Tulsa On Tour
As Tulsa thrives as a Music City, the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture is launching it's newest initiative, Tulsa On Tour. This ambassador program empowers local musicians to represent our city globally, elevating both their careers and Tulsa's reputation as a premier music destination.
Tulsa Ambassador Program
The music industry thrives on touring, crucial for building fan bases, generating revenue, and sustaining careers. In Tulsa, musicians embark on tours across the nation and sometimes internationally, sharing our city's vibrant music culture. Given their role in elevating Tulsa with their authentic voices and narratives, why not empower them as paid brand ambassadors?
Touring musicians have a unique opportunity to showcase Tulsa as a destination worth visiting or even calling home. Through the Tulsa Music Ambassador Program, we subsidize a crucial aspect of artists' careers, making their tours more efficient, profitable, and impactful, allowing them to share Tulsa's unique story with audiences every night.
This program is designed to offset the costs of touring. Submit your application by the 15th in order to receive funding by the end of the month you apply. Applications will be granted at the end of each month.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for musicians based out of Tulsa, touring is the primary livelihood of so many professional musicians, and to have a program like this available to help shoulder some of the costs and allow them to focus on the music will only help set them up for future success.”
–JD McPherson, singer/songwriter from Broken Arrow, OK and lead guitarist for Robert Plant & Allison Krauss
About Tulsa On Tour
The premise is simple – encourage our touring musicians to promote Tulsa to their audiences. Doing so elevates Tulsa's cultural profile, driving tourism, talent attraction and economic development. When our local musicians hit the stage, they’re letting crowds know they proudly hail from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Music lovers might plan a trip here and be surprised to find many other local gems including the Bob Dylan Center, Woody Guthrie Center, our historic Cains Ballroom, and even the Church Studio ALL centered in the official Capitol of Route 66!
In addition to the greatness we've already expressed, this program also serves as a workforce development initiative. Tulsa On Tour offers direct financial assistance to touring musicians based in Tulsa who meet specific eligibility criteria. This initiative empowers them to advance their careers, present their music beyond local boundaries, and enhance Tulsa’s reputation as a welcoming and supportive hub for musicians. These prospects not only draw professional musicians to relocate to Tulsa but also encourage existing talent to establish lasting connections within the community.
Ambassadors are eligible to receive between $250 - $1,000 per tour. There’s no limit on how many times an artist can be funded, but there is an annual cap of $3,000. Grant applications will be reviewed after the 15th and will be granted in the last week of each month. Applicants will be accepted on a first-come basis while funds last.
Ambassador Qualifications
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be a Tulsa-area resident.
- Be either a permanent resident or a college student with secondary residence.
- Have at least 4 dates in different cities confirmed and they must be outside the Tulsa region (100+ miles from Tulsa).
- Claim Tulsa, Oklahoma as your hometown on all social media channels.
- Provide links to the venues or proof of bookings (private parties do not qualify).
Other considerations:
- Travel grants will be determined upon dates, travel distance, and size of the band. Each element will receive a score based on a standard rubric. The total score across all categories will determine the funding amount an artist receives, to remove subjectivity from the process as much as possible.
- Multiple members of the same band will not be funded. Bands based in the Tulsa region should submit one application and indicate the total number of people the grant will fund.
- Multiple artists on a single tour can be individually funded if each artist is billed separately and promotes the tour via their respective social media accounts.
- Artists building nontraditional tours may be funded but will be asked to provide other documentation (e.g., letters of support from house concert hosts, etc.).
No genres are excluded from this funding. Any artist or band meeting the program eligibility requirements as described above have the opportunity to be funded.
Ambassador Requirements
Tulsa Creative Directory
- Must have an updated registration in the Tulsa Creative Directory.
Social Media
- Ambassador artists are expected to share content on social media regularly. Ambassadors should use hashtags #tulsamusic and #visittulsa and talk about the fund and Tulsa on posts and tag @tulsafmac throughout the duration of the funded tour. Some posts should be included in the feed rather than just stories that expire in 24 hours.
- Must claim Tulsa, Oklahoma as your hometown on all social media channels.
Post-tour reporting
- Ambassadors will be required to complete a survey within 90 days of the last concert date of the funded tour. This survey will ask questions about the program, and require testimonials from the band that can be used by Tulsa Regional Tourism for reporting or social media content.
Application Process
The online application takes around 15 minutes to complete. Applicants must list all confirmed tour dates and venues.
Once approved, artists will be required to sign a letter outlining Ambassador expectations. Artists must also provide some basic paperwork, including a completed W9.
Each month, the application deadline will be on the 15th in order for us to distribute grants by the end of that month. Please plan the timing of your application accordingly to ensure funding approval prior to the start of a tour.
Application Review
Tulsa On Tour Submissions are vetted by the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture on the 15th of each month, and artists are notified within two weeks after.
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