The first annual Black Friday festival took place at the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood, CA. The festival emphasized urban alternative and hardcore music and black cinema “from the brilliant, the hungry, the visionary and the restless.” Over a two-day period, independent musicians and filmmakers gathered to honor the diversity of the black musical tradition -- and have their artistry “recognized, supported and sustained.” The founder of the festival, Ngozi (“Goz”) Inyama, started the festival to address the diversity of black music and film without concentrating on notions of “blackness.” Although  Black Friday was coordinated by women -- (Goz was joined by Beverly Milner [from the west coast branch of the Black Rock Coalition] and Kasey Lovelace [founder of Acoustic in Black, a local performance series] -- Goz denies any resemblance to the Lilith Fair. In a recent profile in the LA Weekly Goz said: “We were more inspired by the first two years of Lollapalooza than by Lilith.” Saturday’s “Independent Marketing & Promotions” panel included Kspace Founder Jeannie Novak. Other panelists included Reggie (Komet) Johnson (from the BRC-LA Board) and Les July (independent musician). Both panelists and audience members alike agreed that the Internet has become an essential component of independent promotion and distribution. The casual, friendly atmosphere of the event helped create an open forum—where participants felt comfortable airing their concerns about how the traditional industry has little to offer an independent artist with a unique voice.

Visit Site