Supporters of Georgia’s music industry entered this year’s General Assembly session optimistic lawmakers would renew state tax incentives to lure music producers and create a state office dedicated to promoting the industry. But nothing of substance happened.
Saturday, April 22nd is Record Store Day, a day devoted to the celebration of the culture of independent record stores. The new book 'Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History' shares stories of the influence these stores have had over the past half-century.
Author Grace Elizabeth Hale joined Virginia Prescott for one of the Atlanta History Center’s virtual author talks. Her new book, Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia Launched Alternative Music And Changed American Culture, documents the rise of the small Georgia town as a “new kind of American bohemia,” exploring the factors and the artists that made it possible. Hear their conversation about the rise of bands like R.E.M., The B-52's and Pylon, and how the Athens scene that they established offered an alternative option for Southerners who didn't fit the mold of the mainstream.
Small music venues in the US are looking for a lifeline — and a new bill in Congress called the Restart Act might be it. Advocates say the future of independent clubs relies on government relief.
