Title
Authorizing City Council's Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold public hearings regarding the state of the music industry in Philadelphia.
Body
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has historically been home to a vibrant musical heritage such as classical music, opera, R&B, jazz, and soul. Prominent artists include Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Billy Paul, Chubby Checker, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Dick Clark and the American Bandstand, Boyz II Men, Sarah Chang, Mario Lanza, Pattie LaBelle and more; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is home to a variety of music venues and institutions such as the famed Academy of Music (which is the longest continuously operating opera house in the country), the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (which is home to the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Philadanco, and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society), the Mann Center for the Performing Arts (which is one of the largest outdoor amphitheatres in the country), and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (which showcases more than 170 performances every year); and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has a historically prominent jazz and cabaret culture that consists of organizations and night clubs such as the John W. Coltrane Cultural Society, Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, World Café Live, and more; and
WHEREAS, Leopold Stokowski, the Philadelphia Orchestra's third conductor, spearheaded the American classical music genre in the 20th century. In effect, in 1940, Walt Disney's animated film, Fantasia, brought the traditional and modern classical genre to the general American public for the first time; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia's ethnic groups have established organizations to promote a greater diversity of music such as the Asian Arts Initiative, the Latin American Musicians Association, the Latin School of Arts, Crossroads Music, the American Broadcasting Network (which promotes Italian music), and the Painted Bride Art Center; and
WHEREAS, Today's Philadelphian musicians have noted the significant shift away from the City's past prominence in music, as cited by many of the performers in the City's PHL LIVE Center Stage initiative, a platform used to recognize local performing artists. For instance, significant City financial resources are used to bring non-Philadelphian performing arts talent to the City to perform at cultural events; and
WHEREAS, The music industry is a source of great economic growth and opportunity for the City. A better understanding of Philadelphia's music industry is needed to better enhance that growth and provide a more effective platform for local artists to develop and be recognized; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby authorizes City Council's Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy to hold public hearings regarding the state of the local music industry in Philadelphia.
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