Zunimar gets 'Stripped Down' for artists' rights

Photo by Michael Patrick // Buy this photo

Knoxville musicians Angel Zuniga Martinez, center, and Kevin Hyfantis, right.

Photo by Michael Patrick

Knoxville musicians Angel Zuniga Martinez, center, and Kevin Hyfantis, right.

KNOXVILLE — With a knack for both business and songwriting, forming Zunimar Music was a logical step for Angel Zuniga Martinez. The organization's purpose is to recapture old copyrighted material for artists and their surviving families.

Martinez and his staff provide consultation and assist artists in establishing their own publishing companies. Now partnered with Hummingbird Productions, a producer of commercial music out of Nashville, the company is growing in versatility. With the help of Zunimar's local songwriter Kevin Hyfantis, the company is now holding singer/songwriter showcases to aid in exposing new music as well as reclaiming the old.

As a former entertainment banker and a singer/songwriter, Martinez has a unique perspective of both sides of the music industry. With a knowledge of copyright law, he hopes to advocate for former and current artists in securing future royalties from the music made in decades past and present.

"Working so many years on the corporate side, I saw the direction our country was going years ago, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast," says Martinez of his reasons for founding Zunimar. "People are really struggling hard right now. Money's not evil but it definitely can be when abused. When you have artists with no control over their copyrights and publishing, that's a big part of it. There's history about to be made when the artists and their families realize they can vie for their rights back, empowering them to do as they choose with their work."

Passionate about helping the artistic community, Martinez is also concerned with the community at large. Zunimar-affiliated events will benefit charities. Lined up so far is the Easter-themed Eggstravaganza, the Back-from-Break Showcase and now the monthly "Stripped Down" showcases.

"The showcase is meant to bring to the forefront artists who we feel have songs that are commercially viable," Martinez explains. "We're going to film everything we do. The content will help pitch the songs. It's the last Tuesday of every month beginning in March.

Hyfantis's concept for the showcase was to have songwriters who typically perform with full bands, or at least amps, perform solo and acoustically. As the host of the event, Hyfantis will banter and interview the artists between songs. Once recorded on video, the performances will be streamed online and made available for commercial purposes.

"I thought it would be intriguing to see some of the best local artists without their respective bands," says Hyfantis. "Many of these artists never play without their bands, and this gives the audience a rare chance to see these amazing songwriters in their pure element and go back to when many of the songs were first conceived. I love great songs and all the elements that go into them, including production and intricate arrangements, but as a songwriter I always am interested to hear the original idea. Angel has more showcases in the works that will feature full bands."

Tuesday night, March 30, marks the launch of the Stripped Down showcases which will recur the last Tuesday of every month at Preservation Pub. Hyfantis will host the show featuring Tim Lee and Nashville's Matthew Hungate. The show is slated for 9:30 p.m. Preservation Pub will hold a $2 pint special for the event.

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