Memphis Slim Collaboratory

07/22/2024

We’re excited to announce the return of ‘Soulin on the River’ to Fourth Bluff Park, featuring .j._willis

“Soulin’ on the River” is a family-friendly sampling of the new sound of Memphis Soul featuring four great bands from July thru September in Fourth Bluff Park! 🤩 And what could be a better backdrop than the Mighty Mississippi?

THIS FRIDAY, Zsa Davis () will be bringing the vibes! All you gotta do is . Here’s the deets 👇

✨ Friday, July 26th
✨ FREE admission
✨ Gates open @ 7pm
✨ Music starts @ 8pm
✨ BYO chairs/blankets
✨ Coolers are welcome!
✨ Food trucks + full service bar!

Soulin’ On the River is presented by Memphis Slim Collaboratory, in partnership with Memphis River Parks Partnership and Overton Park Shell

RSVP 🔗 in bio!

06/06/2024

“After "BBL Drizzy" was sampled in Sexyy Red and Drake's new single "U My Everything," it required a lawyer to create a procedure for clearing AI samples. It's never been done before.”

After Sexyy Red and Drake sampled “BBL Drizzy” in new single “U My Everything,” it required a lawyer to create a procedure for clearing AI samples.

04/15/2024

🗣️Calling all artists in the Greater Memphis area! Getting ready for those spring/summer gigs and tours? New member enrollment is NOW-5/15! Schedule an appointment today👇🏾

https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/0841a6a5/appointment/61824036/calendar/10031761?calendarIds=10031761

03/21/2024

“While Tennessee’s existing law protects name, image and likeness, it doesn’t specifically address new, personalized generative AI cloning models and services that enable human impersonation and allow users to make unauthorized fake works in the image and voice of others. Artists and musicians at all levels are facing exploitation and the theft of their integrity, identity, and humanity. This threatens the future of Tennessee’s creators, the jobs that they support across the state and country, and the bonds between fans and their favorite bands.

The ELVIS Act would be the first legislation of its kind in the nation to build upon existing state rule protecting against the unauthorized use of someone’s likeness by adding “voice” to the realm it protects.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, a bill updating Tennessee’s Protection of Personal Rights law to include protections for songwriters, performers, and music industry professionals’ voice from the misuse ...

03/27/2023

RIP to Memphis legend, resident, and avid supporter- Minister Yahweh aka Sweet Willie Wine.

03/17/2023

Did you know that Memphis Slim is the reason why Memphis is called the “home of the blues”?

It all happened this day 45 years ago- March 17, 1978!

03/03/2023

Pro tip #3: Use the calendar app on your phone to create separate calendars for confirmed/unconfirmed gigs so you can keep track of your dates and avoid double booking yourself.

02/28/2023

We’re excited to be a part of what will surely be another amazing year of jazz through ’s series that kicks off in a few weeks!

Check out the lineup and make your way to Central Library for FREE family-friendly entertainment!

02/28/2023

Getting ready for those summer gigs and tours? Let us help you hone your craft with monthly rehearsal hours via our membership! New member enrollment is 3/1-3/15 so don’t forget to schedule an appointment by emailing [email protected] or calling (901)249-8251

02/26/2023

EVERY HOUSE HAS A STORY. THIS ONE HAS SLIM’S.

Most famous for his version of “Everyday I have the Blues”, John “Peter” Chatman’s career as a singer and piano player took him all over the world before he passed away 35 years ago on February 24, 1988 in Paris, France. The son of a juke joint musician and operator, Chatman spent most of his youth in honky-tonks, dance halls and gambling joints throughout Arkansas and Missouri.

In 1939, he began appearing and recording Chicago, where he was given the name “Memphis Slim.” Throughout the 40’s and 50’s, Slim worked on a succession of historic blues labels, including Bluebird, Hy-Tone, Miracle, King and Mercury and performed all over the world with legends like Willie Dixon and Big Bill Broonzy.

02/26/2023

“For each dollar of revenue earned on Spotify, 58.5 cents go to the owner of a song’s sound recording (usually a record label), Spotify keeps 29.38 cents, 6.12 cents go to whoever owns publishing rights (usually the songwriter) and 6 cents goes to whoever owns the mechanical rights (usually the songwriter), according to 2016 research by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, a professional services firm.”

The people you see onstage at the Grammys can make it work. But for a lot of singers and songwriters, streaming has made a full-time music career unsustainable.

02/25/2023

Congratulations to the inaugural “Black History is Green” awardees that were honored at last Sunday!
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If you’re looking for a space to host your arts or community centered event, give us a call.

02/20/2023

Legacy.

02/06/2023

Pro Tip #2: Keep track of your expenses and payouts by keeping a spreadsheet that’s easily updated before/after each gig. This will help ease tax time anxiety and give you a real time snapshot of your performance revenue.

01/24/2023

We always talk about our artist/musician membership tiers but haven’t told you about the many ways having a corporate membership to is beneficial…

Featured corporate member, utilizes the space for meetings, camps and small events (pictured- ).

