Helping The music community Grow & Thrive in Cleveland, Ohio

Here are some highlights from a busy 2025:

We allocated over $65,000 in direct funding to 220+ local musicians, empowering them with official contracts and giving them the resources they need to create, perform, and thrive.
We brought live, original music to over 160,000 virtual and live audiences across our city.
We organized 45+ events in 2025, including free community concerts, workshops, songwriter showcases, mental health discussions,
a street-wide music festival, and more.
We provided on-site resources and booking opportunities to musicians at major festivals and events and expanded our community partnerships and outreach, collaborating with Cleveland’s best art, music and film festivals, independent venues, small businesses, and more.
Our Music Incubator program thrived with 7 participants in 2025 – with some artists experiencing career highs such as embarking on regional and coastal tours, signing with independent record labels, winning prestigious awards, securing gigs on the main stage at major festivals, and more.
CR:PPF partnered with D-Tour, Live Music Society, and One Night Live to produce an 11-date regional tour in November for Music Incubator alumni Kid Tigrrr.

If you celebrate live music, or love someone who does, now is the time to support your local music community.

2026 Music Incubator Class Announced!

Upcoming Events

Free Workshop

Instrument and Vocal Microphones

Mon, April 20

Fundraiser for CR:PPF

In Celebration of, A Tribute to Rachel Brown

Sun, April 26

Free Concert

Waterloo Makes Music:
Rustic Skies
The Baker’s Basement

Friday, May 1

CIFF50: Community Partner

PETER ASHER: EVERYWHERE MAN

PETER ASHER: EVERYWHERE MAN is a feature-length documentary inspired by musician, producer, and manager Peter Asher’s celebrated cabaret show A Musical Memoir of the ’60s and Beyond.

Showings:
April 15, 2026 • 7pm @ Rock Hall
April 16, 2026 • 12:15pm @ Cedar Lee

Use code ROCKS for $1 off tickets

Cleveland Is A Music City!

Programs and Initiatives

Greater Cleveland Music Census

A community-led initiative to gain a better understanding of the current needs of the Cleveland-area music community.

Waterloo Makes Music

A free bi-monthly concert series showcasing local musicians.

Workshops & 2x4s

A free monthly music education series and songwriter showcase.

Cleveland Rocks Shop

A retail store for local music and community gathering space.

Music Incubator Program

The Music Incubator program offers low-interest loans to artists to help fund creative projects.

Soul City Cleveland

A culturally responsive community arts pilot that connects youth to elder Black artists.

Livestreams

Cleveland Rocks: PPF is capturing Cleveland music history. Check out our archive of live event streams.

Quick Links

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CR:PPF Merch

Get Involved

Call for Musicians

Are you a musician in Cleveland looking to gain more exposure and find new revenue streams for your music? Cleveland Rocks: PPF hosts free bi-monthly concerts on Waterloo, as well as monthly 2×4 songwriter showcases for solo artists and duos. In 2023, we opened a retail store for local music and are looking to help grow revenue for local artists by stocking our shelves with their music and merch. We want to help you!

Local Resources

From recording studios to photographers, radio stations to music venues, legal services to graphic designers… and more! Check out our local resource guide for an extensive list of businesses, tools and contacts to guide you in your career and current project needs. Have a resource to be added? Send it to us!

Volunteer

Interested in getting more involved with Cleveland Rocks: PPF and live in the greater Cleveland area? Whether it’s helping staff a merch table at one of our free shows, checking in attendees at a professional development workshop, selling raffle tickets at a fundraiser or helping spread the word about our mission at a local festival, we need YOU!