Soul Communicators is a special section of SoulTracks that gives deserved recognition to some of the disc jockeys, writers and entrepreneurs around the world who are dedicating their careers to keeping Soul Music alive and thriving.
On The Verge
When naming the biggest soul music towns in the US, Norfolk typically wouldn't be among the first to come to mind. But for the last half decade Tracy Freeman has been changing that through her creation On the Verge.
Tracy is a long-time music retailer and originally used the term "On The Verge" as an indie soul endcap display in her store. The goal of the endcap was (and still is) to expose the listening public to new and exciting indie soul artists and music. Tracy wanted to give indie artists a voice in retail and the visibility they deserved and needed in a major chain.
From there Tracy created an OTV newsletter to keep local shoppers and visitors up to date about new indie releases and artists. The newsletter featured reviews, interviews and artist features. She then took it to the next step, creating a website to reach audiences globally and make a larger impact. In 2003 https://www.onthe-verge.com/ was created as a music information website to showcase and expose indie soul music and artists who often goes unheard and unnoticed due to lack of exposure, support and promotion.
If that wasn't enough, in 2006 On The Verge ventured into concert promotions and has since created a live performance platform for indie artist to come to Southeastern Virginia. So far OTV has introduced Frank McComb, Choklate, Peter Hadar, Maya Azucena and W.Ellington Felton to the region via live shows. Tracy says "It's a natural progression to go from music retail (which is still my 9-5 everyday), to web publishing to concert promoting. The same energy, excitment and enthusiasm is there because it all goes hand in hand to attain the ultimate goal of reaching the audience and exposing the artist." We say Amen to that.
See the listing of our Past Soul Communicators
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