New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The
Music Business Association (Music Biz) will present its prestigious Independent
Spirit Award to longtime member Terry Currier, Owner of the iconic Portland, OR-based record store
Music Millennium. The presentation will take place on the morning of Wednesday, May 17, 2017, during the Awards Breakfast of the
Music Biz 2017 convention at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville.
"Terry exemplifies the best qualities of independent music retail and has played a massive role in advocating for its health and vitality," said
James Donio, President of
Music Biz. "Over the course of his four-plus decades in the industry, Terry has proven himself to be a true music business innovator as a pioneer for the concept of live in-store performances, helping spearhead the creation of the Coalition of Independent
Music Stores (CIMS) more than 20 years ago, founding the Oregon
Music Hall of Fame, and establishing
Music Millennium as one of the finest independent record stores in the world. For these reasons and more,
Music Biz is thrilled to add Terry to the remarkable list of executives and companies who have received our Independent
Spirit Award."
"Music has been the driving force in my life these past 44 years and
Music Biz has been an important part of that. I'm honored to receive the Independent
Spirit Award," said Currier. "It's important to recognize the intense power of music to shape and heal lives, and the necessity of independent retail to nurture that relationship through in-person experiences with fellow music lovers. I'm happy to provide that opportunity at
Music Millennium and am proud to accept this Award."
Currier got his start in the music business at the age of 17, when he was hired as a Clerk at DJ's Sound City in Portland, OR. Over the next 12 years, he worked his way up the ladder to Company New Release Buyer before joining
Music Millennium as General Manager in 1984. After becoming Co-Owner in 1987, he and his then-partner Don McLeod decided to celebrate the store's 20th anniversary in 1989 with 20 straight days of live in-store performances, an endeavor that proved so popular it was made a regular feature before becoming standard practice in independent record stores throughout the U.S.
Music Millennium has since hosted more than 4,000 live performances from the likes of Soundgarden, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, Randy Newman, Joe Strummer, and Keith Emerson. Currier also organized the "West Coast Bar-B-Q for Retail Freedom" tour to successfully protest against restrictive used-CD laws in the U.S. In 1990, Currier founded his own record label, Burnside Records, releasing 60 titles between the label and its sister, Sideburn Records, and producing eight of them himself. He created and serves as President of the Oregon
Music Hall of Fame in 1993, which has sought to further music education in the state through assemblies at schools without music programs and scholarships for high school students seeking music education at the collegiate level. A small museum is set to open soon as part of the Youth
Music Project in West Linn, OR. Inductees include Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Kingsmen, Robert Cray, Nu Shooz, Doc Severinsen, The Dan Reed Network, Everclear, and Sleater-Kinney.
Established in 2009,
Music Biz's Independent
Spirit Award recognizes significant contributions to the independent music community that embody the spirit of new thinking, entrepreneurship, and success in the industry. Past recipients include: Redeye and its founding partners Tor Hansen and
Glenn Dicker; John T. Kunz, Owner and President of Austin's iconic independent record store Waterloo Records & Video Inc.; Jonathan Poneman, Co-Founder of Sub Pop Records; Record Store Day and its organizers;
Brett Gurewitz, Founder of Epitaph Records and singer/guitarist of punk band Bad Religion; Rachelle and Joe Friedman, Founders of J&R
Music & Computer World in New York; Tom Silverman, Founder and CEO of Tommy Boy Entertainment; and Don Van Cleave, formerly the President of CIMS, a co-founder of Record Store Day.
Music Biz 2017, which will return to Nashville from May 15-18, is the music industry's premier event, giving the commerce and content sectors a place to meet with trading partners, network with new companies, and learn about new trends and products impacting the music business. Registration is open now with early bird discounts in effect until early 2017. For more information or to register for the event, visit www.musicbiz2017.com.
