December 11, 2023
Live Nation is investing in a music education and workforce training center for marginalized youth in South Los Angeles.
Live Nation is investing in a music education and workforce training center for marginalized youth in South Los Angeles.
As part of Live Nation’s partnership with with SoLa Impact’s SoLa Foundation, the entertainment company is funding SoLa’s second state-of-the-art youth center program in L.A. that will provide in-depth educational and workforce training opportunities in music and technology, Billboard reports.
Live Nation will finance the completion of SoLa’s new campus, which will be named SoLa Tech and Entertainment Center Powered by Live Nation. Set to open its doors in early 2025, the new center will span 8,500-square-feet and be located on the ground floor of the “Crenshaw Lofts,” SoLa Impact’s new 195-unit workforce and affordable housing development located near Crenshaw and Leimert Blvds.
“We are incredibly inspired and encouraged by Live Nation’s continued partnership and (its) commitment to diversity and inclusion in the live music industry and beyond,” Sherri Francois, SoLa Impact’s chief impact officer and executive director of the SoLa Foundation, said.
The center’s new program includes an 18-week Live Nation Next Gen Program, which offers paid apprenticeships for marginalized South L.A. youth between the ages of 16-21. The program helps students navigate entertainment and production careers and receive mentorship directly from Live Nation staff and executives about the live entertainment industry.
Students will get hands-on experience in live events, including booking, marketing, and operations. The program will work with Live Nation’s School of Live and will teach the group how to promote, ticket, and produce a community concert.
The center will service more than 1,000 students annually, with a goal of closing the socio-economic access gap for careers in the entertainment, science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) fields.
In addition to live events, students will be trained in the business and technology of the live entertainment industry. The center will also serve as a space for cultural, economic and civic events for the community.
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