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Aboriginal Music Week 2013: The week in review

September 3, 2013

Aboriginal Music Week 2013 was really fun. We moved to August, we produced our first outdoor concerts, we enhanced our networking reception, new sponsors and partners joined the team, we added a fashion show to the festival, we hosted our first press conference, we presented artists from Mexico and Australia for the first time, and attendance grew by 1,478 people.

The move from November to August was definitely the biggest change and it worked out pretty well. Our partnership with Picnic in the Park on an outdoor concert netted the best results as close of 4,000 people took in the entertainment and activities on August 17. Our nightclub concerts on Friday and Saturday of the festival took the biggest hits, as attendance fell from approximately 380 people per night in years past to 159 on August 16 and 205 on August 17.

We also changed our youth engagement strategy a little this year. Instead of sending free tickets to Aboriginal organizations, we produced free outdoor concerts in multiple neighbourhoods so that families and youth could walk to the venues. It worked really well on the weekend, but the week day concerts didn't draw the crowds that we were hoping for and we're going to engage more partners next year to increase attendance.

Festival Highlights:

• Close to 4,000 people took in the entertainment at the AMW Stage presented by TD at Picnic in the Park on Saturday, August 17.
• Rain threatened to shut down the Spence Neighbourhood Block Party presented by the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation on Sunday, August 18, but almost 500 people came out for the concert and free BBQ once everything was moved into the gym of the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre (the sun came out shortly after everything was set up inside).
• Foodfare donated half of the food order for the free community BBQ at the Spence Neighbourhood Block Party presented by the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation on Sunday, August 18.
• Aboriginal Music Manitoba hosted it's first press conference this year to announce the full festival lineup. Three television crews and one print outlet covered the announcement.
• The festival produce it's first fashion show and APTN National News aired a story about it on August 20. Shayne Watson Designs and Turquoise Soul presented beautiful pieces at the Saturday Night 49er presented by Streetz FM on Saturday, August 17.
• Kim Wheeler ran our publicity campaign as a volunteer this year and had a number of the artists in back to back interviews before and during the festival. 14 media outlets also published or aired 23 stories about the festival and the bands (view the stories).
• Red Works Studio photographer Nadya Kwandibens purchased a new camera and her coverage of the festival looks incredible.
• The photo booth at the Digging Roots, Saturday Night 49er, and Derek Miller concerts was very popular and the photo galleries provide a glimpse of all the fun that the audiences and bands had during the festival this year.
• George Leach and Leela Gilday delivered 10 workshops to youth in Winnipeg at the Turtle Island Neighbourhood Centre, the North End Arts Centre at Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad, Ka Ni Kanichihk, the McGregor Neighbourhood Site, and the Manito Ahbee Festival's Youth Gathering.
• Nick Sherman stole some hearts during his performance at the Pyramid Cabaret on Sunday, August 18. He also earned the most "likes" on the festival's Instagram profile afterwards.
• Open Mic presented by Grassroots News was a huge success, with guest performers hitting the stage non-stop from 9pm to 2am. APTN National News also aired a story about the event on August 22.
• The Indian Family Centre hosted a free BBQ during the Kristi Lane Sinclair presented by NCI FM concert on Monday, August 19. The concert was held on Selkirk Avenue in Winnipeg's north end, which is a neighbourhood that doesn't see a lot of live music.
• 33 Aboriginal radio stations in Canada and 11 Native American radio stations in the USA received 12 copies of the Aboriginal Music Week 2013 festival sampler CD so they could add the songs to their playlists and give away CDs to listeners.
• Digital Drum streamed the Aboriginal Music Week 2013 festival sampler from June 14 to July 14 on their website to expand the reach of the CD.
• Digital Navajo designed a new logo for the festival this year. They also created all the beautiful festival marketing materials, banners, and signs.
• Aboriginal Music Week welcomed TD, the Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Exchange District BIZ, the University of Winnipeg Student Association, the University of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba Aboriginal Student Association, CKUW, UMFM, Picnic in the Park, and the Spence Neighbourhood Association to our family of festival partners this year.
• BOB FM, Manitoba Public Insurance, Digital Drum, Red Works Studio, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, NCI FM, Streetz FM, Grassroots News, and SAY Magazine renewed their contributions to the festival this year.
• The Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the SOCAN Foundation, the Province of Manitoba, and the Winnipeg Arts Council supported the festival again this year.
• Aboriginal Music Week handed out 500 festival sampler CDs and provided free family portraits at APTN's Aboriginal Day Live on June 22. 
• Aboriginal Music Week hosted a warming hut at "Manitoba Music on Ice" featuring music by Métis fiddler Melissa St. Goddard on February 17. Approximately 10,000 people took in the entertainment and activities during the day.
• 29 blog posts were published on the aboriginalmusicweek.ca website earning a total of 2,798 "Likes" this year. The blog posts were used to draw attention to the festival and the accomplishments of Aboriginal artists year round.
• The "Aboriginal Music Week 2013 Festival Lineup Announced" blog post on June 10 was the most popular this year, earning 601 "Likes."
• Aboriginal Music Week has 9,962 fans on Facebook, 2,663 followers on Twitter, 967 followers on Instagram, 42 followers on Pinterest, 22 followers on Tumblr, 17 subscribers on YouTube, 13 followers on Digital Drum, and 6 followers on Soundcloud.
• A total of 48,264 invitations were sent out for the Aboriginal Music Week event pages on Facebook this year.
• Aboriginal Music Week 2013 ended on August 22 with a sold out "secret show" featuring one of Canada's most recognizable DJ crews. 

