The festival
Philly Music Fest was founded in 2017 by Jenn and Greg Seltzer and is curated and produced by Greg Seltzer. Jenn and Greg are devoted Philadelphians, both raised in the Philadelphia region. Our mission is to host a music festival celebrating and featuring Philadelphia musicians – with a slight twist.
By structuring Philly Music Fest as a non-profit, and eliminating compensation typically paid to a producer or promoter, we are able to pay musicians well to play the festival, then donate money to local music education for children. The beauty of Philly Music Fest is that in an effort to reinvest in the Philly music community, we all come together and enjoy a massive dose of live music, celebrating the music of Philadelphia.
charity
supporting Music Education
Our theory is that in order to have a vibrant music scene in Philadelphia, we must support the next generation. The bands that will grace the stages of our venues in ten years – well – they’re kids right now. And, unfortunately, access to music education is not easy, as public schools have cut music education programs.
Philly Music Fest supports the following organizations, which educate and support kids, facilitating the reinvestment in our music community and bettering the lives of kids in our region:
- Rock to the Future
- Live Connections
- Settlement Music School
- Musicopia
- Play On, Philly
- Girls Rock Philly
- Beyond the Bars
- Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
Our impact has increased each year. In 2017, we donated $15,000 to music education programs. In 2018, the total increased to $25,000, then $40,000 in 2019 and $50,000 in 2020.
Supporting Local Musicians and Venue Staff
In addition to showcasing musicians at Philly Music Fest, we launched a micro-grant program in March 2020 to assist and support musicians and venue staff impacted by COVID-19. Philly Music Fest deployed over 330 micro-grants. The funds for the micro-grants were crowdsourced from our community and, importantly, through a donation by WXPN.
Supporting Independent Music Venues
Philly Music Fest purposefully and intentionally locates the festival at independent music venues in our region. While some of our region’s larger venues are terrific and feature incredible shows and wonderful settings, we believe independent music venues are critical to our music eco-system. Independent music venues curate an experience that is local and diverse, showcasing an independent and unique voice. Locating Philly Music Fest at independent music venues is our attempt to show support and highlight the beauty of our local independent venues, but we also hope that Philly Music Fest is profitable for our venues – which it will be with your ardent support and attendance.
Connect with us
If you are an organization furthering local music education, certainly reach out to us and let’s talk about support.
Supporters
Business and commerce is most certainly an important part of our music community. The coexistence of business and the arts is critical. In the spirit of community and a passion for Philadelphia, the following organizations have graciously supported Philly Music Fest with a monetary donation. We all should thank them and, where possible, support their products and services.
Please note that each of the following businesses has donated money in the spirit of community and support of the local music scene, without a demand for promotion, signage or exposure – the very definition of generosity:
Laura and Connor Barwin
Guru Technologies
Maverick Partners
The Merz Family
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
StratIS IoT
Ballard Spahr
Kylie and Jason Kelce
Laura and Connor Barwin
Guru Technologies
Maverick Partners
The Merz Family
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
StratIS IoT
Ballard Spahr
Kylie and Jason Kelce
Brian and Mahria Morris
The Carlino Family
Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs
MVP Capital
Tavern on Camac
Brian and Mahria Morris
The Carlino Family
Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs
MVP Capital
Tavern on Camac
Appetites on Main
Cobrin Properties
Dan and Alex Greenberg
Ernst & Young
Exude
I. Rice & Company
Independence Blue Cross
Jacob Cohen, CPA
The Karamatsoukas Family
LevLane
NeuroFlow
Peter and Gina Katz
Wipfli
Appetites on Main
Cobrin Properties
Dan and Alex Greenberg
Ernst & Young
Exude
I. Rice & Company
Independence Blue Cross
Jacob Cohen, CPA
The Karamatsoukas Family
LevLane
NeuroFlow
Peter and Gina Katz
Wipfli
The Aldridge Family
The Brown Family
EarlyBird
Ellis Coffee
Federal Donuts
The Fingeret Family
The Ghisu Family
Guaranteed Rate
Klein Hersh International
Obermayer
Righteous Felon
Saxbys
Karen and Steven Seltzer
Simply Good Jars
Spread Bagelry
Starmar Foundation
Workhorse Brewing
The Aldridge Family
The Brown Family
EarlyBird
Ellis Coffee
Federal Donuts
The Fingeret Family
The Ghisu Family
Guaranteed Rate
Klein Hersh International
Obermayer
Righteous Felon
Saxbys
Karen and Steven Seltzer
Simply Good Jars
Spread Bagelry
Starmar Foundation
Workhorse Brewing
donate
Contribute to Philly Music Fest by clicking on the donate button below, or use Venmo: @PhillyMusicFest. Donations to Philly Music Fest are tax deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
get involved
If you would like to get involved as a sponsor, please contact The Philly Music Festival with this form below.
alumni
We are incredibly proud of the bands that have played Philly Music Fest. Please support these musicians by purchasing their music and attending their shows.