Independent Venue Week organisers have revealed they are launching an American event in summer 2018.
Independent Venue Week will debut in the US from July 9-15. The celebration of small and independent venues launched in the UK in 2014, and staged its biggest run of shows to date for last week’s fifth edition featuring 172 venues.
The American edition of IVW will take place across the country with participating venues and artists to be announced in May.
“We will keep on building, we are launching in America,” said founder Sybil Bell. “The conversations have been going on for quite some time. We’ll follow the format that we did in the UK – one venue per city in a small number of cities, but across the whole country. It’s very important from the outset that it’s nationwide.”
Music marketing company Marauder will operate IVW in the US under licence.
Rev. Moose, managing partner, said: “Independent venues are the backbone of the American live music scene. They're where neighbourhoods go to support new artists, that eventually turn into the hometown heroes in the national spotlight. For years we have seen the UK grow IVW from the seed of an idea into the monumental celebration it is now of these spaces. We are excited to bring that same spotlight to the small business owners that put on shows in the world's most competitive music market.”
It’s very important from the outset that it’s nationwide
Sybil Bell
IVW is now aiming to emulate the international success of Record Store Day.
“It’s exciting for us to think that the project can have a life throughout the year in different territories,” said Bell. “Potentially, you might twin locations like Seattle, Manchester and Melbourne, and you could then start to have a cultural exchange of artists.”
Organisers are also exploring opportunities to film and stream gigs, which would be screened in other venues, following an experiment at Bush Hall in London last week.
The US edition follows the increasing support in the British industry and media, including partnerships with the BRITs and BBC Music. BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq provided extensive coverage of Independent Venue Week on his show.
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