FOLK Alliance International
February 21 to 25, 2024
Ready to showcase your music to the global music community? Official Showcase applications for the 2024 Folk Alliance International Conference are now open!
Official Showcases are an excellent way for tour-ready artists to perform their music in front of festival bookers, agents, venues, record labels, DJs, and more. Folk Alliance International (FAI) is the largest and leading non-profit organization for folk music representing the global community of artists, agents, managers, labels, publicists, arts administrators, venues, festivals, and concert series presenters.
FAI defines folk broadly as “the music of the people” and supports a diverse array of subgenres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions.
FAI’s annual conference is the leading booking event for the folk music industry (with an average of 2900 attendees!). Official showcases are selected through a competitive jury process weighing artistic quality, national/tour career readiness, and national/stylistic/cultural diversity. As a result, artists often book national or international engagements, meet professionals to join their teams, and catch the interest of media based on these performances.
Official Showcases will be performed in person at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, MO, USA, from February 21 to 25, 2024. Each Official Showcase set is 30 minutes on a professionally produced stage with full backline, lighting, and sound support.
There were 200+ presenters/buyers at the 2023 conference, found here, including : Calgary Folk Music Festival (CA), Shambala Festival (UK), Telluride Bluegrass Festival (USA), Cambridge Folk Festival (UK), MerleFest (USA), Levitt Foundation Venues (across the USA), Swallow Hill (USA), Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (USA), and University of Vermont Lane Series (USA). Initiatives are in place to invite even more presenters/buyers in 2024!
Previous New Zealand artists include Mel Parsons, Anika Moa, Delaney Davidson, Māmā Mihirangi & the Māreikura, Marlon Williams, Graeme James and Albi & The Wolves.
Applications close July 17th 2023
https://folk.org/programs/conference/perform/official-showcase-application/