In case you missed it, here are some special moments from our Pride festivities! 
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#1. Nerd in mismatched prints won't shut up about community: Not a super big fan of in-person speaking but when it comes to letting people know how they can support local artists, GIMME THE MIC! Full writeup in The WordSD.

Exciting news, friends! Songwriter Sanctuary San Diego is the proud recipient of San Diego Pride's Larry T. Baza Arts and Culture Award! We will be accepting the award at the Spirit of Stonewall Rally on Friday, July 17 alongside other honorees. This year's rally will take place at 535 Robinson Ave (across from the Brass Rail) at 6pm. All are welcome and it's free to attend!

We'll also have a small marching contingent in the following day's Pride Parade alongside our venue partner Normal Heights United. If you're an artist or supporter who'd like to participate, please reach out for more details!

While we're on the topic of Pride festivities, please save the date for our annual Pride concert on Friday, June 26. The event will be presented with Raspberry Management and will feature The Dimes, Saint Misty, Daddy with Pre-show Pantry Jam busking by Julian Forest. We also hope to provide ASL for the sanctuary portion of the show - follow us on Instagram for updates!

Our 2026 Pride collage is a tribute to our alumni and scheduled LGBTQ+ performers, as well as many ally artists and partners who support our work. Thanks to those who consented to be included before the given deadline...apologies if we missed anyone, but it was a quick turnaround! Our hearts are full to receive so much love from everyone in our greater community.

San Diego musicians are leaving San Diego. Let's talk about it, shall we?

The industry exploits. + The city extracts. = Artists exit.

I don't think it has to be this way, but I also don't think we can gig or grant-application our way out of it.

Songwriter Sanctuary San Diego's new Artist Access Network is all about connecting our roster of 100+ (& growing!) artists with sustained community care. Think light lifts, immediate impact, and reciprocal relationships.

If you or your company can extend a service, resource, or access point (from business, to creative, to wellness, to basic needs, and beyond), there is a place for you here.

Offers are on your terms and your term limits. Examples include:
Comps, consults, discounts, education, gear, gift cards, housing/rental discounts, memberships, products, rentals, repair, services, sessions, waived fees, etc.
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Benefits of making an offer:
The obvious benefit is generating leads via a growing community of ambitious, talented professionals. Then there's also the extended digital and physical reach via endorsement within our greater network of attendees, email subscribers, social followers, etc.

Submit an offer now, or scroll down to our FAQ to learn more!

Artist Access Network FAQ
Q: What is the Artist Access Network?
The Artist Access Network (AAN) is an ecosystem of local businesses, creatives, and community partners offering tangible support to Songwriter Sanctuary's growing roster of over 100 artists, and if they choose, to the broader creative/local community at large. It’s built on the simple fact that local musicians need more than gigs and grants to afford life in San Diego, and the understanding that creative and caring people can come together to build new systems of care.

Q: Why now?
We've witnessed far too many of our musician friends pack up and move, disillusioned by an industry that extracts and a city that is too expensive to survive. At the same time, arts funding is often first on the chopping block when it's time to trim the deficit. If we can't trust our public officials to protect us, we need to protect each other.

Q: Who is able to access these offers?
Offers can be shared privately with Songwriter Sanctuary’s artist roster (the community we directly serve), and/or made public for the broader network of creatives and patrons. Public-facing offers help reach more people, but we understand that flexibility matters for different types of contributions.

Q: What kinds of offers are accepted?
Anything goes! Think: comps, consults, discounts, education, gear, memberships, products, rentals, repairs, services, sessions, waived fees, etc. Offers are completely on the business owner's terms: private or public, evergreen or limited by date or quantity - it's totally up to the business how and when to contribute! 

Q: Can I submit multiple offers at once?
Yep! Feel free to submit a few offers at a time, various offers for different services, one public and one private, etc. We do our best to keep the AAN streamlined and easy to navigate, so we may group or limit similar offers to avoid overwhelming the space.

Q: If I contribute an offer, does that automatically grant me access to all the other offers from other businesses?
If you are a Songwriter Sanctuary alumni or scheduled artist, you will have access to any private offer. This includes anyone who has accompanied a featured performer. (Please contact us to make sure you are on our newsletter list!) If you are not a Songwriter Sanctuary alumni or scheduled artist, you will be able to see all public offers in the public-facing Resource Hub. Beyond that, the specifics of each offer will vary, so make sure to read terms carefully.

Q: Why can't I access other offers if I've contributed an offer?
Not all participants have the capacity to open up their offers to other contributing participants. For example, a solo photographer offering a few discounted sessions may not have the capacity to make their offer available to contributing participants who have multiple employees (for example, a cafe). Furthermore, Songwriter Sanctuary SD does not have the administrative, financial, or technical capacity at this time to operationalize such an undertaking. Anyone who participates is  of course welcome to contribute a public offer and take advantage of other public offerings listed on the Resource Hub.

Q: If I can't access the other private offers, then why should I contribute an offer?
Contributing participants benefit via lead generation and  promotional marketing  through our external and internal communication channels (socials/newsletter) which will put your business in front of hundreds of local creatives, arts patrons, and community members. More than that, we will be using our relationships and community connection skills to hype you up in our daily conversations with other local artists and consumers. 

Q: I've heard the AAN described as a mini mutal aid network. Please explain.
Our project is rooted in several mutual aid principles that reflect a spirit of solidarity with all who participate:

• Reciprocal Care: We do our best to look out for each other as neighbors and friends.
• Honored Capacity: Community members contribute to AAN only what they are sustainably able to give and Songwriter Sanctuary SD organizes AAN in a way that honors their own administrative, financial, and technical capacity.
• Choice: Participating businesses decide the terms of their own offers, including whether those offers are made public or private. Participation is always voluntary and can be modified or ended at any time.
• Equity over Equality: Offers extended to Songwriter Sanctuary artists are not intended to exclude other artists in our community. Mutual aid recognizes that resources can be shared in ways that honor both the needs of a community and the capacity of those contributing to it. AAN allows us to extend additional value to the artists who participate in our programming through resources, connections, and opportunities that support their creative work. Contributing partners define their own capacity, resources, and scope of participation, and we are always grateful to share public offers with the wider creative community whenever they choose to extend them.
  
  

Q: Ok, great. I want to make an offer. How do I do that?
You can submit an offer at any time! After review, we will generally list offers within a week from submission.

Q: What if I want to edit or remove my offer?
No problem! Just drop us an email and we'll make the change within one business day! Contributing members retain the right to reassess the terms of or withdraw their contribution at any time. Likewise, Songwriter Sanctuary SD reserves the right to remove listings, offers, or participation at any time in order to protect the wellbeing, trust, and safety of our community.

Q: This isn't for me. Now what?
Cool, no sweat! Not everything is for everyone. Lots of room for everyone to build the systems that do work for them. Best wishes!

Q: I can't make an offer at this time, but I would love to list my business on the Resource Hub.
You can share any business info or resource with us for review! If it's helpful to local creatives, we'll get it listed!