Carrboro's first ever Music Market is not to be missed!

As residents, performers, organizers, and visitors prepare for the Carrboro Music Festival on Sunday from 1 - 9pm at venues around town, Chris Amsbary, volunteers from WCOM-LP FM 103.5 (wcomfm.org), and staff from The ArtsCenter have their hands full preparing for the inaugural Music Market at The ArtsCenter on Saturday from 4 - 7pm.

Amsbary explained why he's organizing this event. "It's challenging for bands to sell merch at the Carrboro Music Festival (CMF); the sets are short, often in a non- traditional venue like a parking lot, and fans are moving through town from gig to gig." So, he designed an event that leverages the audience coming to town with an opportunity to engage with band members in an informal and fun setting.

He has bigger dreams. "I'd also like to see CMF become a weekend-long event, so having a few fun events Saturday night is a step in that direction. Last year, I was watching Turquoise Trader at CMF, and the singer / guitar player broke a string. Despite so many musicians being in town that day, he couldn't find a spare, which led to the idea of inviting music vendors [to this event] as well as bands. All those things combined are the inspiration for the Music Market."

Amsbary saw an opportunity "to add to the Saturday slate" of CMF events. There's an open mic at Town Commons on Saturday from 2 - 4pm and a performance at Cat's Cradle's Back Room with Viv & Riley, featuring Jacob Sharp and Friends at 8pm. He's grateful for support from the Town and The ArtsCenter and hopes it will become an annual event " 'the night before' CMF."

And Saturday in Carrboro is exactly the right time and place for this event. "We have a legendary music community, not only bands but the businesses that serve them, and I'm not aware of another gathering like this, so I just made one. I hesitate to call it a networking event, but that is a component. On top of that there's The ArtsCenter, which has a great new stage and intends to book more shows, so I thought this would help [them] connect with new and old talent."

What can attendees expect? "WCOM is doing a live remote during the event, and that's a big draw for the bands and our listeners. Newer bands will have access to a recording studio, video maker, the Town, maybe their first label. Legacy music vendors get to meet new and old talent. The dream is that a band and vendor meet at this event and start working together. I'll also just be happy if Nightsound Studio hooks me up with the t-shirt they promised! I'm a humble man." 

Finca Burger will have a food truck in the parking lot and The ArtsCenter's bar will be open. Bands will not be performing at this event although, Amsbary said, "If a jam of some sort were to break out, I wouldn't hate it."

One of his biggest joys in planning this event has been seeing how the volunteers of WCOM mobilize to support each other's ideas, along with collaborating with Soleil Ananda (who made the event poster) and Danny O'Shaughnessy (who named the event) from The ArtsCenter.

Finally, he's excited about the variety of music and vendors represented - Afrobeat, heavy metal, bluegrass, roots, rock, Irish, and more. "Mainly it's a celebration of this incredible music community, on the eve of many Carrboreans' favorite day of the year."