88Nine Radio Milwaukee and gener8tor announce creation of two new musician-advancement initiatives based on Backline model

MILWAUKEE (December 17, 2020) – 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and gener8tor announced Thursday the creation of two new initiatives focused on supporting local musicians based on the Backline musician accelerator, which has helped launch and further the careers of 14 Milwaukee-area musicians.

Radio Milwaukee’s new 88Nine Amplifier will be run in-house at the station by producer Chad Roper with support from music educator and musician Britney Freeman-Farr. The new gener8tor Music program will be operated by the business accelerator leader under the direction of Mag Rodriguez and Brian Lynch, who have been running Backline.

Radio Milwaukee and gener8tor developed and launched Backline in 2018 to help Milwaukee musicians succeed, improve Milwaukee’s recognition as one of the country’s most vibrant music cities and assist companies in attracting and retaining employees.

The station and gener8tor will run their new programs separately, with Backline no longer operating. The new programs plan to collaborate on workshops and in other ways. To avoid confusion, the Backline name and brand will be retired.

Radio Milwaukee’s 88Nine Amplifier will be structured as an eight-month amplification program centered on establishing Milwaukee artists for long-term success. One of the program’s signature components will be a robust mentorship program with local and national artists.

gener8tor Music will serve as the top of the funnel accelerator with programming and workshops for a broader pool of artists. gener8tor Music also operates in Detroit (Motown Accelerator) and Cleveland.

“Backline, and our partnership with gener8tor, have provided us an opportunity to continue investing in Milwaukee artists,” said Kevin Sucher, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee Executive Director. “88Nine Amplifier will build on that foundation and continue to strengthen Milwaukee’s growing music scene. We’re excited to bring Grammy-nominated Chad Roper to our team to lead this effort.”

“The amount of talent we have in Milwaukee is a great problem to have,” gener8tor Co-Founder Joe Kirgues said. “Offering two robust initiatives for musicians will provide further help to Milwaukee artists who want to elevate their careers.”

To date, Backline has advanced the careers of 14 Milwaukee musicians, including REYNA, WebsterX and Klassik.

Contact:

• Jeff Bentoff, media relations – jeff@bentoff.com | (414) 465-8710
• Kevin Sucher, Radio Milwaukee – kevin@radiomilwaukee.org | (414) 469-0000
• Joe Kirgues, gener8tor – joe@gener8tor.com | (414) 940-3287

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.