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About

The Primary Goal of the SFMA is to coordinate the SF Music Industry to identify and pursue collaborative projects that help ensure the vibrancy, success, and sustainability of the San Francisco music community.

The San Francisco Music Alliance will engage in a variety of initiatives and educational activities throughout the entire city. SFMA will be led by Ambassadors representing artists, the music industry and community organizations. In partnership with the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development and other community partners. The SFMA will support the diverse array of small businesses, nonprofit, and creative groups that contribute significantly to the vibrancy of San Francisco’s various community corridors.

  • Ambassadors

  • Mike Kappus

    info Mike Kappus' Rosebud Agency logged over 45,000 bookings before phasing out of booking in 2014. Rosebud's intentionally limited roster earned 116 Grammy nominations and 28 Grammy wins, 9 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions, 6 Grammy Lifetime Achievement or Trustee Awards, 16 Blues Hall of Fame inductions and scores of Gold and Platinum records worldwide. Kappus also negotiated tours for his artists with the likes of The Who, Eric Clapton, U2 and The Rolling Stones. As a manager, Kappus represented Robert Cray, JJ Cale, John Lee Hooker and John Hiatt among others and as a Producer, Co-Producer and Executive Producer he scored 13 Grammy nominations and 4 Grammy wins. The Blues Foundation honored him as Agent /Manager of the year an unprecedented 4 times and in 2014 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis which will be presenting an exhibit on his career to open in May of 2017. Kappus / Rosebud continues to work on special projects and is currently sorting materials from Rosebud's 40 year history for archiving at the Southern Folklife Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is also still overseeing music related business for the estates of JJ Cale and the late Captain Beefheart as well as consulting for San Francisco's renowned Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival among other projects.

  • Judy Tsang

    info Judy Tsang is the Director of Programming at Stern Grove Festival, a non-profit organization dedicated to producing an admission-free performing arts concert series in San Francisco. She curates a wide variety of musical and performance genres to serve the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Festival takes place in the stunning natural amphitheater at Sigmund Stern Grove, one of the most unique performance venues in the country.Ms. Tsang has an interest in global music and has been an invited speaker and attendee at several international music conferences. She has also sat on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Globalfest Touring Fund, and San Francisco Arts Commission. Ms. Tsang is a San Francisco native and a graduate from the University of California, Berkeley.

  • Larry Batiste

    info Larry Batiste is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, arranger, educator, and mentor. His career in the entertainment industry spans over 30 years. His musical directing includes NAMM’s TEC Awards, and the Grammy Awards Pre-Telecast. His performance and songwriting credits include: Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, Huey Lewis & The News, The Tubes, Al Jarreau, Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Steve Miller, Dweezil Zappa, Slash, Nathan East, The Stylistics, The Magical World of Disney (theme song), Sims (Playstation), Leap Frog Education, NBA Warriors’ Basketball theme, California Raison (Grapevine), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Stuart Little, Snow Dogs, Rent (the movie), and many more. Batiste has lent his talents to Grammy Award winning projects, such as Al Jarreau and the Dazz Band, as well Grammy nominated projects by Charlie Wilson (2012), and Roberto Fonseca (2014). He is currently in the studio producing various projects, and writing a book entitled “The Art & Business of Songwriting” for Oxford University Press.

  • Aaron Axelsen

    info Bay Area native Aaron Axelsen is Music Director/Assistant Program Director of San Francisco Alt rock radio station LIVE 105 and he hosts its two long-running weekend new music radio shows-- Subsonic and Soundcheck. Aaron also launched one of the longest-running weekly indie parties on the planet, Popscene, which made its debut back in 1995 and has been throwing weekly parties ever since. Popscene has launched hundreds of amazing bands over the years and was the SF destination debut for acts like Killers, Amy Winehouse, Mumford and Sons, Sam Smith, Muse, Calvin Harris, Phoenix, Alt-J, Kiesza, Foster The People, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Cut Copy, Vampire Weekend and countless others

  • Renee Richardson

    info Renee is best known for her on-air work at KFOG radio in SF, her 17 year career was spent helping to cultivate and promote the Bay Area music scene. She created the KFOG Local Scene series, it ran for 13 years, to benefit Music in Schools Today. After an unexpected showing of the door by Cumulus Media, Renee has moved on to become Director of Development for Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco, a Legacy Business.

  • Michael Aczon

    info San Francisco Bay Area based Michael A. Aczon has practiced entertainment law and personally managed select clients since 1983. As a lawyer, he has represented a variety of clients in virtually every musical genre from unsigned local artists to multi-platinum artists and writers to L.A. and Nashville-based companies. Says San Francisco Examiner’s Edie Sellers, Aczon is “bright, funny and supremely knowledgeable. He possesses that too rare ability to distill complicated issues of entertainment law and convey them in a clear, storyteller language we all can understand.” Michael’s book “The Professional Musician’s Legal Companion” published by Thomson/Hal Leonard is quickly becoming a “must-have” for musicians of all levels of experience and success in the Industry. He has been a columnist for Guitar Player Magazine and Electronic Musician Magazine and is a contributing writer to the book “The Independent Working Musician” by Mary Cosola. Michael is a member of the Music and Recording Industry faculties at San Francisco State University and Diablo Valley College. He has served on the National Entertainment Law Initiative Committee for the Recording Academy and is a member of the San Francisco Chapter’s Urban Outreach Committee. He often lectures at various colleges, law schools, and music industry seminars nationwide.

