San Francisco, CA. (www.nextaid.org) - During the last weeks of
September 2006, Los Angeles-based humanitarian organization NextAid will have a significant presence at San Francisco's two major music events: San Francisco LoveFest on Saturday,
September 23, 2006 and Summer
Music Conference (SMC) from Wednesday,
September 27 – Sunday, October 1, 2006. At both events, NextAid has been selected as a non-profit community partner, benefiting from funds raised, providing volunteers, staffing information booths and sharing in the promotion of the events.
And on Thursday, September 28th during SMC's two days of panel discussions and exhibits, NextAid will present a panel entitled 'Music as a Tool For Building Social Activism.' For more information please visit www.nextaid.org.
San Francisco LoveFest on September 23rd, an event inspired by Germany's world famous Love Parade, is a massive dance parade that will travel through the heart of San Francisco to Civic Center Plaza, where it will manifest into a full blown outdoor festival, complete with renowned DJs, performers, elaborate floats and mobile sound systems. Some of the world's biggest artists will be performing at the all-night festival following the parade, including Paul Oakenfold, Massive Attack, Grandmaster Flash, and more. The goal of LoveFest is to put on an event that fosters love, community and respect for our culture as a conscious effort to inspire positive action. The event is free but proceeds from the donations collected at the gate will go to a variety of community organizations, including NextAid. For more information on LoveFest please visit www.sflovefest.org.
Then, beginning Wednesday, September 27th, the inaugural Summer Music Conference kicks off, the first of its kind on the left coast, an exhibition celebrating the latest trends in digital music, technology, and culture. In this, its first year, Summer Music Conference is building a conference that will further develop emerging technologies with the recording industry and to foster an environment for the growth of the urban and electronic music industry. This is the West Coast's answer to the annual March dual conferences in Miami: Winter Music Conference (WMC) and the M3 Summit, but with a focus on technology's impact on music and media.
The conference lasts until Sunday, October 1st and SMC holds its big Outdoor Festival on Saturday, September 30th on multiple stages in downtown San Francisco from Noon to 7:00pm. Conference passes are on sale on the SMC site for $105, and $2 from each pass will go to NextAid. Passes include entry to parties, discounts to weekly events, and entry to the technology expo, panel sessions, exhibits and more. For more information and to buy tickets please visit www.summermusicconference.net.
Artists scheduled to perform during the week include: Crystal Method, Groove Armada, Q-bert, Tiga, DJ Krush, Ferry Corsten, Green Velvet, Gabriel & Dresden, Miguel Migs, Doc Martin, Marques Wyatt, Terry Francis, Hipp-e, Nathan Coles, John Tejada, Justin Long, Julius Papp, Andy Caldwell, Landshark (live), DJ Heather, Fred Everything, Garth, The Deep End, Green Gorrilla, DMT (live) and more artists to be confirmed!
The conference will include two days of panels and exhibits on Thursday, September 28th and Friday, September 29th, that will feature leading industry developers, pioneers and trendsetters covering a broad range of topics that are seen as key to digital music industry professionals and those aspiring to be successful in today's rapidly changing technology and media-driven environment. The panels and exhibits will run from 11:00am to 6:00pm each day and will be held at Temple located at 540 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.
The SMC panels will focus primarily on marketing, media and distribution but NextAid - big on social activism - will hold a panel which will serve to remind the community that we have to do more to make the world a better place and with new technologies it can actually be fun and more effective. On Thursday, September 28th at 4:30pm NextAid will present a panel discussion entitled 'Music as a Tool For Building Social Activism.' Sharing ideas and strategies for sustainable social activism, panelists will include Lauren Segal (NextAid), Michael Gosney (Digital Be-in; www.cyberset.cc; www.greencenturyinstitute.org), Brad Olsen (www.peacetour.org), Darian Heyman (Craigslist Foundation), Jennifer Otter (Music for America), and Tania Martinez from Current TV will moderate.
Another way NextAid is raising awareness and funds for its South African initiatives is by partnering up with other SMC-related parties during the week. NextAid will have information available and will be accepting donations at the Om Records/SMC Party at 1015 Folsom on Saturday night the 30th. After the big outdoor party in downtown SF during the day, head down to the Om Records event that night to hear DJ sets by Mike Monday, Andy Caldwell, Fred Everything, Johnny Fiasco, and others. Visit https://om-records.com/tours.php for more details.
NextAid is a Los Angeles based humanitarian organization dedicated to creating sustainable solutions for African children orphaned as a result of AIDS. By partnering with socially responsible businesses and organizations in the production of music benefits and other awareness-raising activities, NextAid provides long-term aid to African children in need. From mega-events like Miami Music Conference to small clubs, through benefits and other music-related activities, NextAid channels the positive energy on the dance floor across the globe to children in Africa, thus providing an opportunity for a potentially disenfranchised demographic to truly experience that they can make a difference.
Currently NextAid is building a sustainable community center, which is virtually a village of hope, in Dennilton, South Africa for a community of children who are affected by AIDS, most of whom are orphans whose parents have died from the evil disease. Five million people are living with the disease and every day 1000 people die, in South Africa alone. This children's center is being built with funds primarily raised through NextAid's music-related initiatives. They broke ground in the summer of 2005 with a team headed by world-renowned eco-architect Joseph Kennedy.
