Words by Avery Martin; Photos by Kenzie Gamlin

One day after the launch of the Fort Wayne Music Office, leaders from venues, tourism, economic development, arts organizations, and community institutions gathered to ask the next question: how does Fort Wayne turn this new infrastructure into real momentum?

Originally envisioned as a panel, the session became something more useful: a candid working conversation among people already helping shape Fort Wayne’s music ecosystem. The discussion quickly moved beyond any single venue, artist, or organization and focused instead on how the city can better connect the assets it already has.

A clear theme emerged: the Music Office does not need to create Fort Wayne’s music community from scratch. That community already exists. The opportunity is to make it easier to see, navigate, promote, and support.

Participants described the future Executive Director of the Music Office less as an event producer and more as a connector — someone who understands the full landscape of venues, artists, tourism partners, restaurants, hotels, civic leaders, and music businesses, and can help those pieces work together. As one attendee put it, the role should not simply be a “doer of things,” but a “knower of things.”

The group also explored how Fort Wayne can better tell its music story. The conversation focused on cross-promotion, audience development, and visitor experience — not just sending people to one show or one venue, but helping residents, visitors, and artists discover the larger network of places and experiences that make Fort Wayne’s music scene distinct.

Many of the pieces are already in motion. Venues are sharing audience insights with local businesses. Artists are being connected to Sweetwater and other major community assets. Music is already part of the city’s talent attraction, tourism, and quality-of-place story. But much of this work still depends on personal relationships rather than shared systems.

That may be the biggest opportunity ahead. Fort Wayne has the ingredients of a stronger music economy: venues, festivals, artists, educators, tourism partners, music businesses, and civic leadership. The next step is coordination.

The conversation in Fort Wayne underscored a larger statewide theme: Indiana does not lack music talent or music activity. It lacks the connective infrastructure to turn that activity into stronger businesses, larger audiences, better jobs, and long-term economic growth.

The conversation continues on June 16 at the Lerner Theater, Connecting the Dots: Building Momentum for Elkhart’s Music Economy.

Pattern and the Indiana Music Alliance (IMA) are launching the Indiana Music Economy Sessions, a statewide series designed to connect regional music leaders, strengthen local music ecosystems, and explore how music can support tourism, talent attraction, small business growth, and community identity across Indiana.

The series builds on the recently completed regional READI 2.0 arts, culture, and creative economy strategies, several of which identified music assets as important contributors to regional identity, tourism, quality of place, and economic development. The Indiana Music Economy Sessions will bring together leaders in selected regions to explore how those assets can be better connected, supported, and positioned for long-term impact.

The first session will take place in Fort Wayne on Friday, June 5, at the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Center, in partnership with Visit Fort Wayne, Northeast Indiana Regional Development, and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. 

Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound is a lunch conversation focused on how Fort Wayne venues and cultural spaces can grow audiences, tell stronger stories, and become more visible anchors for local culture.

The session will explore how music venues and cultural spaces can better communicate their value as part of Fort Wayne’s broader music ecosystem. Through practical examples, outside perspectives, and local discussion, the conversation will examine how venues can move beyond programming alone and play a stronger role in community development, tourism, talent attraction, and local identity.

“Indiana already has strong music assets — venues, festivals, educators, studios, music businesses, and artists,” said Polina Osherov, executive director of Pattern. “The opportunity now is to better connect those assets, tell a stronger story, and build the kind of infrastructure that helps music contribute more visibly to Indiana’s economy and quality of place.”

The Fort Wayne event marks the first stop in a broader statewide series hosted by Pattern and IMA. Additional Indiana Music Economy Sessions are planned in South Bend–Elkhart on June 16, Bloomington on August 28, and Madison on September 11.

Each gathering will focus on the unique opportunities within its local music community while contributing to a larger statewide conversation about Indiana’s creative economy and the role music can play in regional growth.

The series will culminate in Pattern’s Creative Economy Summit on September 15–16, where leaders from across Indiana’s creative industries will gather to discuss innovation, cultural development, creative entrepreneurship, and the future of creative work in the state.

By connecting regional music conversations to a statewide summit, Pattern and IMA aim to strengthen collaboration across communities, increase visibility for Indiana’s music assets, and reinforce the role music and culture play in shaping Indiana’s identity and economic future.

Event Details

Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound

 Friday, June 5

 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM

 Fort Wayne Philharmonic Center

 826 Ewing Street

 Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Tickets are $15 and include lunch. No refunds.

Agenda

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Networking

 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Panel

 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Lunch & Informal networking

To secure your spot, register here: Telling the Story of a Music Place: Venues, Audiences, and Fort Wayne’s Sound

Words by Avery Martin

Record Store Day returns on April 18, a moment to recognize the role of independent record stores in our communities. Shops nationwide will mark the occasion with exclusive vinyl releases, limited-edition merchandise, and various in-store events.

