The Festival:
The free, three-day, all-ages PDX Pop Now! festival celebrates the vibrancy and diversity of the Portland music community by presenting live performances by nearly 50 bands, emcees, singer-songwriters and laptop wizards at a single, central location to an audience of thousands every year. This multi-genre showcase of original music shines a spotlight on both big-name acts and lesser-known gems, providing people with an opportunity to discover the sonic treasures of Portland in an inclusive, accessible, family-friendly environment. This encounter with local bands will inspire many attendees to continue to support these artists year-round. Additionally, the PDX Pop Now! festival brings together the disparate stylistic subcultures of Portland’s eclectic music community, giving musicians working in different styles and idioms an opportunity to appreciate and learn from one another. Established in 2004, the annual, volunteer-driven, grassroots PDX Pop Now! festival is Portland’s premier local music event, and a testament to the independent, creative spirit of our city.
Outreach Projects:
PDX Pop Now! believes that everyone has a right to enjoy the incredible music being made by their fellow Portlanders. To that end, we strive to present music in non-traditional, community- oriented venues to audiences of all ages and backgrounds who may lack the resources or time to enjoy live music in their daily lives. We have partnered with the City of Portland to produce free concerts of local music in front of City Hall. We have teamed with Portland-area public schools and music education organizations to bring local musicians into classrooms to speak with students about the history, production
and craft of music, and to perform for them on campus. We have successfully worked with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, local businesses and the broader community to make more all-ages concerts possible in a safe and responsible manner, allowing young Oregonians to participate more fully in their local arts communities. We will continue to work on these and other projects to ensure that local music is available to all, and to facilitate ever more dynamic and constructive relationships between artist and audience.
CD Compilation:
The yearly double-disc PDX Pop Now! CD is a compilation of current Portland music of all styles offered at a low price. Painstakingly curated by our volunteers for quality and stylistic diversity, the highly popular two-disc set is a cross-section of the best newly recorded music our city has to offer. Every year, the compilation receives glowing reviews in local and national press. It is enjoyed by Portlanders and by music fans around the world who discover the bounty of Portland’s thriving music community thanks to the
promotional campaign PDX Pop Now! conducts in order to win radio airtime and accolades for the bands and performers featured on the album. Every year, PDX Pop Now! collaborates with a different local visual artist who creates the annually changing cover art. PDX Pop Now! works with Portland businesses to manufacture the album locally in an environmentally responsible manner. The PDX Pop Now! compilation CD is an exciting, wide-angle sonic snapshot of the year in original Portland music.
Support PDX Pop Now!
Every year, the PDX Pop Now! festival, compilation album and outreach projects are made possible by the generous support of businesses, foundations and individuals based primarily in the Portland area. Your tax-deductible donation helps cover the significant costs of producing our live music events’ sound systems, engineers, venue fees, lights, promotion and to fund the constituent parts of the compilation: packaging, discs and printing. Whenever possible, we work with local Portland businesses that provide all of these services and goods; we believe that the Portland music community consists not only of musicians and fans, but of artisans, manufacturers, vendors and designers as well. Together with our volunteers, donors and business partners, PDX Pop Now! strives to foster appreciation of and participation in the multi-faceted, deservedly lauded music community of Portland, Oregon, and to guarantee that it continues to reach new levels of diversity, artistic achievement and prosperity.
Mission Statement:
PDX Pop Now! is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to stimulating and expanding participation in the music of Portland, Oregon. As an all-volunteer organization committed to being accessible, current, and local, we provide and support live performances and recorded materials. We aspire to advance a sustainable community which values inclusivity and a high caliber of artistry to enable a creative dialogue between artist and audience.
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