Live Music Society Brings Together Venue Operators For a Two-Day Summit and Fosters Connections Between Presenters, Artists, and Audiences Through Key Activations at Winter[...]

30A Songwriters Festival - January 16-18 in Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Folk Alliance International - January 23-24 in New Orleans, LA

Music in Action Summit - February 17-19 in Boulder, CO

January 14, 2026 - Live Music Society (LMS), the nonprofit foundation whose mission is to recognize and protect small venues and listening rooms across the United States will host stages and programming this month at the 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, FL and Folk Alliance International in New Orleans, LA, underscoring the organization's ongoing commitment to supporting artists and the small venues and festivals that help launch and sustain their careers. Then in February, LMS convenes venue leaders from across the country in Boulder, Colorado, for their second Music in Action Summit. The Summit brings together recipients of Live Music Society's Music In Action grant, facilitating an opportunity for a growing network of venue owners to connect, share information, and problem solve collaboratively.

Over the past five years, the organization has nurtured and empowered a national network of venue owners and operators through over $5 million in grant funding and expanded their reach in 2025 by launching One Night Live , a touring collaboration developed with D-TOUR, Salt Lick Incubator, and Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future. The series establishes a touring model that lowers costs, shares resources, and connects emerging artists with independent venues facing rising live-music expenses. Billboard described One Night Live as "a mission to create a viable alternative for independent artists and venues that have been hit hardest by the growing cost of live events." In response to strong interest from venues, artists, and partners, Live Music Society will expand One Night Live in 2026.

30A Songwriters Festival | Santa Rosa Beach, FL

Live Music Society stage at 30A Songwriters Festival - January 16-18, 2026

Live Music Society sponsors and hosts a dedicated stage throughout the 30A Songwriters Festival, spotlighting emerging and established songwriters in an intimate, community-driven setting. The Live Music Society Stage (Havana Beach Bar and Grill at The Pearl Hotel) features: Rhett Miller, Susan Werner, James McMurtry, Kim Richey, and many more.

Folk Alliance International Conference | New Orleans, LA

Live Music Society Showcase Stage - Friday & Saturday, January 23-24

Live Music Society presents a conference panel on One Night Live and hosts a two-night showcase stage at Folk Alliance International, featuring a diverse lineup of artists from across genres and geographies. LMS board members Valerie Denn and Stephen Webber will emcee one night each, providing an opportunity for conference attendees to learn more about the foundation's work in support of the live music sector, including familiar New Orleans music havens Maple Leaf Bar, d.b.a., and Siberia.

Friday, January 23

Location: Napoleon D - Floor 3

Hip Horns Brass Collective, Luke Winslow King, Marcus Trummer, Liz Barnes, Casii Stephan, Chuck Prophet

Saturday, January 24

Location: Napoleon D - Floor 3

Las Guaracheras, Dustin Gaspard, Morganway, Ramy Essam, Angélique Francis, The Rebel Eves

Panel: One Night Live - A New Model to Support Developing Talent

Location: Waterbury - Floor 2

Saturday, January 24 | 2:00pm

Playing smaller venues is a crucial stepping-stone for emerging artists and a key element of a working musician's career. Yet rising touring costs, diminished marketing resources, and the absence of external funding have left both artists and independent venues under increasing strain. This panel explores how a reimagined collaboration between venue owners, artist incubators, and industry advocates is creating a new model for supporting early-career artists through Live Music Society's One Night Live initiative.

Moderator : Tom DeGeorge - Owner, The Crowbar; COO, D-Tour

Panelists : Farayi Malek (Singer-Songwriter, One Night Live performer); Wes Chalfant (Salt Lick Incubator; One Night Live performer, Bassist & Tour Manager); Jenna Fournier (Bassist, Composer, One Night Live performer; member of Billy Corgan's Machines of God); Cindy Barber (Founder, Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future).

Live Music Society Music in Action Summit | Boulder, CO

Live Music Society will convene Music in Action grantees, recipients of its grant program supporting community-centered live music programming at small venues, and venue leaders from across the country for its next Music in Action Summit, taking place February 17-19, 2026, in Boulder, Colorado. Designed as a community-focused gathering for venue decision-makers, the Summit builds on learnings from LMS's inaugural Music in Action Summit, which took place in New Orleans in June 2024 alongside the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Conference. That first convening marked the first time Music in Action grantees came together in person to share knowledge, address common challenges, and lay the groundwork for future collaboration.

The Summit will bring together a core group of venue leaders to participate in facilitated strategy sessions and collaborative action planning, drawing on the collective experience and expertise of the LMS grantee community. Beyond structured sessions, attendees will have opportunities to connect with industry experts and peers, including an opening night celebration dinner and site visits to Boulder-based LMS grantee venues eTown Hall and Roots Music Project.

Confirmed facilitators, panelists, and presenters include: Nick Forster (Founder, eTown Hall), Dave Kennedy (Founder, Roots Music Project), Ali Blair (Owner, Rebel Rebel Studio & Lounge), Olive Scibelli (Founder, Drkmttr), Mehmet Dede (Artistic Director, Drom), and Rachel Hunt (Marketing Director, B-Side Lounge), among others.

Live Music society concluded 2025 with multiple funding announcements. In December, Live Music Society awarded $252,500 to 33 venues through its 2025 Toolbox grant program, bringing total Toolbox funding to $844,111 since the program launched in 2023. Earlier in the year, LMS named the 26 recipients of its 2025 Music in Action grants, distributing more than $750,000 to support programs at small performance venues nationwide. With these awards, Live Music Society surpassed $1 million in annual grantmaking for the second consecutive year.