For those looking to participate locally, Indiana is home to a wide range of independent retailers hosting their own celebrations. To help you navigate the day, we have compiled the essential details on where to go and how to support your local shops across the state.

Here are just a few participating stores around the state: 

Indianapolis

• Indy CD & Vinyl
• LUNA music 
• Irvington Vinyl & Books 
• Karma Records East 
• Karma Records West 
• Square Cat Vinyl 
• The Exchange

Fort Wayne 

• Welcome Back Records 
• Wooden Nickel Music 

West Lafayette/Lafayette

• Black Wax Records 
• JL Records 
• Von’s Records 

Bloomington 

• Landlocked Music
• Rewind Records

Muncie 

• Locked Groove Records

Terra Haute

• Siples Records

Mishawaka

• Michiana Used Music and Media
• Orbit Music

While these are just a few of the official participants, plenty of other independent record stores in Indiana deserve a visit on April 18. Whether they carry the exclusive releases or not, the day is really about supporting the independent businesses that help sustain our local music scene and prove that physical media continues to stand the test of time. No matter where you choose to browse, show up, support your local store, and keep the records spinning. 

Words by Avery Martin

What if one of the most iconic songs ever written wasn’t written by a person at all? If your favorite song had been created with AI, and it turned out exactly the same, would it feel any less powerful? If it still moved you, would it feel less meaningful?

Those were the kinds of questions at the center of this past week’s conversations, as we joined the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Maurer School of Law, and others for their annual AlgoRhythms Summit. Through a mix of panel discussions and presentations from industry professionals, the event sparked thoughtful dialogue about AI’s growing role in shaping the future of music.

Summit Recap

Discussions touched on both the risks and the possibilities. Some expressed concerns about artist rights and creative ownership, while others argued ways AI could expand access and strengthen protections and compensation for musicians.

Thursday centered on the legal landscape and evolving policies around AI in music. Scholars, entrepreneurs, and musicians explored philosophical questions about human creativity, emphasizing the need to “do no harm,” understand impact, prioritize transparency, and better navigate intellectual property rights.

While acknowledging the legal gray areas surrounding AI, speakers also pointed to a critical opportunity: to shape policy and frameworks now before the technology outpaces the law and creates more complicated challenges.

Friday shifted toward innovation, spotlighting companies pushing the boundaries of music creation and performance. Platforms like Songhub, PetsAloud, Moises, and LANDR demonstrated how AI is already making a tangible difference in artists’ workflows and creative processes. 

Many of these companies also addressed concerns around artist compensation for work used in training AI, emphasizing transparency and fair use. They highlighted that much of their technology is not rooted in generative AI, but instead built on tools designed to support and enhance, not replace, human creativity.

By Saturday, the summit brought together returning speakers and new voices to dig deeper into AI as a creative tool. Conversations highlighted why some artists are embracing these technologies, while also acknowledging the disruption they introduce to traditional ideas of authorship. Ultimately leaving us to consider whether AI is opening the door to a more democratized music industry, or reshaping what it means to create in the first place.

What’s Next? 

A clear trend among the speakers, whether they were sharing ideas, building businesses, or offering perspectives, was a genuine connection to music. Most were artists themselves, while others were deeply invested in the industry’s future; some of them were IU alumni themselves. Either way, it was clear that everyone in the room shared a common goal: to see the music industry adapt to changes in the tech industry and find ways to thrive in that environment. 

Our visit to Bloomington gave us a firsthand look at the energy building in the region. The READI 2.0 Arts and Culture Study highlights the Indiana Uplands as a key driver of the state’s future, emphasizing the role of arts and culture in regional growth.

One of the study’s central goals is to boost economic vitality by investing in the area’s unique cultural, artistic, and community assets. We are excited to see that vision take shape through increased support for gathering spaces and arts and cultural events across the region.

Learn more

If you are interested in learning more about how technology is shaping the music industry, one of the platforms featured at AlgoRhythms, Music Tectonics, hosts a music tech conference in Los Angeles this October. 

If you can’t make it, we recommend checking out another speaker from the summit, Marcus Lawrence from Zinstrel, and his newsletter, talking all about AI and the music industry. 

Words by Polina Osherov; Photos provided by AlgoRhythms

Alain Barker is a faculty leader at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, working at the intersection of music, innovation, and the future of creative practice. At a moment when artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how music is created, distributed, and monetized, Barker is helping position Indiana University as an unlikely but important convener in the conversation.

