The Ella Project, a non-profit that provides pro-bono legal services and business consultations to low- and moderate-income artists and musicians, is looking to bring its message to our nation’s capital.  On Saturday, October 26, co-founder Ashlye Keaton will represent Ella in the 2019 Music Policy Forum Summit hosted by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Keaton will be presenting in a panel called “Sounding Off: Noise vs. Music in the Urban Landscape.”  The panel will explore how municipal initiatives to curb noise pollution indirectly work to silence local music—and what cities can do to fight this issue.  Keaton will be joined by Anna Celenza of Georgetown University, Don Pitts of Sound Music Cities in Austin, Texas, and Alison Martin of Indiana University.

In addition to Keaton, New Orleans City Councilmember Kristin Palmer will be participating in a panel discussion on how New Orleans has worked to promote public safety for its local artists amidst a busy nightlife.  The panel, called “Creating Safer Spaces,” will also focus on how Denver and Seattle have addressed public safety issues, and what local leaders can do to continue making cities safer for local artists.

In all, the Music Policy Forum Summit will bring together more than 25 speakers from a dozen cities across the country and Canada.  The goal of the forum is to facilitate a conversation between public officials, artists, academics, attorneys, and more about the future of local music. 

“There is enormous power in coming together as a community to be informed, inspired and challenged by our colleagues here and throughout North America,” Music Policy Forum co-founder Michael Bracy said in a press release on October 10. “We are grateful to the support from Georgetown University and OCTFME to ensure these world-class presenters are accessible to the widest possible audience.”

To learn more about The Ella Project and its mission, visit EllaNOLA.org. For more information on the 2019 Music Policy Forum, visit musicpolicyforumsummit.org.