88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s commitment to enriching the Milwaukee music scene is nothing short of stellar, and that increases today with the launch of their new collaboration with business accelerator gener8or, Backline.

According to a press release, the program will recruit four Milwaukee musicians/bands for its first session to participate in a twelve week education program on the business side of the music industry. Those selected acts are then eligible to receive a $20,000 grant for financial support, to help fund recording, touring, and production.

In addition to that, Backline will host free quarterly meetups with local and national music industry professionals to share their advice on the business of music, as well as provide music industry-related educational materials on their website.

Backline is supported financially by Northwestern Mutual, Novo Foundation, Manpower Group, Quarles & Brady, Summerfest, and VISIT Milwaukee, as well as several individual donors. Bentoff Communications and the Hal Leonard
providing in-kind support as well.

To apply to be part of the initial Backline program, you can visit their website, BacklineMKE.org.

This is huge for local music in Milwaukee, which according to interviews with local musicians, noted that funding and music business education were among the top key resources missing from making Milwaukee an elite music city. As the city continues to grow and transform, this is a big step for the music scene to do so, as well.

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