PROJECT OVERVIEW

While A3C was regularly pulling in performances from some of the top names in hip-hop, the festival was looking for ways to highlight and lift up the indie and upcoming artist community that formed their core. It was one thing for a music festival to put Wu-Tang Clan on the stage, another to help develop the next Wu-Tang Clan.

Knowing QP’s history of strategizing and building programs for independent creators, A3C turned to us for ideas about bringing more value to their upcoming artists. Our response was rooted in the insight that while many programs existed to help artists with some of the final stages of the music process, like released music and live performances, very few dealt with the day-to-day, foundational elements of an artists career that could often mean the difference between success and failure behind the scenes . What if A3C created a program that provided immediate, tangible help for artists in these building block areas?

The result of that insight was the Creator Complex, a building in Atlanta dedicated during the course of the festival to shepherding artists through a series of one-on-one assistance with SMEs. At one station they’d meet with a web specialist and emerge with a concrete plan for creating their own website and social presence. In another, they’d meet with a sound engineer for help setting up the ideal home recording studio within their budget constraints.

With QP’s strategy serving as the bedrock of the program, the A3C Creator Complex would go on to bring in high-level brand partnerships and help over 1,000 artists, further cementing the festival’s reputation as a true contributor to the music culture it drew from.