I'm Shana Gray from Toronto, Canada. Professionally I'm a producer engineer, keyboardist and DJ, and social worker. Many people here at Tastyfresh know me for my nonprofit youth outreach work, specifically involving the DM4C Network, StreetBeatz Zine and InfoLine, and promoting outreach events. I'm going to talk about how we built and promoted the Christian dance music events scene that seemed to explode from Toronto in 1998, but more importantly, how you can use what we did and learned, to build your own scene. Anything I can pass on, that might inspire or help you in some way with your own efforts to reach out and make a difference in your own community, using whatever skills, gifts or abilities you may have in your hand.

The building blocks of any scene are the people in it. The talent, events organizers, and anyone and everyone who gets involved to help out, show support, or show up at events. You can't have a scene without all the crucial elements - mainly people, talent, skills, equipment, and support - so building excitement and getting people involved is a major priority. What it comes down to is building community. We didn't set out to start a scene, we started with one monthly event, but people were really into it, and excitement built and exploded. What we had on our hands was nothing less than the impact of revival! I believe God blessed us because we put Him first and gave Him the glory, were willing to work together in unity for a greater purpose, and were unselfish in our willingness to serve and work hard to make things happen.

Getting Started

In order to accomplish anything, you must first believe it is possible. If you have a vision, idea or interest, you can then do some research. Talk to people, your pastor, music industry professionals, anyone who may know what you need to learn. You might read 'How To' books and websites (try business books from www.musicbooksplus.com), consider attending industry conferences or taking courses, and mostly, learn from others' work who are doing what you want to do. Above all, pray and commit your plans to the Lord, if you want to succeed. Learn what you can from what we've done, and apply it to your own situation. Get out, get learning, get experience, and as you go, you will learn as I did, and things will begin to fall into place over time. There are many ways to do things, and you're limited only by your imagination, ideas and research. This is what we did... and it worked...

StreetBeatz and DM4C

For those who weren't here to experience the StreetBeatz scene, basically we had many events going on in Toronto, and different cities and towns, and raves out in the bush. The scene started in Toronto, spread across southern Ontario, and grew to include central Canada and northeastern USA. We had many different DJs and artists and even breakdancers performing, and people sharing their testimonies on the mic, through drama, and talking to people individually who came out to events. We also went out to secular events to build friendships and talk to kids. We had a lot of volunteers and people supporting and praying for us, and the main attitude was "get involved", "let's make a difference", and "let's work together and support each other, to accomplish something we could never do on our own, in unity for the glory of God". StreetBeatz was our online zine and events mailing list. The original zine with pictures of artists and events is now posted at http://www.gsynth.com/sbz/SBZp1.html . Part of the events list is archived at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/streetbeatz . DM4C was the network mailinglist where we stayed in touch to make things happen. The mailinglist is still active at http://www.DM4C.com .

The difference between a scene and a few scattered struggling events is found in connecting with others and supporting each other, and making opportunities for people to get involved. You could have one event with a moderate attendance and the same two DJs every month - or, you could connect with other promoters, sharing DJs so that the events have more variety, and the DJs have more places to play. Then, if you promote each others' projects and events, and encourage new events and talent to join in, you will have a connected growing scene. You will all benefit from the fellowship of others doing the same things you are doing, and you will all get more results from your collective hard work. And people will support you - your audience reach will stretch farther and wider, and the media and the general public will take you more seriously. Instead of a handful of people putting on one event you might find that your resources soon stretch to 300+ people who support what you are doing. The foundation to build any scene is based on networking and building audience.

Networking

Networking is connecting with others in your field and in related fields, beyond your own project. A 'network' is an invisible web of relationships. Without networking, it is unlikely your project or event will grow beyond a basic level, because you are not part of a larger support system. When you make a point to stay in touch with others in your field, your support system becomes much larger and things become possible that you can't do on your own. 'Official' networks often exist in the form of meetings, online messageboards, email lists, conferences and printed directories. A successful network involves all the components that make up a scene (promoters, DJs, artists, labels, media, supporters, etc.), and always has room for fresh up and coming talent, projects and ventures. You can start on a local level building your own personal network of relationships by staying in contact with local youth ministries, newspapers, radio, any and all talent, events, venues, sound system companies, etc.. And by getting in touch with people from other cities who are DJs, artists, events promoters and media. Messageboards such as Tastyfresh.com and mailinglists such as DM4C.com are designed to support and encourage networking among people in our scene. You can only get out of a network what you give!! Your involvement, getting in touch with others, and being the first to show initiative and support can make a huge difference. Ideally a successful scene is built on the teamwork of all people involved in the scene, particularly leaders. Never underestimate what your energy, ideas or influence might accomplish, even if you are new! Make a point to get involved, build relationships, show your support, and work together with others. If you create your own network, you should focus on building teamwork and support among the different components within the scene. Creating opportunity for people to get involved will enable the scene to grow faster. The purpose of networking is to build support and relationships, and become part of a larger system that will enable you to do things that you can't do on your own. This often makes the difference between a struggling event or project... and a Scene.

