CMG Launches Capitol Innovation Center
• Capitol Music Group has launched the Capitol Innovation Center (CIC) “to bring together leading thinkers from the music and technology industries, as well as the student community, to help drive the future of innovation in music.” Based in the iconic Capitol Tower and the company’s state-of-the-art Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood, “the CIC will provide space and conduct event programming designed to foster innovative ideas, bridge the gap between content creators and the tech community, and foster the next generation of leaders in music.”
The CIC opens on April 15 with a collaborative workspace and songwriting studio where students, technologists and content creators will work together under one roof. At the recent SXSW Music Hackathon in Austin, winning teams were chosen to spend a week at the Capitol Tower in June, with access to the CIC’s workspace, studio and team of mentors. Other initial participants in the CIC include UMG Accelerator Engagement Network and Abbey Road Red Incubator.
CIC’s first Speaker Workshop: The Future She Built will be held on April 18 in partnership with Select Management Group. Confirmed speakers include CMG COO Michelle Jubelirer (left); Founder/Director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Stacy Smith; SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and L.A. Sparks President & COO Christine Simmons.
The first CIC Hackathon on June 2 & 3 will bring together software developers, producers, songwriters and influencers in a challenge to incubate new waves of music-related products, services, and content. Participants will have access to the Capitol Recording Studios, as well as a catalog of UMG audio streaming tracks delivered by partners 7digital and Cloudinary. The winning developer teams will be eligible for an eight-month innovation license to draw from this catalog, while winning content teams will have their finished pieces heard by representatives of Capitol’s A&R team. The Hackathon will be held in collaboration with Travis Laurendine, the producer behind North America’s top music festival and conference hackathons including SXSW, Outside Landsand Canadian Music Festival.
On June 9, CIC will host A Women’s Immersive Recording Arts Summit in partnership with Women’s Audio Mission (WAM). Confirmed speakers include CMG’s Michelle Jubelirer, recording and mixing engineer Marcella Araica, Capitol Studios’ VP/Studio Manager Paula Salvatore, Founder & Executive Director of WAM, Terri Winston, and music producer, songwriter and entrepreneur TRAKGIRL. CMG Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett said, “With its diverse offerings of original programming and communal workspace, we believe that the Capitol Innovation Center has the potential to further transform our Tower into a destination where brilliant minds can come together to share ideas, knowledge, and creativity across social and generational barriers, as well as pioneer breakthroughs that will drive the music industry into the future.”