Interested in learning more? Contact us! (call or schedule an appointment using the )

01/15/2023

Pro Tip #1: Use free apps like & to create, sign &/or return documents (invoices, w9s, contracts) on the fly! It leaves a paper trail for tax purposes and is a tool to easily track your finances + gets you paid faster when dealing with corporate gigs.

01/12/2023

Got some time to hone your craft? All 3 sessions of our How-to Series are now available to watch via !

https://youtube.com/

01/10/2023

Get serious about your music in 2023 & become a part of an organization built to give you the tools to sustain your music career as a viable business!

In celebration of the new year, we’ve decided to extend our two week enrollment period to the entire month of January! Email [email protected], call (901)249-8251 or click the link in bio to schedule an appointment to complete your membership application today!

01/05/2023

Memphis has lost another phenomenal musician. Marles Flowers (pictured above at during ’s drum camp & playing on stage during the launch of ‘Soulin on the River’ in 2019) succumbed to illness early Wednesday morning. Most known for keeping the beat behind the world-renowned Allstars Band at BB King’s Blues Club, Marles was considered one of the greatest drummers to come out of the local music scene and was often compared to his contemporaries- Al Jackson, Jr and Clyde Stubblefield (Tennessee has produced some utterly amazing time keepers).

Thank you, Marles, for being an exemplary musician who played like no other and inspiring generations after you. Please join us in lifting his children, family and friends up during this time of loss.

01/02/2023

YouTube is the largest online video platform in the world. As of the end of 2019, it had 2 billion monthly active users; was available in over 100 countries, and 85% of its users are located outside of the United States. As of January 2020, 93% of its most popular videos were music videos. There are so many reasons for artists to be on the platform today, but most importantly, it’s a free streaming and marketing platform that also offers extensive monetization opportunities.

Learn how to effectively use the platform to create content and make money from YouTube Program Manager of Black Music and Cultures, Adam McFarland on Thursday, January 5 5:30-7pm CST as we close out our 3-part How-to Series on 👉🏾 https://youtu.be/okisO8mXSjk

“YouTube Monetization”
Thursday, January 5th
5:30-7pm | YouTube▶️

12/27/2022

member/supporter Chris Pat is out here making a difference!

Chris Bounds says he’s been playing drums for as long as he can remember.

12/14/2022

Last month, we embarked upon what will be a long-standing partnership with & our “sister city”, Cleveland. The delegation of 30 people made up of community activists, artists, business owners, real estate developers, city officials and non-profit leaders visited for a 2-day intensive on community building and the arts led by our staff, board and members!

12/07/2022

We’re LIVE! Chime in…

12/05/2022

"I just started noticing some trends, and I set down to writing about them," says Dalla Riva, who published some of those findings in an article for the website Tedium.

He found that about a quarter of those songs from the 1960s to the 1990s included a key change.

But from 2010 to 2020, there was just one top song: Travis Scott's 2018 track, "Sicko Mode."
cc: NPR

Many of the biggest hits in pop music used to have a key change, but it's getting harder and harder to find in top hits.

12/04/2022

We’re celebrating - a week-long, city-wide celebration of arts & culture in w/ ArtsMemphis now-December 11th!

With their support, has been able to create exciting ways to empower the Memphis music community & positively engage the community via music.

12/02/2022

We had a great time hosting the December site visit for the Memphis Cultural Coalition yesterday and look forward to working with these organizations/individuals in the future to bolster our arts & culture scene!

11/07/2022

With the use of technology, music artists have opened the floodgates and we’re seeing an unprecedented number of independent artists in the industry. How can you build a brand and stand out in the multitudes? How can your followers/fans translate to $$$?

Get the answers to these questions and more at the next installation of our “How-To Series” on Tuesday, December 6th 5:30-7pm led by marketing strategist, Richard Jemison.

“Marketing 101”
Tuesday, December 6 | 5:30-7pm on the YouTube channel!👉🏾 https://youtu.be/V-Vq6wYgbD4

11/03/2022

With the use of technology, music artists have opened the floodgates and we’re seeing an unprecedented number of independent artists in the industry. How can you build a brand and stand out in the multitudes? How can your followers/fans translate to income?

Get the answers to these questions and more at the next installation of our “How-To Series” on Tuesday, December 6th 5:30-7pm led by marketing strategist, Richard Jemison virtually on our page (link in bio)

“Marketing 101”
Tuesday, December 6 | 5:30-7pm

10/18/2022

Are you a member? Join the 300+ bands, artists, musicians and creatives who are! Call (901)590-4591 to schedule an appointment to complete your application!

Named after blues legend Memphis Slim, the artistic community is designed to help guide and shape artists' careers.

10/17/2022

welcomed renowned music supervisors, Justine von Winterfeldt (She-Hulk, Instant Family, In the Dark, Call Me Kat); Thomas Golubic (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Grace and Frankie); Eric Medina (Sweet Life: Los Angeles, Queens, Promised Land, Rap S**t) and
Manish Raval (This Is Us, The Boys, High Fidelity, Black Monday, Single Drunk Female, Friends from College, Green Book) for a tour + crash course on Memphis Slim & the work we do here!

🗣Musicians this is your reminder to get those catalogs in order! 〽️