Non-profit aids Memphis artists, promotes sustainable music careers

Yahoo

25-03-2025

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes music is necessary and supporting local artists is vital.
Talibah Safiya is a singer, songwriter, and recording artist who has over the years utilized Music Export Memphis, a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for Memphis musicians to showcase outside the city and help them build sustainable music careers right here in Memphis.
Elizabeth Cawein is the founder and executive director.
'I saw that there was a way where we could sort of hit the center of this Venn Diagram and create true mutual benefit for our city and for our artists with really meaningful opportunities to get them on national and international stages,' said Elizabeth Cawein, founder and executive director.
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They don't want financial barriers to stand in the way of possible opportunities, that's why they have multiple grant programs. In 2016, they started providing tour grants to artists.
'If you are an artist who lives here, you book five or more dates outside the city. you can get money from us to support that tour,' Cawein said.
They don't pay for your tour but the unrestricted cash grant can be used however an artist needs. Such as gas money, fixing a flat tire, or even if a gig gets canceled it can help soften the financial hit.
Their merch grants help support the creation of merchandise like hats, t-shirts, and vinyls.
Through their export bank program, they can even customize a grant for artists like Talibah who was invited to a writers' camp in Los Angeles.
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'I told her what the opportunity was. We listed out what we would need and we were able to get the support needed for me to go to LA,' she said. 'Which led to me being able to do more writers' camp, more television, and have sustainable income in a whole new way that I didn't even have before.'
In a city like memphis, where music is our culture, it is our history. The musicians that are here are carrying that forward, and so any small part that we can play in keeping them here is absolutely essential to, I think, the fabric of Memphis,' said Cawein.
That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Music Export Memphis. Because when you help build our city's local, national, and international music reputation, it will always be the best investment.
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