In their own words

“Top-notch live music venues like the Orange Peel, Diana Wortham, Pisgah Brewing, Grey Eagle and the Isis — as well as festivals such as LEAF, LAAFF, and Downtown After Five — are an invaluable asset, because they give local musicians a place to share their talent. One of the greatest venues of all is the sidewalk of downtown Asheville, where numerous buskers with incredible talent can be found sharing their heart and soul on a regular basis.”  — Mark Garner, owner of Saraz Musical Instruments

“There are lots of places and ways to record, but not a lot of entities [are] set up here that help artists do more than just the recording.  There seems to be a lack of understanding when it comes to how the overall music business works. This includes everything from understanding royalty-based revenue like Soundexchange to setting up LLCs, to radio promotion and distribution as well as publishing knowledge. All these things help bring in money that artists can use to sustain their careers.” — Ty Gilpin, Senior Director of Marketing,  Crossroads record label

“I see many artists giving their music away for free by putting entire videos or sound files up on YouTube, Facebook, Soundcloud, etc. Then, the artists wonder why they are broke. If people don’t have to pay for entertainment, they won’t. That is where the advice and expertise of a good experienced business manager, booking agent and marketer needs to come into play. When artists fail to get these most important elements in place, they fail to make any kind of decent income from their music.”  — Neal Merrick Blackwood, production company and recording studio owner