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Capitol Music Group today announced the launch of the Capitol Innovation Center (CIC) “to bring together leading thinkers from the music and technology industries, as well as the student community, to help drive the future of innovation in music,” according to a press release. Based in the Capitol Tower in Hollywood, California, the CIC aims to provide space and conduct event programming designed to foster innovative ideas, bridge the gap between content creators and the tech community, and foster the next generation of leaders in music.
The center will open on April 15 with a collaborative workspace and songwriting studio for students, technologists, and content creators. At the recent SXSW Music Hackathon, winning teams were chosen to spend a week in June at Capitol Tower, gaining access to the CIC’s workspace, studio, and team of mentors. Other initial participants include UMG Accelerator Engagement Network and Abbey Road Red Incubator.
The center will also host events, the first of which is a speaker workshop called “The Future She Built,” a conversation on inclusion and change, on April 18 in partnership with Select Management Group. Confirmed speakers include CMG COO Michelle Jubelirer, Founder/Director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Stacy Smith, President of SAG-AFTRA Gabrielle Carteris, and President & COO of the LA Sparks Christine Simmons. On June 9, it will host “A Women’s Immersive Recording Arts Summit,” an all-day series of keynote speakers and production workshops held in partnership with Women’s Audio Mission (WAM). Confirmed speakers for the event include Jubelirer, recording and mixing engineer Marcella Araica, VP/Studio Manager of Capitol Studios Paula Salvatore, Founder & Executive Director of WAM Terri Winston, and music producer, songwriter and entrepreneur TRAKGIRL.
The center’s first Hackathon, set for June 2 and 3, will bring together software developers, producers, songwriters and influencers in a challenge to incubate new waves of music-related products, services, and content. Winning developer teams will be eligible for an eight-month innovation license to draw from UMG’s catalog, while winning content teams will have their finished pieces heard by representatives of Capitol’s A&R team.
“With its diverse offerings of original programming and communal workspace, we believe that the Capitol Innovation Center has the potential to further transform our Tower into a destination where brilliant minds can come together to share ideas, knowledge, and creativity across social and generational barriers, as well as pioneer breakthroughs that will drive the music industry into the future” said CMG Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett.