities here in Cincinnati – making Cincinnati a “Music City.”
Cincinnati Music Accelerator (CMA), Ohio’s first music career accelerator, was launched in 2017. From music business training, street performances, and outdoor mobile activations via CMA’s mobile stage trailer, CMA has worked to find and create ways to accelerate opportunities within the musical arts of Cincinnati.
“The last year has shown us that there are many ways to provide music entertainment outside of traditional venues, and this is creating new opportunities for music artists and creatives that didn’t exist before,” said Kick Lee, CMA founder and executive director. “However, partnership with local businesses, city leaders, and arts supporters is vital to sustaining and growing these opportunities so that Cincinnati can achieve the mission of becoming a music city.”
CMA is currently forming a National Advisory Board of current and former music industry professionals, entertainment lawyers, artists and repertoire (A&R) representatives, record label executives, and business and organizational leaders to advise CMA on programming and help produce resources for the Cincinnati region.
Cincinnati has a strong legacy in popular music as home to The Isley Brothers, LA Reid, Bootsy Collins, Walk the Moon, The National, 98 Degrees, and the famed King Records.
“There’s no reason Cincinnati can’t be a music city on the scale of Nashville, Austin and Detroit,” says Lee. “We just need to put the infrastructure in place.”