THE TOWER GETS ITS TECH ON

We mentioned the Capitol Innovation Center (CIC) recently in connection with the House of Barnett’s streamlining of its marketing and commerce operations. Now the Tower is rolling out the CIC in earnest.

The idea is a space that invites music and tech folk to collaborate and develop ideas “to help drive the future of innovation in music.” Housed in the label’s storied Hollywood HQ—designed to resemble a platter of LPs—it rolls out on 4/15 with a workspace and songwriting studio.

Winners of the SXSW Music Hackathon will spend a week there in June; the UMG Accelerator Engagemnet Network and Abbey Road Red Incubator will also funnel participants through its doors. Further Hackathons are in the offing, as are speaker workshops. CMG COO Michelle Jubelirer, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Founder/Director Stacy Smith and SAG-AFTRA Prexy Gabrielle Carteris are among the scheduled speakers for The Future She Built, a 4/18 forum on inclusion and change.

The inaugural CIC Hackathon on 6/2-3 will unite software developers, producers, songwriters and others in the dreamy Capitol Recording Studios. If there is a heaven for nerds, this is probably what it looks like. It’ll be held in conjunction with Travis Laurendine, who orchestrated such events at SXSW, Outside Lands and other festivals.

6/9 will see A Women’s Immersive Recording Arts Summit, a full day of speakers, workshops and more with Jubelirer, Capitol Studios VP/Studio Manger Paula Salvatore and an array of producers, mixers and others involved in the creative process.

Declared CMG Chairman & CEO Steve Barnett: “With its diverse offerings of original programming and communal workspace, we believe that the Capitol Innovation Center has the potential to further transform our Tower into a destination where brilliant minds can come together to share ideas, knowledge, and creativity across social and generational barriers, as well as pioneer breakthroughs that will drive the music industry into the future. Now can someone tell me why my phone is doing that blinky thing again?”