He is a driving force behind AlgoRhythms 2026, a cross-disciplinary summit that brings together artists, technologists, legal scholars, and industry leaders to wrestle with some of the most pressing questions facing music today: authorship, ownership, authenticity, environmental impact, and business transformation in an AI-driven world. In partnership with the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and IU’s broader innovation ecosystem, the conference reflects Barker’s belief that the future of music can’t be understood in isolation from law, technology, and economics.

At its core, his work circles a deceptively simple question: as machines become more capable, what remains uniquely human in music?

PO: What felt urgent for you about AI and music that you wanted to convene AlgoRhythms?

AB: So this happened… the origin story was three years ago. I went—Dmitri Vietze from Rock Paper Scissors is a good friend—and I noticed that Rock Paper Scissors, through the pandemic, pivoted much more into tech and music. They developed this Music Tectonics conference in Santa Monica, California.

After three or four years, I felt that from my vantage point in higher education, research, and creative activity at Indiana University, I was getting a good sense of what was happening in the world—but I also felt out of touch with a certain conversation. Even though I come from the legacy classical world, horizons are expanding. There’s a lot more mixing and matching with disciplines and technology.

So I went to the conference, and I was completely blown away. It was one of those formative experiences where I realized that the music technology world, writ large, was being extremely forward-looking and creative and innovative in ways that we didn’t understand.

And I felt that there were shortcomings from both sides. Technologists get enamored with their own technology and believe that this is ultimately valuable to the world. At the same time, the mindset of creatives in higher education didn’t necessarily link with that.

So I thought this might be an opportunity to bring those worlds together. That’s essentially what AlgoRhythms is—a meeting place between the tech world and higher education, research, and creative practice. And that doesn’t normally happen. Everybody stays in their lane.

PO: Are you seeing AI already affecting musicians and music businesses in Indiana, or is this still more of a coastal phenomenon?

AB: I see it happening as AI as an assistant rather than AI as a replacement.

I know a lot of artists are using AI in various ways to assist or propel what they’re trying to do—to turbocharge their creativity. But I think the idea that generative AI will replace art is mistaken. I don’t believe that’s going to happen.

There’s this AI slop that’s flooding the market that people are extremely concerned about, and a lot of artists are very resistant to it. But I haven’t yet seen anybody pick up on generative AI as a replacement for meaningful artistic exchange.

What I have seen is efficiency in action, acceleration of creativity, expansion of opportunity, migration into different spaces. But not a replacement of meaningful content.

We’re at the beginning of a voyage. I’m not sure where we’re going to end up, but I have not seen artists wanting to go into a place where their art is replicated by AI.

PO: You mentioned “creative migration.” Can you expand on that?

AB: One of the phenomena of this emergence of technology is what I’m calling creative migration.

Composers are becoming filmmakers, filmmakers are becoming music producers, people are moving into gaming—everyone’s mixing and matching and moving into different spaces. And sometimes people move into those spaces in a way that creates a whole new life for themselves, a whole new version of themselves.

That’s happening all around us. We’re going to have a panel discussion about that, because I think it’s a really important shift.

PO: Let’s talk about authorship and ownership. What are the realistic legal flashpoints coming in the next few years?

AB: I’m not an expert, so I hesitate a bit, but there are clearly two camps emerging.

One camp believes we should use the structures of the past, legal frameworks from the 20th century around recorded sound, intellectual property, ownership, and try to maintain control within those systems.

The other camp says we’re in a completely new landscape with no maps. That we need to rethink value creation entirely, and that this will fundamentally shift how we think about intellectual property and ownership.

It’s probably going to be some mixture of the two.

There’s also this tension around whether AI-generated content is akin to public domain, since it’s drawing from existing material, or whether that comparison breaks down entirely. Some argue it’s just remixing what’s already out there. Others say that’s fundamentally different from anything we’ve seen before.

So there’s real tension in how this will unfold.

PO: Does this ultimately come down to money—how artists get paid?

AB: It has to do with money, but it also has to do with traditions of practice.

Everything we do in the art world is based on traditions, culturally, technologically, financially. There’s a relationship between all these elements that results in something like: I’m a musician on stage, playing my music, and this is the financial framework that sustains me.

Technological shifts have always disrupted that. Synthesized sound, for instance, revolutionized music. Some orchestral jobs disappeared, but entirely new aesthetics and opportunities emerged.

So it’s always a mixture. What’s different now is the speed. Things are moving so fast that we don’t know where we’re going to end up and that’s why people are trying to put the brakes on.

PO: What about environmental impact? AI is incredibly resource-intensive. How should the music industry think about that?

AB: I’m very concerned. Personally, I think sustainability and the environment is one of the most important issues we face.

At the same time, this emerging creative environment enabled by AI is part of the reality we’re in. We have to navigate it with our eyes open rather than turning away from it.

