The Norman Music Festival announced their open call for artists for the April 2024 festival, which runs from today until Nov. 15.

The open call began earlier this fall than in past years. Shari Jackson, executive director of Norman Music Alliance, said that the festival wants the extra time to ensure participating venues have time to pull artists from the pool of applicants.

As of this morning, bands can fill out an online application to be considered for the festival. The application asks for information about the band, social media contacts, links to their videos and music, performance needs and availability.

“Oklahoma has an extraordinary original music scene, and I think most of the world just doesn’t understand the level of creativity that lives here,” Jackson told the OU Daily. “(The application) gives us all the information we need so that we can find the best music to put at the festival.”

Jackson said that the organizers of the festival aim to platform favorites and unknown bands alike. The organizers look for and encourage creativity in new projects, artists and interpretations of music across the Oklahoma music scene.

“You’ll see favorites and then you’ll find ten bands that you didn’t know existed,” Jackson said. “We love new and interesting people that are pushing the envelope and people that are doing things differently and creatively.”

For the past two years, the Norman Music Festival has succeeded in compensating the bands that play on festival stages. They aim to achieve their goal of compensating performers on the festival’s official stages, which includes all venues that are outdoors, for year three of the upcoming festival.

Jackson said the minimum gig pay for those chosen by Norman Music Festival organizers is $200, though she said those in larger headliner spots may receive higher compensation.

“There is a minimum gig fee of $200 on our stages, and all of the bands that we’re pulling from the open call will at least be getting the $200 gig fee,” Jackson said. “Then some of them, if they’re chosen for larger headliner spots, might end up with more.”

Norman Music Festival brings a crowd of 75,000 to 100,000 people for the festival and offers opportunities for artists and guests to connect and experience a vibrant music community.

“You get a chance to discover just how rich the musical landscape is in Oklahoma,” Jackson said. “There’s ten (music genres) that nobody’s ever heard of on top of those represented by original music and original artists here.”

The festival plans to expand the arts market and the kids area, and continue its collaboration with deadCenter Film Festival to show films and announce finalists for their music video award.

Norman Music Festival organizers are currently in the process of booking the festival’s headliners. The 2024 Norman Music Festival runs April 25-27. The open call for the festival begins today and runs through Nov. 15.

This story was edited by Emma Blakley. Natalie Armour and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.