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After a week of performances, outreach, and networking, Arkansas Music Week has left the building. The inaugural event showcased talent from Arkansas and beyond, and also provided artists an opportunity to connect with resources across Fayetteville.

Event organizer Robert Locke said he’s excited about the response to Arkansas Music Week.

“I think Music Week was a much needed reminder that Fayetteville is the musical epicenter for the rest of Northwest Arkansas, and has been for over 60 years,” Locke said.

Arkansas Music Week kicked off Sunday, Sept. 14th with Sunday on the Square, a community festival in downtown Fayetteville that featured performances by local artists Malibu Moon, Nashville singer-songwriter Tristen, and OKC art punk group Stepmom.

Many locations across Fayetteville featured performances over the week, included George’s Majestic Lounge, Kingfish, Prairie Street Live, Jammin Java, West End, Nomad’s Trailside, and the Walton Arts Center. Many featured artists were local, including House of Untz, Payton Joy, The 1 Oz. Jig, The Dead Horse Mountain Band, The Uncrowned Kings, and others.

On Tuesday, George’s Majestic Lounge hosted the Music Industry Meetup, a networking event aimed at connecting musicians and artists to resources across the community.

Callie Kent, a digital media marketing intern with George’s Majestic, said that the meetup was the event she was most looking forward to.

“I think artists don’t really have as much of an opportunity to connect in a hands-on way other than social media these days,” Kent said. “I think it’s really cool to give artists the platform to come shake hands, meet face to face and form those connections rather than just through a DM or a text.”

One of the more spectacular features of the meetup was a live pyrotechnics, laser, and snow demonstration by ShowLive SFX. Flames leapt into the night sky and lasers danced across the facade of the Walton Arts Center in a showcase of advanced special effects.

ShowLive SFX CEO Cole Bibler said he hopes that the showcase leads to an opportunity to partner with the city on music events and other live events moving forward.

“We’re trying to work with the city and just let ’em know we’re here and say, ‘Hey, we can do other stuff, you know?’” Bibler said. “Let’s get together and make it happen.”

Many vendors at the Music Industry Meetup offered artists a variety of types of support. Fayetteville Public Television, the Arkansas Podcast Collaborative, and KUAF all were representing various methods of helping artists get their music to a wider audience. Other vendors like CACHE were present to offer professional development and inform artists about grants. 

Brittany Johnson, Director of Communications for CACHE, said she’s proud to support the growth of the local music scene. 

“There’s a really beautiful local scene that has been here for a long time and is thriving and we are in a position where we get to support them,” Johnson said. “Its really cool to see.” 

Arkansas Music Week coincided with the Music Cities Convention, an industry meet-up aimed at expanding access to and growing enthusiasm for live music, and is billed as the world’s largest gathering on music and cities.

Looking forward, Locke said he hopes that the inaugural Arkansas Music Week has planted seeds for more similar events in the future.

“I do think we are moving forward…there’s an eagerness here that we haven’t seen or felt in quite a while,” Locke said.

 

 

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