I respect artists who say, “I don’t want to engage with this because it conflicts with my values.” That’s completely valid. But then we also have to look at all the other ways we participate in systems that impact the environment.

It’s a mixed bag.

What I will say is that millions, billions of creatives are going to use these tools. And I think in 10 or 15 years, what emerges could be absolutely spectacular. So we need to take time to seriously look at those opportunities, even while holding the tension around environmental impact.

PO: What does smart leadership look like at the state or regional level when it comes to music and AI?

AB: This connects to a broader issue in Indiana—workforce development.

One of the unintended consequences of that conversation is that the arts are being relegated to something secondary or irrelevant. And I think that’s a mistake.

The entrepreneurial mindset of the musician, the artist, that is a significant power boost for how we think about economic development. By dismissing that, we’re inadvertently shooting ourselves in the foot.

We’re missing a huge opportunity to integrate creativity, entrepreneurship, and emerging technology.

Putting resources into the emergent creative class—especially where it connects to technology—is exactly what we should be doing.

PO: One of the challenges is explaining that value in terms that policymakers understand.

AB: Right. And this is where I think artists have some accountability.

Artists are often fixated on their personal journey, which is powerful and necessary, but the conversion of that personal journey into value creation is not something artists tend to think about or articulate.

As long as we stay in that space and expect the intrinsic value of what we do to be recognized, we’re in a cul-de-sac.

I think as a community, we need to get better at understanding and expressing how creative work translates into broader value.

PO: If someone could only engage with one part of AlgoRhythms, where should they focus?

AB: It really depends on their interests.

If you’re concerned about legal issues, ownership, monetization, you should attend the Maurer School of Law panels on Thursday.

If you’re interested in business and innovation, the Saturday morning panels focus on the business of music. The afternoon panels focus on creativity.

And if you’re deeply skeptical of AI, you should absolutely attend the Thursday 4:00 p.m. panel. We’ve invited Adam Neely, who offers a very articulate critique of the entire AI space.

There’s something in the conference for every perspective.

PO: What will remain uniquely human in music?

AB: I have to believe that the people who make it are innately human and that won’t go away.

No technology has ever replaced human creativity. When the piano replaced the harpsichord, when recorded sound emerged, human expression didn’t disappear.

Recorded sound only had value because it created meaningful human connection.

And I think the same is true with AI. Human beings will always find ways to communicate meaningfully and soulfully with each other. That’s not going to go away.

PO: Anything else you want to make sure people understand?

AB: This is a unique collection of individuals coming to Bloomington.

It’s a rare opportunity to have artists, technologists, legal thinkers, and industry leaders all in one place, really grappling with these questions together.

Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by AlgoRhythms

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. One of the many questions artists are asking is: what does this technology mean for creativity? More specifically, who owns creativity in the age of AI? New software developments using AI are changing the way music and art are being created, consumed, and distributed. 

For entertainment lawyers, lawmakers, and scholars, this turning point in technology represents a change in copyright law, but also a shift in the future of creative work itself. Entertainment lawyers are at the forefront of dealing with a wide range of issues surrounding creative work. They deal with licensing deals and contracts, copyright laws, and intellectual property disputes. 

“We’re really fighting for the life of creatives,” says Robert Meitus, an entertainment lawyer and adjunct professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law. “With copyright and AI, we’re fighting for the life of creative work. We’re at a precipice,” he says. 

Meitus and fellow legal scholar Kayla Behforouz are both involved in discussions about the intersection of law, technology, and art while also leading discussions on what this means for the music industry. 

While the technicalities of the law can overshadow their purpose, it’s important to have an understanding of how these laws can affect you as an individual, artist, or even a business. 

“Lawyers see things through a certain lens, but we can’t be so technical that we miss the big point.” That point, he says, is protecting the value of human creativity in an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Without thoughtful legislation addressing AI, Meitus warns that the system could become increasingly unregulated. “Unless we address these issues through legislation, through a Congress that’s thoughtful and effective, what will happen is the Wild West,” he warns. “There will be no regulations, and AI businesses will gobble up all the human creative value, as well as the water and energy resources required to power these systems.”

Artificial intelligence systems are trained by massive datasets that can include text, images, music, or sound recordings, allowing them to identify patterns and make predictions and decisions. That process is called “scraping” or “training” and has raised major questions about copyright law.

Meitus proposes this question: “Should there be compensation to the original creators who are training these models?” 

One of the most complicated aspects of the AI debate is how little formal law currently exists that directly refers to it. “There haven’t been a lot of developments, and that’s what’s really interesting about it,” Behforouz explains.  

