April 10, 2006

Looking for great Seattle music? Just call city hall.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has introduced an innovative program that will use the city’s web site and telephone system to spotlight local artists and promote Seattle’s vibrant and varied music scene.

Dubbed OnHold, the program treats people calling Seattle city offices to a broad selection of local music if they are placed on hold. Listeners can then link to the Seattle musicians they hear through the city’s web site (www.seattle.gov/onhold), where they can buy music, check out the featured artists’ web sites and concert calendars, and subscribe to a podcast of the OnHold mix.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Seattle’s amazing array of musical talent in a way that is both innovative and fun,” said Nickels, whose recorded voice invites callers to learn more about the music and featured artists online. “The program is a great way to support local artists and expose more people to the incredible diversity of music this city has to offer.”

OnHold features the sounds of local musicians such as Dave Peck, Seattle Pro Musica, Wayne Horvitz, Northwest Chamber Chorus, Aono Jikken and many more. The city has agreements with online retailers CD Baby and Amazon, and a portion of web sales revenue goes to city arts education efforts while the musician’s revenue remains untouched.

“I’m the person and the player I am because of the community I have here in Seattle,” said jazz pianist and longtime Seattle resident Dave Peck, whose music is included in the initial OnHold program. “Seattle has always been on the technological forefront, and in the changing world of music delivery I think the city has a great idea with OnHold. This program is a wonderful way to introduce Seattle musicians in a new way to new listeners,” he said. Peck is winner of the NW Recording of the Year and NW Acoustic Jazz Group for the 2005 Golden Ear Awards hosted by Earshot Jazz.

Michael Killoren, Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs Director, home to the OnHold program, said he believes the program is the first of its kind in the nation.

“The mayor has challenged city departments to collaborate, and OnHold is a creative solution that allows us to do just that,” Killoren said. “This is an innovative and resourceful way for us to promote Seattle’s rich and diverse music scene.”

The result of a partnership between Killoren’s office and the city’s Information Technology Department, OnHold is literally “taking hold” across the country, he said. Since OnHold’s February debut, the city’s cultural arts staff has fielded questions from several cities about the logistics of the program. Inquiries have come from officials in Los Angles, Columbia (SC), Phoenix, San Francisco, and Rockland (MD). Citizens and businesses in Denver and Toledo (OH) have also expressed interest.

“We are currently in meetings and hope to have our version based on Seattle’s OnHold in place this year,” said Dee Albritton, director of a city-funded community technology center in Columbia (SC).

Seattle’s vibrant music industry supports nearly 8,700 jobs and generates nearly $650 million in direct economic contributions from core industries in the music cluster and over $1.3 billion in revenues from both core and supporting industries. The recently announced Creative Vitality Index, which measures the health of the creative economy, gave Seattle high marks over five times the national average.

The current OnHold mix includes:

1 Wayne Horvitz - In The Ballroom

2 Northwest Chamber Chorus - Shenandoah

3 Dan Carollo - Thinking Time

4 Bogey Vujkov - Atlantis II

5 Seattle Pro Musica - To Mistress Margaret Hussey

6 Aono Jikken - Morning Breaks

7 Murl Allen Sanders - Sunny Ravenna

8 Wu Ziying - The Drunkard

9 Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao - Mi Tumbao

10 Dave Peck - Little Fin

11 Kane Mathis & Rusty Knorr - Konkoba

Since the program launched, more than 80 musicians, bands and organizations have submitted recordings. Late last month an advisory panel of music professionals and city employees reviewed and selected tracks for future mixes.

OnHold music will rotate quarterly, and the city invites individuals or organizations to submit recordings for consideration. All genres are encouraged and original compositions by artists or organizations that control their own licensing are preferred. Because the phone system is used so widely, hard-edged or aggressive music is less suited to the program, but all submissions will be carefully considered. Only artists who work in or have substantial ties to the greater Seattle area will be considered for the program. More information is available at www.seattle.gov/onhold.