GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Grand Rapids has launched a pilot program that formalizes local musicians as small business enterprises and pays them as city vendors for public performances.
Phase Zero, part of the city’s Cultural Business Enterprise Initiative, will certify 15 to 18 musicians as Cultural Business Enterprises and compensate them for free public performances in the 3rd Ward on Sept. 26. The performances are scheduled alongside SouthPrize, Southtown CIA’s neighborhood art and culture event held during ArtPrize.
The pilot tests whether supporting musicians as vendors can strengthen neighborhood activation, boost foot traffic and create momentum for future investment in the creative economy…