Instead, private settlements are taking place to resolve issues. Universal Music Group reached a settlement with the AI music platform Udio (read the full article by Music Business Worldwide). As part of the agreement, the companies resolved their copyright lawsuit and announced plans to collaborate on a new AI music platform trained only on authorized and licensed music. The project, expected to launch in 2026, will create new licensing agreements that allow artists and songwriters to potentially earn revenue from their work being used in AI systems. 

Another major legal question involves the output of AI systems themselves. “If the world is going to have AI songs and sound recordings generated partially by AI, will they be protectable?” Meitus says. “Economically, that’s important, because if there’s a hit generated by AI and it has no copyright, then anybody can copy it.”

Recent guidance from the United States Copyright Office suggests that existing copyright law may still apply in many AI-related situations. The office concluded that works created with the assistance of AI tools can still receive copyright protection as long as there is meaningful human authorship involved. 

For instance, you can make a song and use AI to generate the beat, but you make the lyrics, melody, and harmony. Then, in that case, you may not claim copyright on the beat of the song, but you may on the other elements. 

Buried within the technical questions is the most looming one of all. What makes art, art? If we want to protect human creativity, we are forced to put a definition on what art really is and what art is worth saving. 

“You see that poster behind you? That community market poster,” Meitus says, gesturing to an example in the room. “Would you say that art is the same as something hanging in the museum? It might be art, but it’s commercial art.”

He explains that creative work often falls along a continuum. On one end are practical or commercial uses of creativity: posters, advertisements, graphic design, and marketing materials. On the other end are works created from the compulsion to make art: a painting in a museum, a novel, or a song written by a musician.

“You’d look at something like a Van Gogh or a song by Bon Iver or Mumford and Sons and say that’s the highest form of creative art,” he says. “It’s art for art’s sake.”

Artificial intelligence now enters and disrupts that continuum. In some cases, it can generate functional or commercial outputs quickly and cheaply that might once have required a human creator. Those uses raise questions not just about copyright, but about labor and economics.

But as the conversation moves further along that artistic spectrum, the stakes change. When AI begins generating songs, literature, or visual art modeled after human creators, the debate shifts from economics to culture.

For many creators, the rise of AI tools can feel both empowering and threatening. On one hand, the technology dramatically lowers the barriers to entry. Tools that once required expensive equipment, training, or years of practice are becoming widely accessible. But that accessibility can also feel like a disruption to the value of creative labor.

“You spend your whole life investing in this art form,” Behforouz says. “And then one tool comes along that completely displaces the 10,000 hours of work you did, you’d be a little pissed.”

At the same time, democratization has always been part of technological change in the arts. Recording software, digital cameras, and social media all expanded who could participate in creative industries.

AI may simply be the next step in that evolution. As artists, lawmakers, and industry leaders continue to wrestle with these questions, the answers remain far from settled. Conversations around copyright, compensation, and creative ownership are still unfolding in real time, with few clear precedents to follow.

Those conversations will continue at AlgoRhythms, an upcoming summit hosted by Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and Jacobs School of Music, where Meitus and Behforouz will join others exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and music.

For now, we have to ask ourselves: what happens to creativity when its value is no longer human?

Words by Lydia Norton; photos provided by Matt Henninger and AlgoRhythms

The presence of artificial intelligence (AI) is seemingly inescapable. Within seconds, simple text prompts transform into an image or even a song when using generative platforms such as Suno and Udio. Some creatives view AI as a threat. Others, like Moises executive Matt Henninger, see it as something different: a tool musicians can learn from. 

“The real core for us is being musician-focused. To help their creative journey, not to replace it,” Henninger says. “It’s to put the musician at the center of a pool of new technologies.”

Henninger has about twenty years of experience in digital music and music technology. He earned undergraduate degrees in jazz performance and political science from the University of Michigan. He spent time as a professional bass player, playing nearly 200 nights a year in Detroit. He started at a company called AllMusic (formerly All Music Guide) in Ann Arbor, which was the beginning of factual music metadata. Later, he worked in business development and sales for various music technology services. 

Now, Henninger serves as the vice president of business development and strategy at Moises, which started as an app for music practice. If a drummer wants to play along to their favorite song, Moises can remove the drums. It can also isolate instruments, allowing musicians to learn and practice. Today, it has over 70 million users worldwide. The platform now supports multiple instruments, can identify chords in real time, and transcribe lyrics in nearly 100 languages down to the syllable level. Moises expanded its suite of services beyond music practice into music creation. 

Henninger stresses that Moises’s use of artificial intelligence is designed to benefit the creator. It has the potential to help break musicians out of writer’s block, assist them in practicing a section of a song, or produce chord charts. When Henninger joined Moises in 2022, the company was starting to scale, and the industry was taking notice. At the same time, generative music platforms like Suno and Udio started to gain traction, leading musicians to think AI meant replacement. 

