Critics say the Charleston music scene is quickly ripening with great talent. For the past five years, Grammy award winner and College of Charleston Arts Management Instructor Mark Bryan has been working hard to develop talent and the infrastructure needed to support the growing music scene.
These are the four things he thinks Charleston still needs:
1. Mid-size venue
Downtown Charleston lacks a 200-300 seat venue for cultivating up-and-coming acts. Darius Rucker and Cary Ann Hearst ’01 (Shovels & Rope) talked about the need during the “In the MIX” event, hosted by the Arts Management Program.
[Related: Darius and Cary Ann talk about songwriting during “In the MIX.”]
“When we [Hootie & the Blowfish] were just getting started in Columbia, we played at Rockafellas’ for like five years before we were getting big enough crowds to move to the Township Auditorium,” Bryan explains. “We need a Rockafellas’-type venue in Charleston.”
2. A record label
Charleston has a ton of talent, but many artists feel like they have to go to Nashville, Atlanta, etc. to get their music distributed, because the city doesn’t have any record labels.
“You have to find alternate ways to release your music if you live here,” Bryan explains. “I have been independently releasing singles with digital distribution only, and I’ve started shopping some of my catalog for film and television licensing.”
[Related: Listen to Mark Bryan’s work.]
3. People – in addition to artists
Charleston is lacking the industry infrastructure to go along with talent – people willing to publicize events, put the acts on, record the talent.
“That’s really where the music industry concentration in the College’s Arts Management Program will come in,” Bryan explains. “Students can graduate, start their own businesses and bring that industry infrastructure to Charleston.”
[Related: Learn more about the music industry concentration.]
4. Risk takers
Bryan has worked hard over the past five years taking risks to develop pipelines for the music industry in Charleston. He is the board chairman of Carolina Studios, a non-profit afterschool program for K-12 students to use music as an outlet.
Bryan recently launched Craver/Bryan, a booking agency based in Charleston. They’re currently representing such bands as Atlas Road Crew and the Dead 27s. Bryan is also the creator of Live at the Charleston Music Hall, a pilot TV show designed to showcase the music scene in Charleston.
