KeepOn Making Music

A new association for Italian music venues, festivals, and promoters, KeepOn Live, has launched in Milan fronted by Marco Manzella , the founder of  KeepOn. The organization was created in 2004 as a ‘cultural association’ for club-sized venues. 

Manzella has stated that “After almost 14 years of networking activity, and the promotion and distribution of original Italian live music throughout the whole nation, venues, and festivals have [asked us] to create a sector association.”  The association, he adds, is “independent, apolitical, nonpartisan and nondenominational”, and brings together “venues and [organizations] that organize live music”.

Two times every year, KeepOn hosts meetings that bring together musicians, bands and their fans to solve problems caused by changes in society and aims to spread high-quality Italian music.  The organization has created “100% Best Live”, a ranking system voted by the artistic directors to select the best bands in their local area along with  joint advertising and enter sponsorship agreements to support the economies and promote the music venues of the association.

Federico Rasetti, CEO, and vice-president of KeepOn Live has stated: “It will be a really representative association, which will group exclusively live musical professionals and develop around their directives, demands, and needs. It will be inclusive and qualifying, also welcoming those small companies that wish to grow in this sector, helping them to develop and strengthen.”

We hope you've enjoyed learning about how KeepOn is working to make sure Italians KeepOn Making Music! Would you be interested in seeing something like this in the United States? Join the conversation below!