Bohemian Foundation is committed to building community through music. In addition to supporting live music and contemporary music education for youth, the Foundation supports musicians and music-related businesses, including live music workforce development.
As part of this goal area, the Foundation partnered with the National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF) in 2022 to support efforts to build a wider and more diverse live music workforce. NIVF started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and provided relief to hard hit independent live music venues. As the world began to recover, NIVF began reimagining sustainability and inclusivity in independent live music venues. This reimaging led to the creation of the Venue Operations Experience (VOX) program in 2023.
VOX is a 4-month workforce development program focused on participants from under-recognized groups in the industry (BIPOC, women, genderqueer or genderfluid, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities), that are interested in careers within live entertainment venues. The program provides job-specific training through an eight-week virtual program, a two-month paid internship in a local host venue, and a three-month mentorship with a music industry expert.
Independent venues from across the United States host selected participants in this paid immersive internship experience. This summer, there are 15 participants in 9 independent venues. Washington’s, a 900-capacity music venue in Fort Collins supported by Bohemian Foundation, is a host venue for the program.
Laura Wilson, the Head of Live Music at Bohemian Foundation and longtime music industry professional at organizations such as Live Nation and World Cafe Live, “Live music venues can be a challenging place to work in, with little training or support,” says Wilson. “I’m proud to be part of an effort to make venues a more welcoming and inclusive environment.”
Kaila Bryner and Kai Tanaka joined Bohemian’s live music team in the summer of 2024 as VOX interns to focus on experience with venue operations like ticketing and guest services. Their experience included a mix of event assistance, project work and learning conversations. In addition, participants attend the National Independent Venue Association’s annual conference and build connections with venue operations from across the country. These connections include one-on-one access to an industry mentor at another independent live music venue. Kaila and Kai were paired with Chris Moore, the Director of Production at Songbyrd, an established, popular live music venue in Washington DC. Connections such as this one are essential for those entering the live music workforce.
“This program exposes you to many different roles within a music venue to help you get the experience and connections you need to be successful in future positions,” says Bryner. “At VOX, I can now say I have connections across the nation with people who help shape music communities.”
“The VOX program is so important simply because it demystifies so much of the industry, “said Tanaka. “This program and Bohemian do so much to give me as much information and resources as they can to really help me feel prepared for my next steps.”
The next VOX internship opportunity will take place in the summer of 2025 and focus on music production skill building.