  • Jessi Frick

    info Jessi Frick has worked in the independent music space for over 15 years. She got her start at Fiddler Records, a prominent label in the late 90s/early 00s responsible for introducing Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory. She owns Father/Daughter Records, a label that helped start the careers of Pure Bathing Culture (Partisan Records), Cayucas (Secretly Canadian), and Mutual Benefit (Mom + Pop). Jessi is also a partner at Salty Artist Management where she manages Diet Cig, The Hotelier, Mutual Benefit, GEMS, Never Young, and The Spook School and is a co-founder of the Bay Area Record Fair.

  • Roberto Hernandez

    info Native of San Francisco, at age 14 become an organizer for Cesar Chavez United Farm Workers Association! Worked as Executive Director for the Real Alternatives Program (RAP) Director of the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center! Produced in the past many cultural & special events Cinco De Mayo, Dia De Los Muertos, Calle 24 Festival, Tito Puente Tribute, Cachao Tribute, Santana Hollywood Walk of Fame just to name a few. Currently serve as the Executive Producer of the annual Carnaval San Francisco Parade & Festival. Co-Founder of Our Mission No Eviction to stop the gentrification of artist, seniors, families and people of color from San Francisco.

  • Adrian Spinelli

    info Adrian is an SF-based freelance journalist and co-founder of Bay Area Music Media (BAMM). He's an Associate Editor at Fest300, Host of the Noise Pop Podcast and his work has appeared in Forbes, the SF Chronicle, SF Weekly, Mic, Pop-Up Magazine, Paste and more.

  • David Dutton

    info David is an award winning music video director with an eclectic array of work under his belt. With a flare for magical realism, David has produced music videos for Bassnectar, Dev, Daktyl, Fountains of Wayne, Miguel, and more. In conjunction with The Limousines, their 70’-cinema- zombie-horror music video “Internet Killed the Video Star” has become a cult classic with over a million views on YouTube, and winning the Audience Choice Award at the 2011 LA Music Video Festival. On the side, David has his hand in pop media with his show creation 8-Bit Cinema. Capturing gaming nostalgia through memorable movie scenes, and musical scores converted into 8-Bit Chip Tunes via his brother Henry; 8-Bit Cinema has become a Youtube sensation and landed Dutton on the pages of Wired and on BBC.

  • Leadership Team

  • Joe Barham

    info Joe has been a mainstay in the SF Music Industry for 15 years. Working as Music Director/DJ (KSAN), Award winning Music Video Producer (Jim James, Washed Out), Music Supervisor (Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema, Batkid Begins) and Manager (The Stone Foxes). His passion for music is matched only by his passion for social good where he has raised over 2 million dollars producing and creating events for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, American Red Cross, Breast Cancer Fund and Children’s Hospital Oakland. His work has been featured in Pitchfork, Spin, Billboard, Forbes, Mother Jones, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly and NPR.

  • Leila Dunne Monroe

    info Leila is the founder and Executive Director of Project AMPLIFI, a nonprofit social venture with a mission to create platforms for music and art to inform, inspire, and activate community. She is co-owner and operator of Smiley’s Saloon & Hotel in West Marin, the oldest bar in California, which serves as an intimate venue for music and community gatherings produced by Project AMPLIFI. Monroe is also a co-founder and partner in Clear Resource Law, a boutique firm offering legal, policy and strategic services for natural resource and environmental projects. Previously, Monroe was a Senior Attorney in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Oceans Program. She has also worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Integrity Project and a range of other government, public and private entities focused on international environmental law, entrepreneurial approaches to environmental issues. Monroe received her Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center with a focus on International Environmental Law. She received her Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.

  • Joseph "JP" Pineda

    info JP is a 10+ year music industry veteran and the Founder and Executive Vice President of JRNE Artist Management. JRNE is a full-service management, strategy, and branding agency—representing artists across music, fashion and film. JRNE’s mission is to develop long-term careers for their artists, that align with their creative vision and artistic integrity. As Founder, JP manages all aspects of the agency and leads its overall strategy. His music career has also crossed into the sports world where he's performed in front of millions as the in-house DJ for various MLB, NBA and WNBA teams.JP is also the co-founder and principal of—The Carmelita Group (consulting firm for social enterprises) and Causetown (marketing tool for small businesses and nonprofits). Joseph also serves on the Board of Directors/Advisory Board for several nonprofits including the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and The School Fund.

  • Entertainment Commission

  • Jocelyn Kane

    info Jocelyn is Executive Director of San Francisco's Entertainment Commission, which is charged with ensuring the health and vitality of indoor and outdoor entertainment venues in the City. Along with daily regulatory concerns, her most current policy work includes the first legislative protections for nightlife businesses from new residential construction in the US, and ongoing improvements to SF Bay Area late night/early morning transit. Jocelyn co-produces the San Francisco Nitey Awards, www.niteyawards.com, an annual awards show which celebrates creative excellence and positive patron experience in San Francisco’s nightlife. Jocelyn is also the founder of Motogirl Productions , an SF-based artist development company. Motogirl Productions works with large and small artists in various genres, to help them understand the "business" of music and how to reach individual goals effectively in one of the toughest industries around.

  • OEWD

  • Ben Van Houten

    info 2012, Ben Van Houten became San Francisco’s first nighttime economy manager, a position created after an economic impact study identified the $4.2 billion generated annually by San Francisco’s nightlife and entertainment industry. Ben is involved in a wide range of policy efforts to support the industry, with accomplishments including: leading a groundbreaking regional initiative to improve all-night transportation; developing legislation to create San Francisco’s first new full liquor licenses in over 70 years; working to foster compatibility between entertainment venues and residential developments; and guiding capacity-building efforts to support the local music industry. Ben is the co-founder of San Francisco music nonprofit The Bay Bridged, and has helped to produce and program a wide variety of music festivals and concerts over the past decade.