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should, right?” Henninger says. “I think in music in particular, you have to have a very specific lens and a clear mission statement on who you want to be very early.” 

Moises decided to only train its AI models on fully-licensed materials. Henninger explained that all the models Moises uses were built in-house, they own the entire data pipeline, and they’ve paid and licensed all the content specifically for the purpose of training it. 

“They’re expensive decisions,” Henninger says. “They’re slow decisions, but we knew that to be in music and build technology with longevity, you have to do these things. Because an artist has to feel like their art is valued by the technology that they’re using.” 

While Henninger focuses on how technology can support artists, the broader music ecosystem also plays a major role in shaping opportunities for musicians. In the Midwest, that ecosystem is already proving to be a powerful economic force.

While many independent venues and artists operate on thin margins, the music sector remains a powerful economic engine in Indiana. According to the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance (IIVA), independent venues, promoters, and festivals in Indiana generated $1 billion in total economic output, contributed $578.9 million directly to state GDP, supported 3,800 jobs, paid $300 million in wages and benefits, and produced $97.4 million in annual state and local tax revenue. 

In 2024, fans attending shows at independent venues in Indiana generated $80.3 million at local restaurants, hotels, shopping, transportation, or other entertainment. By comparison, Indiana’s northern neighbor, Michigan, reported significantly higher statistics, generating $2 billion in total economic output, creating a $1 billion contribution to the state’s GDP, employing 6,742 workers, and generating $100.3 million in state tax revenue. 

Michigan also generated $184.8 million in off-site tourism spending, more than double Indiana’s total. 

Henninger says part of Michigan’s music success is in its DNA, citing Motown’s success in marking Detroit as a cultural hub in the music world. Yet, Michigan’s ecosystem is fueled by people around the state. 

“Detroit has a self-identity of being gritty and loving the work,” Henninger says. “Especially with everything Detroit’s been through, when you have an art scene that has some of that grittiness in its DNA and this mindset of let’s grind it out, it’s evident in the music.”

Henninger mentioned playing thousands of shows during his career as a musician, and emphasized the pride local musicians have in the music scene and an inherent willingness to practice, learn, and put in the work.  

Henninger says, “The Michigan music scene is shockingly supportive of itself, and it’s remarkable. There’s a lot of pride in the practice because that’s part of the grind.”

Perspectives like Henninger’s—shaped by both industry experience and firsthand involvement in regional music scenes—are part of the conversation at the upcoming AlgoRhythms Summit.

Henninger will appear as a panelist at AlgoRhythms, held March 26-28. Through a series of panels, speakers will explore human-centered creativity in music and AI. Henninger is scheduled to speak on the March 28 panel, Business Transformation in the Music AI World. He hopes to explore how different cultures and markets are consuming music, how Moises has grown, and what opportunities are available when technology is democratized. He hopes to educate people on what to look for and how to distinguish between platforms that are tools for artmaking and others that are used like a toy. He doesn’t assume he’s an expert. Like the rest of us, he can’t be sure what’s going to happen next with AI. But what he can do is show people where the technology is going and what the ramifications are. 

Henninger says, “I’ve had the chance to speak at a couple of universities, and what I’m learning is that there’s obviously fear around the technology. I enjoy coming in and being a bit of an optimist, telling the audience, ‘Look, if AI can become a tool, it really can benefit you as a musician and as an artist.’” 

Ultimately, Henninger hopes AI will help artists harness their creative process. He emphasizes that the key is for technology to meet artists where they are, with tools that can capture the spark when inspiration strikes. He references two scenarios: a master engineer in a studio who fears AI could replace both their role and the art they create, and, conversely, the idea that if applied correctly, AI could help teach a young musician the importance of mastering quickly.

Henninger says, “If you’re in a band, there are probably four phones there, right? How do I make you collaborate more easily? How do I make you take an idea from a rehearsal, keep it, and share it? To me, if you apply AI very specifically to these things, it can be really helpful.”

As AI continues to reshape the music industry, Henninger says Moises sees its role as helping define the difference between creative tools and generative platforms.

“Our goal, even with that tool, is never to create a finished product,” Henninger says.
We want to enable that art, that musician, that creator from a scratch pad to wherever they feel like taking it. Let’s bridge that gap, not try to replace it.” 

Words by Avery Martin; Photos provided by Chreece

On the night of August 23rd, Indianapolis came alive to celebrate two things; Naptown and Hip Hop. The city lit up with energy, as artists and lovers of art from all ages and backgrounds filled the streets, and echoed their sound through every neighborhood. The night was a vibrant celebration of community, culture, and creativity. 

