Q&A with Neeta Ragoowansi About Folk Alliance International Conference 2023
The FAI Conference is coming back to Kansas City Feb. 1–5, and new Executive Director Neeta Ragoowansi shares what’s new and exciting this year!
Neeta Ragoowansi. Photo courtesy of FAI.
Less than a year after Folk Alliance International’s first in-person conference post-lockdown—which I attended and covered in depth—the organization is returning to the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, for its 2023 conference Feb. 1–5. We asked the new Executive Director, Neeta Ragoowansi, to share her thoughts about FAI’s goals and values and what’s got her excited for the upcoming conference.
Carol Roth: Congratulations on your new role! I know you have countless responsibilities and priorities—what’s one area of focus for your first year of leadership that you think will have a significant impact on FAI?
Neeta Ragoowansi: First of all, I do want to say that I’m excited and honored to be leading Folk Alliance International. It's such a great organization with such an amazing community. I've loved it since 1996 when I first got involved as a musician. I'm excited about the future of the organization and constantly thinking about how we can best serve and grow our community, broaden our definitions of folk music to be more inclusive, make even further impact in improving our world through music, and preserve and perpetuate folk music, in its broadest definitions. There are several areas of focus in furthering these goals, but one such area is to expand our community and build a well-connected global network amongst all of the folk music communities.
Folk music is music of the people. People everywhere. Music that is protest music, speak-truth-to-power music, music that stems from cultural traditions to tell the stories, the plights, the excellence, the love and the loss of individuals and communities. One of the best ways to perpetuate folk music is to make sure we are engaged in the largest distribution channels, involved in as many local communities as possible and connect each other to a larger network, to help spread our messages, stories and music to the widest possible audiences. Reportedly, the global music market is expected to grow by over $50 billion in the next three to four years. It is crucial that folk music is an engaged part of that growth and that we are focusing on pulling in the cultural diversity of that marketplace.
CR: I attended my first conference last year and was impressed and inspired by the way your commitment to progress was infused throughout, from keynote speeches down to to the workshops and showcases. What are some ways this year’s conference will reflect that determination to effect change?
NR: This year, our conference is presenting a comprehensive, diverse and dynamic program roster focused on sustainability. Clearly, sustainability should lead in our homes, on our earth, in all we do as artists, promoters, producers, radio hosts, writers, business owners, business partners and managers of communities and networks.
Our determination to effect change will be reflected in our programmatic focus on enhancing attendees’ learnings and problem-solving skills around sustainable practices, structures and systems. Several panels and events will focus on environmental sustainability, from practical solutions to lowering the carbon footprint of the music industry, to using creativity as a tool for social change.
Valerie June. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Our amazing presentations will platform a wide range of voices from Mary Gauthier to Janis Ian and Valerie June, as they explore what it means to sustain a career in music while caring for self, community and planet. And, we’re excited that at this year’s conference we are presenting the Black American Music Summit, a multi-day gathering created to further the work of focusing and fostering community and belonging amongst Black artists in the folk music ecology.
Janis Ian. Photo courtesy of the artist.
CR: What are some ways you’re facilitating or encouraging attendance from other parts of the world and more diverse artists/music?
NR: We have been continuing and expanding our partnerships with music industry influencers and organizations to help us get the word out, so that we're reaching beyond our existing lists and strategically and intentionally involving a more diverse set of voices and perspectives.
One such partner is global nonprofit Women in Music, which has multiple chapters and affiliates in six continents. Also, FAI has done impactful and important work with the music export offices of various countries and some have engaged in this year's conference as formal partners, setting up showcases of artists from their countries. In addition, we are working with Music Export Memphis to name Memphis, TN the conference’s first City of Honor and spotlight the diverse voices coming from there.
CR: I’m sure it’s hard to choose, but what’s something (or someone) you’re personally excited to see or experience at this year’s conference?
NR: I'm very excited that we are partnering with the Songwriters and Composers Wing of the Recording Academy this year to present a panel on Songcraft. It explores how an artist takes a burst of creative impulse and hones it into a finely tuned, perfectly worded piece of universal truth. It's actually quite a challenging topic, which makes it exciting and important to explore. The panelists come from diverse backgrounds and it will be moderated by one of the leaders of the International Music Managers Forum who has been involved in managing and working with artists for decades and understands how to dig into creative psyches to pull their best visions, so I'm personally excited to see how the artists approach these questions and where that conversation goes.
CR: Anything else you want to touch on about the conference or the organization?
NR: I’m excited to have conversations with the community about how we can leverage the power that music has to do good around the world: how we can strive for excellence but also strive for each other. In the years to come, we hope to introduce, reconnect or progress our music industry’s connection with mission-based communities, organizations, and purposes around the world, and reinforce a creator’s power to drive change through music. I’m excited to pick up the hammer and nails to work with them in fostering an environment that helps the folk music community and the world to prosper.
I’m also incredibly excited to hear all the amazing music at the conference next week!
Registration is still open for the Folk Alliance International Conference 2023!
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the primary music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley!
