Winter 2014-2015 Regional Music Directory Now Available! | Dayton, OH

The Winter 2014-2015 Regional Music Directory is now live and available for download!   This is our 2nd issue of the directory, and it has over 400 band and artist listings along with their public contact information and active web links!

Music Connection 1 Year Anniversary – Looking Back & Looking Forward

Music Connection – Dayton, Oh has officially been around for a whole year!  THANK YOU!     This last year has been amazing because it has brought me out of my shell to a community of amazingly talented and wonderfully sincere musicians and music lovers!   To those of you who stopped by to share something on the Facebook wall or like and share posts or sent me an email that you like the site and use it often… to anyone who has found new music or a new venue or a new open mic through our page… to all the amazing musicians who I’ve met over the last year, and to my friends, family, and to my biggest supporter (You know who you are) – you’ve been a HUGE part of what has kept me going and inspired and THAT is why you ROCK!   This site is all about sharing the amazing experience we call “music” and without YOU, that just wouldn’t be possible!

LOOKING BACK….

Thoughts & Goals on Connecting Our Local Scene

As Music Connection is fast approaching the 500 Like mark, I thought I’d share with you a little bit about why I created the page and some of my thoughts and goals for the page.  It probably would have been easier to create a page or group that was just for fans or just for musicians and bands, but I really didn’t think that would take the local scene where it could be and needs to be.  Those types of pages seemed mostly to end up in spam or favoritism of one genre over another, and I didn’t feel those types of pages really reached or inspired anyone, which is what the connection with music should be about.
It seems, to me at least, that if we want to continue to be inspired by music and inspire others with music and continue to have a local music scene for a long time to come, we have to:
1.) be open to new experiences and multiple musical genres 
2.) be supportive of those around us who love music and share our experiences
3.) have a place to really connect with local fans and musicians and music
4.) always work at developing our craft

* Where was the average person in Dayton supposed to find out these new experiences and what’s really happening with local music?  There are tons of local zines and event calendars, but each one only covers a fraction of what’s happening and usually covered more than just the local scene.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go 30 places to find out what’s happening!  We needed a resource that connected them all and had a local only focus.
* Where is the average musician or band supposed to find out about other bands and musicians and venues and services and support them without getting spammed themselves?  It used to be DaytonBands.com, but that site is no longer available.  We needed someone to take the initiative and start connecting local bands and musicians of all types and take it a step further to include local music venues and other local music related services and news.
*  How are the local bands and artists supposed to be able to find local fans?  Let’s face it!  In a time when, more than ever, people are looking closer to home to find something fun to do, it’s really important that there’s a place where everyone can hook up with the local scene!  Many of the local fans are on Facebook already and just needed a place where they could find local music downloads, videos, pages, events, etc..
*  Where are we supposed to be able to share experiences and tips and develop our craft(s)?  Word of mouth and the occasional tip post aren’t enough.  We needed a place to easily reference those things and share and develop our craft.

Now, I’ve heard a few people say that nothing’s really happening in Dayton’s music scene, but with already over 270 CURRENT bands, 45+ music venues, open mics, and just as many photographers, sound & audio services, stores, and other music services. (and that’s just this moment in time) linked in to our page, something music related is happening ALL the time in the Dayton area, and Music Connection is looking to give it to you!

I’m so excited to be working on this project, and have many goals for the development and inspiration of our local music community.  In the short-term, I hope to make Music Connection- Dayton, OH THE local music resource for fans and musicians alike.  In the medium-term, I hope to be able to connect Dayton with bands/artists from other cities and make Music Connection the place where they come to get into our local scene!  In the long-term, my goal is to create, grow, and develop a community of music that will last well into our future and continue to inspire new musicians in our area and beyond!  I only hope that you’ll join me on this adventure and choose to be a part of this awesome thing called MUSIC!   Feel free to comment with your own thoughts, goals, and suggestions below!