Tom Frouge likes to keep himself busy.
When he’s not planning for events like Globalquerque!, the New Mexico-based producer is leading Avokado Artists. The arts organization has been around since 2004.
Frouge recently launched his latest venture – a one-stop music licensing boutique featuring music from not only the Avokado Artists roster of exceptional and award-winning artists but other fantastic musicians and songwriters as well.
The move will benefit filmmakers in New Mexico with their projects, as the New Mexico Film Tax Credit would extend to the services.
“The idea has been percolating for quite some time,” Frouge says. “When the pandemic hit, one of the things that managers were faced with was where’s the income stream going to from artists? We had to launch a central place where people can license the music. It’s great to have the Avokado artists catalog up there. We’ve reached out to other artists and continue to add to the growing catalog.”
Frouge also wanted the catalog to be unique. It features musicians in a vast array of genres ranging from rock and pop, to instrumental music, as well as Latinx and cumbia.
Some of the artists include Rahim Alhaj, Ani Cordero, Baracatunga, Nation Beat, Rob Martinez, Lara Manzanares, Vivalda Ndula, Los Reyes de Albuquerque, Fanfara Station, Nohe & Sus Santos, Nosotros and Dust City Opera.
“We kind of already have a ton of stuff in the catalog by world-class musicians and composers,” he says. “We also offer a couple of composers that can compose specifically for film. We also can do music supervision for films. There are decades of broad music experience here.”
Frouge says with the film industry growing at a record pace, he wanted to wrap the services up in a way that would be appealing for the industry.
“Because we’re a New Mexico-based company, we fall into the tax incentive for film,” he says. “For a production to be able to get its music from a company based here, it saves them the money, but also gives exposure to the artists. This is cleared music that can be used for projects in the film and TV industry. We’d love to be on the radar of not only Netflix and NBCUniversal, but all the independent films that come set up here in New Mexico.”
More information can be found at avokadoartists.org/licensing or emailing info@avokado.net.
SEND ME YOUR TIPS: If you know of a movie filming in the state, or are curious about one, email film@ABQjournal.com. Follow me on Twitter @agomezART.