Building Audience

There are two aspects to building audience: (1) promoting, to draw new people in, and (2) keeping the people who come, coming back, and bringing their friends. There are three types of audience: (1) your supporters in media, (2) your supporters in the industry, and (3) your fanbase. Supporters in media can be defined as all radio shows, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, websites, etc., who support what you are doing and are on your mailinglist. When you promote to these people, often your promotional efforts are magnified as they pass on your events info through listings, radio spots, interviews, feature stories and announcements. Supporters in the industry (for the sake of nonprofit projects) can be defined as any and all businesses, nonprofit organizations, or people who have something to give (even their prayers!), who are supportive of your outreach projects and are on your mailinglist. In your immediate team, you may also have volunteers and a street team. Your fanbase is the reason you put on the events - the kids you hope to reach out to, with your music, lifestyle and message.

Your original promotional mix to attract your audience will often involve a mixture of flyers, posters, websites, email, media support, advertisements, and word of mouth. You should always use the most quality promotion you can realistically afford, and put on the most quality events you can. What will keep people coming back? Sometimes it's the friendships they make. Or they feel they are a relevant part of the community, or they believe in what you are doing. Sometimes it's the leadership, your Christlike example, authenticity and connection to the people you are reaching out to, and the love you show to them. Sometimes they sense the very real presence of God or have been impacted by the truth of your message. Remember, nothing happens without prayer. Also you should strive to offer a variety of the best talent you can, a comfortable atmosphere, fun things to do, fun people to hang out with, food and drinks, whatever you can do to accomodate people, remembering that they come because they want to have fun and meet people. If you can give them free stuff, like stickers, flyers, or CDs, often it will keep you in their minds and hearts, help them feel more connected, and keep them coming back. It also helps if you have an online aspect of the community, with pictures from events, stories from people who attend, email (keep it fresh, fun, lighthearted, relevant and real!), and sometimes a messageboard or forum. The online aspect of community can help build audience and excitement within the scene. That was the purpose behind StreetBeatz.

Once you have a community, keep building it by having fun, staying real, entertaining the kids, always showing love to people, and always feeding them new spiritual food. Keep it fresh, always bringing in new ideas, people, and music. Create opportunities for people to get involved, and be prepared for growth. Keep promoting and building excitement. Remember, it's not about you, its about the people that come to your events, and what you give to them. The people are the reason you do the events, and without them, there would be no scene. If you don't reach out and touch them where they are at, why should they come? Give them something they want and need. A fun time, clean atmosphere, cool music, free stuff, real people, and Jesus Christ's Love that can change their lives. Give and live a believable message, and love them in action and in truth. Keep them wanting to come back, and bring their friends with them.

Your Following

Once you have a following you have to lead them somewhere. You can often see your influence in the attitude of your audience, if your message is coming across. If your message isn't coming across the way you want it to, you may need to rethink the way you do things. Is your influence positive? Are you making a difference? Did you tell a drug dealer about how Christ changed your life? Have you given kids enough reason to quit doing drugs? Are they cleaning up their lives? Are you inspiring young people to go out and change their world in a positive direction, or draw closer to God? Sometimes it takes time, and you won't see all the direct results or the impact your words may have on their lives. But you should be able to tell if your message is successfully coming across and if you are reaching people's hearts. If you don't know where to lead your followers, pray for them and let your light shine. Always love them. The influence of God working in your life, from your own prayer life, when you are open and willing to share, is often exactly what they need. Let God lead you as you lead them. And be prepared to plug them into a local church, youth or young adults group, or drop-in centre that has more resources than you do to help them in their spiritual walk. Remember, we are called not just to preach the gospel, but to make disciples. Do what you can.

A Positive Force In Your Community

Ultimately what you want is to positively affect a subculture or community in some way. If you know what your goals and message are, it should be easy to make them known. Sometimes creatively getting the attention and support of your community can help your cause. Volunteering in your neighbourhood, performing in the park for a free charity event, or getting involved somehow in the larger community can bring attention to what you are doing, encourage support from your community, and show them that you are a positive force. When you are ready to be noticed by the general public, don't forget to call the media. They can raise awareness, promote your cause, and deepen your respect and support in your community.  By this time you should know who you are, be prepared to answer questions, deal with misunderstandings, uphold your mission and image, and take responsibility for your project and the people with you.  Always remember why you do what you do, and stay on track. In Parts Two and Three, I will discuss in more detail how to start out.

Related Links:

• StreetBeatz
• DM4C
• Shana Gray