Folk Alliance International (previously the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance) is a non-profit organization that produces an annual conference that is the world's largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. Founded in 1989, FAI is an advocacy, professional development and networking organization, and is one of the five largest music conferences in North America. As of 2016, FAI has a membership of approximately 3,000, and a budget of US$1,000,000.
Members include record companies, publishers, presenters, agents, managers, music support services, manufacturers and artists that work in the folk music industry.
Jennifer Roe is the current executive director, who was appointed to the role in April 2024. FAI currently has 7 full-time staff members, and 8 contract staff members who work for the organization from various international locations.
Folk Alliance International Folk Alliance International (FAI) is now the official name of the former North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance. Their headquarters are currently in Kansas City, Missouri. The conference has been in Kansas City since 2014 and will remain there through 2018.
Folk Alliance International has five regional affiliates that provide conferences in their respective markets: Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA), Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM), Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (SERFA), Folk Alliance Region West (FAR-West), and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA). FAI defines 'folk' as "anything rooted in tradition, indigenous to one's culture. The organization consists of a large variety of songwriters, storytellers, bluegrass, blues, soul, old-time, traditional, global roots and world music, spoken word, Celtic, cajun," etc.
In addition to the conference, FAI provides a range of member benefits, including a non-profit group exemption program for U.S.-based organizations, an FAI/PRO House Concert Agreement Program, and Visa Writing Services. They also offer to their membership special discounts with various companies covering insurance, publications, travel, and manufacturers.
Annual conference The annual conference is an event that draws together music industry professionals from throughout the world to share ideas, network, and showcase emerging, mid-career, and legendary artists. Held over five days, the conference includes a keynote speaker, awards shows, over 2,400 registered attendees from 18 countries, 75 exhibitors, 150 panels & workshops, 200 juried official showcases, and over 2,800 private showcases held late at night. The conference is always held at a local hotel, and while in Kansas City has been at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center.
Each conference typically has a theme. The 2017 theme was Forbidden Folk, and was meant to "celebrate activism in art and look at the ways folk music has, in the past and currently, played a role in labor movements, the civil movements, environmental movements, pacifist movements and political movements as the voice of the people".
List of conferences List of past and future conferences(as available). YearCityVenue1989Malibu, CaliforniaCamp Hess Kramer1990Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaHoward Johnson North1991Chicago, IllinoisHoliday Inn, O'Hare1992Calgary, AlbertaMarlborough Inn1993Tucson, ArizonaRamada, Downtown1994Boston, Massachusetts57 Park Plaza1995Portland, OregonRed Lion, Lloyd Center1996Washington, D.C.Renaissance Hotel1997TorontoWestin Harbour, Castle Hotel1998Memphis, TennesseeCook Convention Center/Crowne Plaza1999Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque Convention Center/Hyatt2000Cleveland, OhioCleveland Convention Center/Sheraton2001Vancouver, British ColumbiaHyatt Regency, Vancouver2002Jacksonville, FloridaAdam's Mark Jacksonville2003Nashville, TennesseeRenaissance Hotel2004San Diego, CaliforniaTown & Country Resort2005Montreal, QuebecHyatt Regency Hotel2006Austin, TexasHilton Hotel2007–2012Memphis, TennesseeMemphis Marriott Hotel2013TorontoDelta Chelsea Hotel2014–2018Kansas City, MissouriWestin Crown Center Hotel2019Montreal, QuebecQueen Elizabeth Hotel2020New Orleans, LouisianaSheraton New Orleans Hotel 2021 Not held due to COVID-192022Kansas City, MissouriWestin Crown Center Hotel20232024
Conference themes YearTheme1989–1993none1994Enriching the Folk Community Through Multicultural Diversity1995Building Community1996Expanding Alliances—A Capital Idea1997Window on Our World1998Rich at the Roots1999Under One Sky2000Spanning the Centuries2001Tuned to the World2002Southern Exposure2003none2004One Strong Voice2005none2006For the Sake of the Song2007–2014none2015Planet Folk2016Cultural Crossroads2017Forbidden Folk201830 Years of Community and Song2019The Spirit of Creativity2020The Story of People and Place2022Living Traditions2023Facing the Future: Sustainability in Folk Music.2024Alchemy: A Transformative Force
References
External links Folk Alliance International official site The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance by Michael F. Scully (University of Illinois Press, 2008)