How a music showcase in South LA is fighting pay-to-play culture

Topline:

Why it matters: Yesi Ortiz co-founded The Rehearsal as a way to fight the music industry’s pay-to-play culture and lift that financial burden off the shoulders of new talent. She says artists often have to pay for stage time, as well as their own photography, sound engineering and even recordings of their performances.

“There’s this constant cost that comes with just trying to perform your artwork in front of people,” Ortiz said. “And now you’re in the negative, when you’ve already been in the negative with ... the cost of producing and songwriting that just to perform kind of feels really defeating.”

The Rehearsal aims to be a solution by waiving performance fees and creating an ecosystem of support. Its founders have their own experience in the music industry — Ortiz is a former host at the radio station Power 106. Co-founders David Tam and Levi Downey are music producers and Shani Bernard is an artist who performs as Marvelous Xe.

How it works: Artists have the option to pay what they can. They’ll get access to professional photography and recordings of their performances, which are also live-streamed on YouTube, followed by a Q&A.

“We want to be able to give them the tools that they need to be the next Billie Eilish or whoever they want to become as their future,” she said.

Performers: Ortiz says The Rehearsal is not an open mic. Instead, the showcase looks for artists who are “intentionally working on their craft” and putting effort into their career. The rise of artificial intelligence is an even bigger motivator to “discover real artists and a real community that believes in supporting that.” Previous performers include artist Ryck Jane, Coup Deville and sahn.

What’s next: The Rehearsal will be curating the main stage at NextFest LA, an indie music festival happening at the L.A. County Fair on Sunday. You can find tickets here or send a DM to The Rehearsal on their Instagram for free tickets. They’ll be showcasing several artists, including Orange County-based singer-songwriter Natasha Mangali.

“She’s a Filipina that combines her Tagalog and English in her music as well. She’s got like a very R&B, soulful sound to her and then you mix all these hip-hop elements,” Ortiz said. Mangali recently performed during The Rehearsal’s eighth season. You can watch her set here.

Upcoming events: The Rehearsal is currently booking artists for its ninth season.

You can also check out its upcoming pop up show, the Juneteenth BBQ Bash, on June 19.