In efforts to boost the local music scene, the City of Sacramento is aiming to turn artists into entrepreneurs. They recently gave the music education nonprofit Department of Sound a grant to help musicians earn a living and build lasting careers.  

The city conducted a music census, which found that 75% of local musicians mainly depend on their day jobs for revenue. 

According to J. Hamilton Hodgson, founder and CEO of the Department of Sound, the pilot program's goal is to maximize individual musicians' profits and significantly impact the local music scene. 

“We recognize that the media entertainment industry is challenging, but there's also power in knowledge,” Hodgson said. “We believe that if we can share this information and make sure everybody's caught up to speed on things — licensing, royalties, live show strategy, merchandising — it's going to bring a lot of our local artists to the next level.“

The program will start in fall with a cohort of 50 to 70 artists, Hodgson said.

The Department of Sound was founded in 2018 with the vision that sound should be a community utility, not a luxury. The nonprofit is dedicated to providing education and youth education on music production, podcasting, and other audio-related activities. 

The city’s cultural and creative economy manager, Jason Jong, said the program directly responds to the music census.

“We learned that from the respondents, there was a desire for increased educational opportunities around many of the skill sets that John and his team [offer],” Jong said. “So marketing and social media, booking, promotion, event production, recording, sharing, but specifically strategies around increased revenue generation.” 

The goal is to bring musicians closer to the tools, resources, knowledge, and know-how so that they can thrive and, in this process, help other musicians thrive, Jong said.  

“Oftentimes, artists do not see and don't feel supported with the industry here in Sacramento, so they leave town,” Hodgson said. “And it's tough, because then we don't get to benefit from those artists once they have hit the next level, because they're already gone.”

The studio at Shattered Records in Midtown where the Department of Sound holds their program. (Courtesy of Department of Sound)

Make money in Music

The grant will also be used to develop workshops for the program and a year-long digital training program in partnership with the nonprofit Center for Creative Entrepreneurship.

The Center for Creative Entrepreneurship is an organization that aims to help artists and creatives learn what they need to navigate the entertainment industry. 

The workshops begin in October and are being developed by Randy Chertkow, who co-created the book “Making Money with Music,” which identifies 300 ways to make money as a musician. 

“Patronage and crowdfunding are very big ways that I highly suggest people take advantage of to make money with their music,” Chertkow said. “Songwriting and music production, persona and brand, and fans and fame are related, but each of these actually has some sources of income that cost $0 that you can do from the very first day that you start as a musician and put yourself out there.”

In addition to the workshops, there will also be a networking component. Hodgson, who has a DJ background, said he’s noticed many artists in Sacramento from different genres, but they’re all isolated from each other, and he’s hoping this program will change that.  

“So often it's just [about] making a couple of connections,” Hodgson said. “This type of instrumentalist meets this producer, meets this engineer, and then all of a sudden they can work on a project that they wouldn't have been able to bring to life if they hadn't met each other.” 

Hodgson also mentioned that guest speakers, including one of the Department of Sound's board of advisors, Ariel Barujow, a Grammy Award-winning engineer, will be involved. 

Hopeful for program success

Hodgson said they’re still putting together the application process and will need to send out invitations for people to apply. 

He wants to include all the genres of music Sacramento has to offer, including rock, alt rock, punk, hip-hop, jazz and blues, and world music.

He also mentioned that the first cohort will consist of artists who are on the “cusp.” Many artists, if they had a little push and guidance, could hit the next level, he said.

“We just watched it happen with the Philharmonik, which was amazing to see,” Hodgson said. “And I think it made everybody in the city super proud and just excited for the local scene. So we think there are a lot of people here that are in that same realm.”

According to Hodgson, they hope to continue the program beyond the pilot, but the city will likely not be able to fund it going forward. 

The program used the remainder of the federal money that was allocated to support creative businesses during the pandemic, Jong said.

Hodgson said they’re open to partnerships and will actively seek partnerships with music and tech companies, hoping to do the program twice a year in the fall and spring. 

Chertkow said he highly encourages musicians to apply for the program and attend any of the six workshops.

“This can impact your career and immediately help you make more income out of what you do with your art and your music,” Chertkow said. “And the city, as well as the Department of Sound, are really committed to trying to help out the local community. And I think you'll find that the resources that are being provided will be very valuable, and it will be an excellent use of your time if you can sign up.”

The Department of Sound will post updates on the program and application process on Instagram and website.