Aboriginal Music Week 2014 is set for next August in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The festival will include a number of outdoor stages, networking events for artists, nightclub concerts, and workshops for youth.

The Call for Submissions for Aboriginal Music Week 2014 is available online for any artists or bands who are interested in performance spots. The submission deadline is November 6, 2013.

Aboriginal Music Week 2013:

Friday, August 16
Digging Roots presented by BOB FM
w/ George Leach, Arthur Renwick, Desiree Dorion
9pm-2am
The Pyramid Cabaret
Tickets $20 | 18+ I.D. Required

Saturday, August 17
The Aboriginal Music Week Stage presented by TD at Picnic in the Park
Indian City, Stuart Fergie, Norman Chief Memorial Dancers w/ Alex
Lamoureux, guests
Free BBQ & activities for the kids
12pm-4pm
St. John’s Park
Free family concert

Saturday, August 17
The Saturday Night 49er presented by Streetz FM
DJ Javier Estrada, DJ Kiss, Clap Pina, DJ Rahdil
Fashion show by Turquoise Soul & Shayne Watson Designs
9pm-2am
The Pyramid Cabaret
Tickets $10 | 18+ I.D. Required

Sunday, August 18
The Spence Neighbourhood Block Party presented by the Dreamcatcher
Charitable Foundation
C-Weed Band, Leonard Sumner, Kim Erickson , DJ Miss Vee, Young Medicine
Free BBQ & activites for the kids
12pm-5pm
Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre
Free family concert

Sunday, August 18
Derek Miller presented by Digital Drum.ca
w/ Ghostkeeper, Nick Sherman, Spoils
9pm-2am
The Pyramid Cabaret
Tickets $20 | 18+ I.D. Required

Monday, August 19
Kristi Lane Sinclair presented by NCI FM
w/ The Mosquitoz
11:30am-1:30pm
Amphitheatre on Selkirk Avenue
Free lunch hour concert

Monday, August 19
DJ Shub presented by University of Manitoba Aboriginal Students Association
w/ Jackson 2bears, Namowan
9pm-2am
Union Sound Hall
Tickets $10 | 18+ I.D. Required

Tuesday, August 20
The D’Aoust Brothers presented by University of Winnipeg & University
of Winnipeg Students Association
w/ Desiree Dorion
11:30am-1:30pm
The University of Winnipeg, Front Lawn
Free lunch hour concert

Tuesday, August 20
Open Mic presented by Grassroots News
Hosted by Vince Fontaine & Jay Bodner
9pm-2am
The King’s Head Pub
Free | 18+ I.D. Required

Wednesday, August 21
The Winnipeg Folk Festival & Exchange District BIZ presents Leela Gilday
Old Market Square
12pm-1pm
Free lunch hour concert

Wednesday, August 21
Secret Electric Pow Wow
9pm-2am
The King’s Head Pub
$20 | 18+ I.D. Required

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