mondo-nyc

CMJ founders launch Mondo.NYC, a new music festival / summit happening in September

mondo-nyc

While there’s still no word on whether the CMJ Music Marathon will be happening this year, we now find out that two of CMJ’s founders will launch a new music festival/business summit in NYC in September called Mondo.NYC. The creators are Bobby Haber who started the CMJ trade magazine in 1978 and Joanne Abbot Green who co-founded the CMJ festival in 1980. (They sold CMJ in 2012.)

The inaugural Mondo.NYC will happen September 14 – 18 with a goal of “empowering artists and innovators… at the epicenter for emerging music, technology and media.” This year will feature “a business summit hosted at New York University and live music showcases presented at venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.” It does sound a lot like CMJ.

Here’s the press release

Music industry pioneers Bobby Haber and Joanne Abbot Green announced today the launch of Mondo.NYC, a festival, business summit and community that will celebrate groundbreaking performers, while connecting innovators in music, technology and content in a shared mission to empower artists and revolutionize the music industry through technology.

The first annual Mondo.NYC festival and business summit will be held Sept. 14-18, 2016, in New York City— the music capital of the world and tech, media and startup epicenter, with live music showcases hosted at venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn and a business summit hosted at New York University (NYU).

Mondo.NYC will be powered year-round by a digital communication and content portal at www.mondo.nyc, which will include exclusive content (live music footage, interactive fan features, B2B data and music discovery resources, and more), communications channels and collaborative opportunities.
“At this pivotal moment in the evolution of music, pop culture, technology and communications, there has never been a more crucial time for veterans and pioneers alike to convene, connect, disrupt and collaborate with one another,” says Haber. Abbot Green adds: “Mondo brings together deeply passionate music fans and artists and the groundbreaking network of music and technology entrepreneurs, innovators, executives and enthusiasts who are reshaping popular culture in the twenty-first century.”

While specifics — like events, bands, music venues (Bowery venues are all booked on those dates), etc — haven’t been announced yet, tickets and passes are on sale now and they’re taking band applications too.

About the live performances though, the press release adds:

For five days and nights, fans experience dynamic live music in venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn from a curated selection of groundbreaking performers from around the world. Whether a newcomer or a musician on the precipice of success, artists from multiple contemporary music genres will showcase at Mondo.NYC.

Mondo.NYC will capture exclusive content from select live performances and make it available to digital audiences through online, mobile and social platforms.

Meanwhile, another CMJ-like festival tried to happen this year, but “The Grid” called it a day before even happening once. CMJ-like Northside Festival is still going strong after many years though, and begins next week. CMJ still haven’t announced their 2016 edition.