Integrated Component 3

Production &
In-House Record Label

CCBA connects artistic development to professional opportunity through recording, production, release, distribution and industry support.

Heritage Blues Orchestra performing together under blue stage lights
An Extraordinary Founding Gift

An award-winning record label
gifted to CCBA

Raisin’ Music, LLC—an award-winning record label and production company—will be gifted to CCBA as a founding institutional asset. Its catalog includes three Grammy-nominated albums, international awards and established national and international distribution relationships.

Raisin’ Music Records & Production — a division of the Chicago Center for the Blues Arts
Album cover for Chicago Blues: A Living HistoryGrammy-nominated

Chicago Blues: A Living History

Album cover for The (R)evolution ContinuesBlues Music Award winner

The (R)evolution Continues

Album cover for And Still I RiseGrammy-nominated

And Still I Rise

Album cover for Muddy Waters 100Grammy-nominated

Muddy Waters 100

Explore the Record Label & Catalog
An Integrated Artist Journey

From residency to release

Members of the Heritage Blues Orchestra together in the recording studio
Heritage Blues OrchestraIn the Studio · From residency to recording to international touring to the Grammy Awards

A residency can generate original work. Performance allows artists to test, develop and strengthen the work. When it reaches the level to go further, CCBA’s in-house label and production resources can turn it into a recording, a release and a platform for wider opportunity.

Heritage Blues Orchestra on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards
At the Grammy AwardsHeritage Blues Orchestra
Professional Recording & Production

Develop the work
Make the record

Artists, recording equipment and instruments representing professional music production
1

Pre-Production & Repertoire

Artists work with experienced producers to shape repertoire, arrangements and the creative direction of a project before entering the studio.

2

Studio & Live Recording

Professional producers and engineers translate original work into compelling recordings while preserving the individuality and human character at the center of the Blues.

3

Mixing & Mastering

Projects move through the technical and creative stages required to become finished, release-ready recordings.

4

Release Preparation

Creative direction, sequencing, credits, packaging and visual presentation bring the recording together as a complete artistic statement.

National & International Distribution

Physical and digital distribution, promotion and release strategy connect CCBA recordings with audiences, media and markets nationally and internationally. CD and vinyl editions also give artists meaningful merchandise to sell at performances.

Blues artists traveling with their instruments for a tour
Future Capacity

Booking &
Touring

From artist development to sustainable careers

As CCBA grows, it envisions developing professional booking, touring and industry capacity for a roster of Blues artists whose work reflects meaningful engagement with the music’s history, culture and traditions—connecting artists with wider audiences and expanding professional opportunity and visibility, particularly for African American artists.

Chicago Centerfor the Blues Arts

CCBA’s production component connects artistic development with the professional infrastructure artists need to move their work forward. Together, these resources create a path from original work to finished recordings, wider audiences and sustainable opportunity.

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