Almost right after this year's edition of Art Basel Miami Beach -- which everyone knows is largely about the satellite parties and concerts, anyways -- comes a new shebang. The first annual Miami Music Festival is scheduled for December 10 to 12. Well, Basel goes from Dec. 3 to 6 this year, so that'll give you about three and a half days to repair your lungs, liver, and nasal cavities.
That simple name doesn't really reflect the planned scope of this event, either -- while it sounds like any of the random "festivals" going on every weekend featuring a million local bands... This is a big-deal industry thing, sponsored by BMI, featuring a million local bands. There aren't too many public details yet, but BMI and its cohorts in the event are positioning this as a real-deal industry-style marathon of showcases, with a reported planned 600 performances on 25 different stages. (Downtown Miami has that many stages?)
The event is set to center around "the Brickell area of downtown
Miami," so the main venues are most likely Tobacco Road, Transit
Lounge, and other places in that 'hood usually not solely dedicated to
live music.
The festival, however, is set to focus on "Latin, Urban, Caribbean, and
Jazz," which misses out on the new, larger picture of music in the
city. Hey, even the New York Times recognizes there is other stuff going on, and focusing on these genres does little to dispel the outside world's notion of the musical community here. Maybe the focus will evolve over time, though -- the
festival's web site says it will include "alternative and pop," and 600
performances is a lot to fill, so it's still worth it for everyone to apply for a slot to play.
Visit miamimusicfestival.org for more details on the application process, and stay tuned to Crossfade in the coming months for more updates on the lineup and venues.
