Rock Solid Summit Recap

Close to 100 musicians and industry professionals from North Shore Collinwood and beyond came together last month with one goal, to strengthen Cleveland’s music economy.

The Rock Solid Summit was held on December 7, 2015 at Cuyahoga Community College’s Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts. During the convening, industry experts led discussions about the state of Cleveland’s music economy, resources available for musicians and success stories from regional artists. Speakers from Tom Schorgl (Community Partnership for Arts and Culture) to Vince Slusarz (Gotta Groove Records) to Maura Rogers (Maura Rogers and the Bellows) spoke about all the elements that make a healthy music economy.

Kent Smith, Ohio House Representative presented the keynote lecture on the OhioSounds tax credit legislation he is co-sponsoring with fellow Representative Sarah LaTourette. The OhioSounds tax credit would spur economic activity in the state by providing a 25% tax credit to musicians, producers and others in the music industry for the production of albums and investments in infrastructure projects.

Andy Leach, Senior Director of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Library and Archives announced the Jane Scott Papers in the afternoon. The Jane Scott Papers are a newly digitized collection of the pioneering music reporter’s work. The project comes from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s local music collecting initiative, NEO Sound.

An industry reception in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Library and Archives followed the Summit, where discussions started during the day continued while attendees perused the Jane Scott Papers.

The Rock Solid Summit was the culminating gathering of the Rock Solid Fellowship, a partnership between Cleveland Rocks: Past Present and Future; Tri-C’s Regional Arts and Technology Program and Northeast Shores Development Corporation with funding from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

The Rock Solid Fellowship connects Cleveland musicians with technical assistance from regional experts and students in Tri-C’s Regional Arts and Technology program. Rock Solid started in 2015 focusing on artists in North Shore Collinwood, Cleveland’s east side music and arts neighborhood.

To learn more about Rock Solid, contact Joe Barbaree at 216-481-7660 or jbarbaree@northeastshores.org.

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Volume 8, Issue 1, Posted 5:34 PM, 01.05.2016