The International Music Initiative
Help us raise $25,000 in order to host a minimum of 25 International artists this Fall at Freakout Festival.
If you’ve ever danced to a band you’d never heard of at Freakout Fest—one that cracked your heart open or made you move—you already know: international music hits differently. For more than 10 years, Freakout has been bringing these incredible international artists to the Ballard neighborhood, adding to maintaining Seattle’s culturally diverse music scene and ensuring both local and international artists are paid equitably. Cross-cultural connections through music is in our DNA.
We intentionally spotlight emerging and underground international artists—those ready to break through, but facing real barriers to doing so.
We don’t just hand them a stage assignment and send them off.
We help them build a sustainable tour while they’re here.
Freakout:
Provides higher than industry-standard guarantees for emerging artists
Offers hospitality support—lodging, meals, discounts while they’re in Seattle
Prioritizes second-chance sets and additional showcases at our festival
Provides artists with introductions to other festivals, venues, and promoters
Helps them secure the gigs that can help them cover the costs of coming here
We do all of this with care, fairness, and a deep love of the music. Freakout has become known as a tastemaker festival because artists who play here often go on to build strong U.S. audiences—and it all starts in Ballard & Fremont. Two neighborhoods most people in the world have never heard of, and one festival that’s making a name for itself.
What your donation supports:
This fall, 25+ international artists will take the stage at Freakout. Your gift helps us:
Sustain the International Music Initiative year-round
Create breakthrough opportunities for global artists
Build tour infrastructure that helps artists stay in our high-cost city and succeed
The International Music Initiative is a commitment to support global music discovery and preserve the vital role of international voices in Seattle’s independent music scene. By donating, you’re not just supporting a festival—you’re saying music should cross borders, not be stopped by them. You’re helping keep Seattle an open door for global music.
Commit to cross-cultural music discovery through a donation today!
Isabel Dosal; Petite Amie
“Freakout was the first American festival to open its doors, not only to us but also to a lot of other Latin American bands that otherwise would not have the opportunity to play for an American audience…They also gave us the means and opportunities to make our participation in the festival an incredible experience without it becoming a huge expense for our band to be able to go play in another country.
We love Freakout because it nurtures the music industry by creating exposure opportunities for new and diverse bands and by supporting smaller venues, whose existence has been in jeopardy since the pandemic, and without which, it would be impossible to find a stage for new artists.”
Photo by Rachel Bennett