Seven different venues around the city hosted more than 70 artists to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hip Hop festival Chreece aka “The Superbowl of Indianapolis Hip Hop”. It was truly a citywide takeover. 

Oreo Jones, founder of Chreece, started the festival in 2015 with the vision of bringing a bigger platform to local hip hop artists in the community. Now, a decade later that vision is growing and further expanding opportunities in the creative economy. 

“I really didn’t have any expectations or anything, I just wanted to provide a platform for artists, especially rappers, producers, and DJs that really didn’t have that much space here in the city” Jones said.

Jones is backed by his main team of collaborators —Jane Sun Kim keeps the festival running smoothly, and Jay Brookens works with the talent as the artist director. Add in a crew of dedicated volunteers and a crowd of passionate fans, and the magic of Chreece comes to life. 

Artists, sponsors, small businesses, photographers, and volunteers poured their hearts into making this an unforgettable night. Whole neighborhoods came through to sell out the festival for the first time since 2019, and everyone was dancing.  

“I think my favorite part is during the day, it’s just the energy, it’s magnetic. It’s just like a really big family reunion.” Jones said. 

This year’s lineup went way beyond the local scene, pulling in serious national talent like Smino, Audrey Nuna, MAVI, and 81355 (pronounced ‘bless’)—the powerhouse group featuring none other than Oreo Jones himself.

Behind the scenes, organizations like Indy Arts Council, GANGGANG, and Big Car Collaborative helped bring the event to reality, further supporting the dreamers, doers, and artists that give Naptown a heartbeat. 

Part of the event’s mission to give back, the DJ Indiana Jones Scholarship was created as a tribute to an Indiana legend, Ron Miner (DJ Indiana Jones). Born and raised in Indiana, DJ Indiana Jones made a name for himself in the New York City music scene before returning to his roots to uplift the local Hip Hop community. 

He wasn’t just a supporter of Chreece in its early days, he was a driving force behind its growth and success. This scholarship honors his legacy by continuing his work: supporting the next generation and investing in the culture he loved. 

At the end of the night, it was clear that this wasn’t just another music festival. Chreece has become something way bigger. It’s a love letter to Naptown—loud and proud. 

Ten years in, and the vision that started in 2015 is now an anticipated event in the city. It’s in the beats, the bars, the murals, the merch tables, and the people packed into venues. It’s in the way strangers danced like friends, and neighborhoods came together like family.

If this year was any sign of what’s next, it’s only getting louder, bigger, and more powerful from here. Here’s to a decade of Chreece, and everything that is still to come.

The Indiana Independent Venue Alliance (IIVA) is proud to share that Indianapolis will host the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) Live Policy Summit, presented by Tixel, on October 15–16, 2025, at HI-FI in Fountain Square. This important two-day gathering will bring together independent venue leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the country to address the pressing issues that continue to shape the live music ecosystem.

Independent venues are vital to creative communities, and the policies that support or hinder them have a direct impact on artists, fans, and the local economies that depend on live performance. From ticketing reform and state incentives to zoning, sound ordinances and cultural planning; the conversations taking place in Indianapolis this fall will continue to provide a foundation for the future of live entertainment across the country.

We are especially proud that NIVA chose Indiana as the host for this year’s summit. Indianapolis has long been recognized as a city that knows how to host large-scale events and national conferences. By bringing the summit to Fountain Square, one of the city’s fastest-growing entertainment districts, we are able to showcase not only Indiana’s collaborative spirit and Hoosier hospitality but also the vibrant local culture that defines our music community. This summit will bring those strengths together, creating a welcoming and dynamic setting for meaningful conversations about the future of live entertainment.

Hosting this national policy discussion in Indiana also reflects the progress we’ve made together through the Independent Indiana Stages initiative and the strong partnerships built between IIVA, NIVA, and our local community. It is proof that our state has an important voice in national policy conversations and is committed to supporting independent live entertainment for the long term.

Josh Baker, Executive Director of the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance & Co-Owner of HI-FI, said:

“Independent venues have always found ways to adapt and survive, but the challenges we face today require thoughtful policy solutions and collaboration at every level. The Live Policy Summit is about bringing people together to address those challenges and make sure independent stages remain strong for the next generation. We are honored to host this discussion in Indianapolis, right in the heart of the country.”

About the Summit

Dates: Wednesday, October 15 – Thursday, October 16, 2025

Venue: HI-FI, 1043 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis, IN (Fountain Square)

Times: Full agenda and daily schedule will be announced soon

More Info & Registration: Register Now

The Live Policy Summit will feature sessions on:

• State of Live: Why Live Entertainment Policy Matters
• Sustaining Live: State Incentives and Live Performance Funds
• Ticketing 101: The Landscape and Legislation
• Cities and Live Policy
• Navigating the PRO Licensing Landscape
• Growing the Coalition for Change

By convening industry leaders, policymakers, and advocates in Indianapolis, the summit provides a chance to strengthen the independent live ecosystem, both here in Indiana and across the nation.

