There are a multitude of organizations set up to serve the music industry, from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy people) and their non-profit, MusiCares, to industry organizations for various segments, to local music societies. I’m certain none of them come close to the broad offerings of Folk Alliance International. FAI is a beacon for do-it-yourselfers, which is how most people get started in music, and maybe the musical world’s largest practitioner of paying it forward. And if you’re interested in supporting up-and-coming musicians, no one does more with the money than FAI.
Roughly half of FAI’s annual budget comes from their yearly conference. The 2023 edition was held last week in Kansas City, and with attendance of about 2000 it was up around 30% over 2022. It featured Official Showcases with close to 200 acts, and unofficial showcases late at night in hotel rooms with hundreds and hundreds of performances. (More on those in my next post.) Just as importantly for many attendees, there were many seminars and peer-peer sessions on subjects like getting bookings, navigating legal agreements, finding the right musical partner, even wellness seminars taking into account life on the road. As I said earlier, a DIY treasure chest.
As I wandered through the halls this year, it felt like there was a move to more of the peer-peer sessions over the previous emphasis on seminars with a main speaker. I suppose that makes sense in this era of social media where recommendations carry more weight than resumes. It also speaks to how much of the music industry is willing to pass on their own learnings.
Finally, like all good music-centered organizations, they have annual awards. Here are the 2023 winners.
Album of the Year: Crooked Tree – Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Artist of the Year: Janis Ian
Song of the Year (tie): Bright Star – Anais Mitchell, and B61 – Aoife O’Donovan
People’s Voice Award: Leyla McCalla
Rising Tide Award: Alisa Amador
The Elaine Weissman Lifetime Achievement Awards: Janis Ian, Josh White, Oh Boy Records
Clearwater Award: Shambala Festival
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.