Racine, WI - July 1st, 2023 -- The Maritime Music Directory International (MMDI) announced today the launch of their music web site, seashanties4all.com, providing a web portal for fans and the press to discover the many existing bands that sing sea shanties, ballads and the music of mariners. The site also helps find events and festivals where fans can hear their favorite groups and solo performers like The Longest Johns, Fishermen’s Friends or David Coffin. There are hundreds of bands performing this music at scores of festivals across North America, Europe and Australasia.
Sea shanties and maritime music have a long and storied history. They have been sung by sailors on tall ships, and - people like to believe - pirates, for centuries. Today, these songs are still performed at festivals and by bands around the world. The MMDI provides a platform for these performers to showcase their talents and connect with fans of this beloved genre of music.
The MMDI site was created by Dean Calin, a lifelong fan and veteran performer of sea shanties and maritime music. He saw a need for a central location where fans of this genre of music could connect with the performers and venues they love. The MMDI hearkens back to the 1980s when many websites used "links pages" to refer aficionados to similar websites. The MMDI is like one, big "links page", providing a wealth of resources for fans, promoters and performers of sea shanties and maritime music.
Search engines today place draconian restrictions on websites that aren't mobile-friendly or "e-commerce secure", and don't display the websites of many legacy, folk-music performers whose websites don't comply with these recent requirements. The MMDI was designed specifically to be mobile friendly and secure so that it always displays its aggregated links to those legacy websites.
"We are thrilled to launch the Maritime Music Directory International," said Dean Calin, MMDI founder. "This site is a one-stop-shop for fans of sea shanties and maritime music. It provides a platform for performers to showcase their talents and connect with fans from around the world. We are excited to see the impact this site will have on the maritime music community."
The MMDI is administrated by Organic Arts Ltd, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based not-for-profit headed up by David HB Drake. Drake has been a longtime advocate for the arts, and has worked tirelessly to promote the preservation and celebration of maritime music. "The MMDI is a game-changer for the maritime music community. We are excited to be a part of this project and look forward to seeing the impact it will have on celebrating the music of mariners." Supporters of the site funded the launch with a successful Kickstarter campaign, and further support is possible through donations through Organic Arts and in-site advertisement.
The MMDI is a valuable resource for anyone interested in this very specific sub-genre of folk music. With its user-friendly interface and wealth of resources, the MMDI is sure to become the go-to destination for anyone interested in sea shanties and maritime music. The site owners hope the public will visit the site today to discover new bands and venues and connect with fans from around the world.
There are groups that have been performing sea shanties for many years, but because this genre of music has no official representation, most of the groups are very hard for the general public to find.
