Abbreviation FAI Executive Director Aengus Finnan Headquarters Kansas City Budget 1 million USD Staff 7 | Formation 1989 Website folk.org Founded 1989 Leader Aengus Finnan | |
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Purpose folk music advocacy, education and performance Type of business non-profit music organization Similar East Coast Music Association, Old Town School of Folk Music, The Ark, American Society of Compose, Swallow Hill Music Association Profiles | ||
Buddy macmaster folk alliance international lifetime achievement award 2014
Folk Alliance International (previously the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance) is a non-profit organization that produces an annual conference that is the world's largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Founded in 1989, FAI is an advocacy, professional development and networking organization, and is one of the five largest music conferences in North America. As of 2016, FAI has a membership of approximately 3,000, and a budget of $1,000,000 USD.
Contents
- Buddy macmaster folk alliance international lifetime achievement award 2014
- Highlander research education center folk alliance international lifetime achievement award 2012
- Folk Alliance International
- Annual conference
- List of conferences
- References
Members include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work in the folk music industry.
Aengus Finnan is the current executive director, who joined the organization in July 2014. FAI currently has 7 full time staff members, and 8 contract staff members who work for the organization from various international locations.
Highlander research education center folk alliance international lifetime achievement award 2012
Folk Alliance International
Folk Alliance International (FAI) is now the official name of the former North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance. Their headquarters are currently in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference has been in Kansas City since 2014 and will remain there through 2018.
Folk Alliance International has five regional affiliates that provide conferences in their respective markets: Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West), and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA). FAI defines 'folk' as “anything rooted in tradition, indigenous to one's culture. The organization consists of a large variety of songwriters, storytellers, bluegrass, blues, soul, old-time, traditional, global roots and world music, spoken word, Celtic, cajun,” etc.
In addition to the conference, FAI provides a range of member benefits, including a non-profit group exemption program for U.S.-based organizations, an FAI/PRO House Concert Agreement Program, and Visa Writing Services. They also offer to their membership special discounts with various companies covering insurance, publications, travel, and manufacturers.
Annual conference
The annual conference is an event that draws together music industry professionals from throughout the world to share ideas, network, and showcase emerging, mid-career, and legendary artists. Held over five days, the conference includes a keynote speaker, awards shows, over 2,400 registered attendees from 18 countries, 75 exhibitors, 150 panels & workshops, 200 juried official showcases, and over 2,800 private showcases held late at night. The conference is always held at a local hotel, and while in Kansas City has been at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center.
Each conference typically has a theme. The 2017 theme is Forbidden Folk, and is meant to "celebrate activism in art and look at the ways folk music has, in the past and currently, played a role in labor movements, the civil movements, environmental movements, pacifist movements and political movements as the voice of the people".
List of conferences
List of past and future conferences(as available).