Tuesday, March 16th, 2021

innova Recordings, the longtime in-house record label of American Composers Forum (ACF), has announced a pilot program to support Bay Area artists in both the creation and release of new recordings. This new program is part of a shift for the label to be more inclusive and accessible to artists. Applicants are invited to submit projects representing a variety of musical approaches and at different stages in their recording plans. The projects selected for this pilot program will be chosen by a diverse group of curators, and all applicants are invited to seek recording advice and assistance from innova staff. Selected artists will receive support from innova for both the production and promotion of their music at no cost.

Made possible through funds from ACF’s former Bay Area chapter, this pilot program is open to Bay Area artists based in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma counties. It will foster an artist-centric cooperative model where both label and artist work closely together to achieve the artist’s goals. The program seeks to support artists in their creative process and promote their final product.

If accepted, innova will provide artists with the following at no cost: Distribution, Licensing, Promotion, and maintaining ownership of their music and 100% of sales profits.

innova will also connect artists to partner organizations offering the following services: Mixing/Mastering, Design, Videographers, PR and Marketing, Recording Studio Time, and Physical Manufacturing.
“It’s not often that an organization gets to announce, ‘We have big things planned’ and mean it,” says innova’s Director of Recordings Chris Campbell. “We’re thrilled to roll out this pilot that demonstrates the relevance and importance of recorded music by living music creators. Having meaningful partnerships with artists has always been at the core of our mission. This pilot re-energizes that commitment by prioritizing equity, meeting artists where they’re at in their creative process, matching artists with relevant resources, and maintaining a high level of service.”

ACF’s President & CEO, Vanessa Rose, comments: “As ACF rolls out its new strategic direction, we are prioritizing equity across our programs to support and advocate for today’s music creators. This shift for innova Recordings is part of the organization’s intention to be a ‘go-to space’ for artists to find community, connections, and engagement with our great ecosystem. We’re excited to provide this first pilot to the Bay Area and look forward to expanding it to artists across the U.S. and its territories.”

Applications will be accepted March 16 through April 16. To apply and learn more, visit https://www.innova.mu/apply/BayAreaPilot. There is no fee to apply. An information session about this pilot and innova’s new model will take place on April 1, 2021 at 4pm CDT. Visit ACF’s events page to RSVP.