The festival
Philly Music Fest was founded in 2017 by Jenn and Greg Seltzer. All events are curated and produced by Greg. As home-grown, devoted Philadelphians, our mission is to host a music festival exclusively featuring Philadelphia musicians.
We do it differently than your typical festival. By structuring Philly Music Fest as a non-profit and organizing it ourselves, we eliminate the need to pay producers and promoters. This way, we can pay our musicians well and donate proceeds to local music education for children.
We love Philly Music Fest because we get to reinvest in the Philly music scene while enjoying a healthy dose of live music. We hope you’ll join the cause and celebrate the music of Philadelphia with us.
charity
supporting Music Education
We believe that to sustain our vibrant music scene, we must support the next generation of Philadelphia musicians. The bands that will grace our stages in ten years are kids right now. Unfortunately, access to music education is not as easy as it used to be since public schools have cut music education programs.
Philly Music Fest supports the following organizations that teach kids to play, bettering their lives in the process:
- 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. In 2021, we donated $75,000 to music education programs. These numbers represent total proceeds after fairly compensating all musicians and venues.
Supporting Local Musicians and Venue Staff
In addition to showcasing musicians at our festival, we launched a micro-grant program in March 2020 to assist and support musicians and venue staff impacted by COVID-19. The funds for the micro-grants were crowdsourced from our community and, importantly, through a donation by WXPN. All told, Philly Music Fest deployed over 330 micro-grants.
Supporting Independent Music Venues
Philly Music Fest intentionally books shows at independent music venues in our region. While many of our region’s larger venues put on incredible shows in beautiful settings, we believe that independent music venues are critical to our music ecosystem.
Independent music venues curate unique experiences that are affordable and accessible. They provide local musicians with a place to hone their craft and exposure to new audiences. They showcase diverse and relevant voices. Each has a different style and flavor.
By holding Philly Music Fest in these venues, we support their mission while also (with your help) enabling them to earn a profit.
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:
The Merz Family
Jason and Kylie Kelce
Ballard Spahr
Guru Technologies
BOSS Tech
Maverick Partners
Connor and Laura Barwin
Workhorse Brewing Company
Jordan Mailata and Niki Ikahihifo-Bender
The Merz Family
Jason and Kylie Kelce
Ballard Spahr
Guru Technologies
BOSS Tech
Maverick Partners
Connor and Laura Barwin
Workhorse Brewing Company
Jordan Mailata and Niki Ikahihifo-Bender
Ernst & Young
Independence Blue Cross
MVP Capital
NeuroFlow
Appetites on Main
Fingeret Dental
Klein Hersh Incorporated
Jason and Jamie Hersh
Aardvark Mobile Tours
Brian Morris and Family
LevLane
Dakota Funds Group
Ensemble
O3 World
Santa Familia
Ernst & Young
Independence Blue Cross
MVP Capital
NeuroFlow
Appetites on Main
Fingeret Dental
Klein Hersh Incorporated
Jason and Jamie Hersh
Aardvark Mobile Tours
Brian Morris and Family
LevLane
Dakota Funds Group
Ensemble
O3 World
Santa Familia
Exude
Dan and Alex Greenberg
Cobrin Properties
Righteous Felon
I. Rice
Guaranteed Rate
Jacob Cohen and Company
Wipfli
The Ghisu Family
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Karamatsoukas Family
Peter and Gina Katz
Federal Donuts
Exude
Dan and Alex Greenberg
Cobrin Properties
Righteous Felon
I. Rice
Guaranteed Rate
Jacob Cohen and Company
Wipfli
The Ghisu Family
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Karamatsoukas Family
Peter and Gina Katz
Federal Donuts
Drew Brown and Family
Ellis Coffee
Starmar Foundation
The Carlino Family
Obermayer
Karen & Steven Seltzer
Jeff Aldridge and Family
Holly and Greg Flanagan
Todd Russo
Drew Brown and Family
Ellis Coffee
Starmar Foundation
The Carlino Family
Obermayer
Karen and Steven Seltzer
Jeff Aldridge and Family
Holly and Greg Flanagan
Todd Russo
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.