Sponsors and Partners

This event is presented by Tixel, with additional support from Tixr, Eventbrite, Meitus Strohm, Opendate, Prism and Sound Better with Tito’s.

Supporting partners include Indiana Independent Venue Alliance, HI-FI Indianapolis, Pattern, Backstage Social, Static Eye Design Co., and Maia Olmstead.

We look forward to welcoming colleagues from across the country this October and showing them how Indiana continues to lead with creativity, collaboration, and the hospitality that makes our community so unique.

Words and Photos by Lydia Norton

Walking into the Harvest Pavilion at the 2025 Indiana State Fair feels like stepping into a kaleidoscope of color and sound. Vibrant album covers spanning decades line the walls, and neon signs with names like Bon Jovi and Baby Face glow overhead— all part of the carefully curated Art of Music Experience. Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” plays throughout the hall as visitors mill about the space, pointing out favorite albums and reliving memories.

The Art of Music Experience is an immersive art exhibit built to explore history through music and invite viewers to consider the lines between album art and commercial advertising. Upon entering, visitors are welcomed by concert lighting illuminating several grids of standard-sized album covers, arranged to blend and create large collage pieces. As visitors move deeper into the exhibit, they appear almost miniature as towering recreations of Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope or Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees are unveiled. From roughly 1981 to 2004, record stores would place large-scale album covers in their windows to advertise new albums. These album covers didn’t just appear out of thin air. They were carefully hand-painted by artists, and later collected by the Art of Music Experience. Visitors at this year’s Indiana State Fair had the opportunity to watch artists live-paint three albums: the Grateful Dead’s The Music Never Stopped, Machine Gun Kelly’s Lost Americana, and The Wes Montgomery Trio’s A Dynamic New Sound. The Art of Music Experience is the centerpiece of this year’s Indiana State Fair theme: the “Soundtrack of Summer.” 

The exhibit includes more than visual elements, too. In partnership with the exhibition and the Indiana State Fair, Indy CD & Vinyl owners Andy and Annie Skinner created a pop-up store in the exhibition, mirroring their own brick-and-mortar store in Broad Ripple. To Skinner, Indy CD & Vinyl provides the “connective tissue” for the exhibition. After visitors take in the expansive collection of neon signs and album advertisements, they have the opportunity to hold, buy, and take home the albums they love–turning nostalgia into something tangible.

“ It’s a fantastic marriage between an independently owned store that is Indiana’s most awarded record shop, combining with this juggernaut that is the state fair,” Skinner says. 

Vinyl Revival

The exhibit is called “Vinyl Revival,” yet to Skinner, vinyl was never truly gone.

“ The vinyl revival to me speaks to bringing back awareness of the fact that physical media didn’t go away,” Skinner says. 

Throughout the fair, Skinner has observed a wide range of music fans: younger generations buying core classics to build their foundation, and more mature generations looking further into contemporary artists. Browsing the diverse music titles sparks intergenerational conversations, which to Skinner, is essential to the exhibit’s purpose: connecting people through shared memory and cultural history.

“That is the vinyl revival,” Skinner says. 

Spinning Support, Growing Community

At the end of the 17-day-long Indiana State Fair, it’s estimated Andy and Annie saw one million people pass through, all of whom had the opportunity to immerse themselves in music’s rich history and rediscover physical media. Skinner points out that with minimal government support for artists, many rely on physical media sales to sustain their careers. When someone buys a vinyl record or CD, they’re not just supporting the record store; they’re also contributing to a broader ecosystem of local businesses, including the artists themselves.

“ What it does for the creative community here is show a million people who walk through here over 17 days that physical media isn’t a fad, it’s part of the state economy,” Skinner says. 

Indy CD & Vinyl is continuing to invest in Indiana’s creative economy, as they work towards expanding their record store to include a 200-capacity, all-ages community venue, called the 808. Skinner attributes their success to Indianapolis’s outlets for “do-it-yourself creativity” and peers in the local music industry. 

“ I think that there is a community aspect here where if any one of us fails, it’s a failure for the city. A lot of us believe that a rising tide lifts all ships,” Skinner says. 

The Indiana State Fair is the first state fair to opt for the Art of Music Experience. Skinner says now other states are looking at the exhibit for their own events. While the fair has come to a close, the exhibit stands as a clear example of how Indiana’s creative economy is driven by storytelling, local artists, and cultural investment.