We posted in January about a new group of musicians and industry professionals in the bluegrass world who have come together to create and nurture opportunities for new and emerging artists in our community. They are just getting started, but working as the Emerging Artists Support Group (EASG), they have big plans for 2011 and beyond.
Just one month after their first organizational meeting, they are today launching an online forum to accommodate quick and easy communication within the group, and among artists, managers, event producers and anyone else interested in joining the discussion. The forum was built using the popular Invision software, to provide the many features required to serve their purposes.
The two sections of the new forum mirror the primary objectives of the group: to foster growth and understanding of both the art and craft of the music, and even more so, the business of bluegrass. The EASG firmly believes that the one thing that most new acts lack is an familiarity with the basics of establishing and running a business, or a failure to grasp their importance. Helping to arm them with this information is chief objective of the new site.
The site goes by the name The Bluegrass N, and can be found at www.bgnsupport.invisionzone.com. Forum membership is required to view or post, but anyone can join as long as they are willing to identify themselves publicly. In addition to the discussion forum, the site enables online chat, member blogs, photo galleries and downloadable files.
The Bluegrass N is just the first of six planned initiatives to be launched over next two years by the group. The others involve efforts in education, media, emerging artist recognition and even a major festival in proximity to IBMA week.
They also have a Facebook page if you would like to follow them there.
