What’s In and What’s Out: CORE Creatives’ 2025 Playbook

This past year marked significant growth and milestones for CORE Creatives. We expanded our presence in San Diego’s music scene, collaborating with a wider range of artists, exploring new genres, and developing immersive live experiences. A major highlight was completing our first tour with 3rd Street Band, traveling up the California coast and working alongside renowned bands at iconic venues. Beyond San Diego, we hosted multiple shows in Los Angeles, established new industry relationships, and continued defining our role in the music community.

Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to build on this momentum with ambitious plans. We aim to create more opportunities, foster stronger connections with our audience, and remain committed to doing what we love: sharing music and creative experiences.

One major announcement for the new year is the launch of our podcast, For The Record. Hosted by Daniella DeFrance (CORE Creatives CEO) and Olivia Averill (CORE Creatives Marketing Intern), the bi-monthly series will cover updates from CORE, music industry insights, concert and festival experiences, and everyday life topics. The podcast will feature special guests, including creatives from across the industry and bands sharing their stories. The first episode debuts January 31st.

We’re also thrilled to announce two tours for 3rd Street Band, a New York-based alternative rock group that has been making waves this past year. In March, they’ll embark on an East Coast tour, performing in cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Richmond, and Boston. In May, they’ll head out on a Southern tour from North Carolina to Austin, Texas, sharing the stage with prominent regional bands at iconic venues. Stay up to date on tour dates by following CORE Creatives and the 3rd Street Band on social media.

In San Diego, we’re expanding into new venues, starting with a show at Soda Bar on March 17th featuring Lake Drive, POPOFF, Virginia Crime, and Lost Dakota. On February 28th, we’re proud to present Fantastic Negrito, a three-time Grammy winner, at LouLou’s in San Diego—tickets for this show are expected to sell out quickly. Additionally, we’re collaborating with JT Presents for a spring show at Venice West in Los Angeles, with more details to come.

As we continue working with talented bands, we’re also looking to add new artists to our roster this year. If you’re an emerging artist seeking support, we encourage you to reach out via our website.

To close out 2024, we’ve reflected on the lessons learned and the values that will guide us into the new year:

What’s In for 2025:

• Prioritizing work-life balance

• Taking calculated risks

• Supporting diverse lineups and genres

• Ear protection as a must

• Empowering women leaders in the music industry

• Investing in quality over quantity

• Building community and collaboration

What’s Out:

• Over-prioritizing mainstream artists

• Imposter syndrome

• Toxic productivity and burnout

• Fear of missing out (FOMO)

• Not staying for the headliner or missing openers at shows

• Underestimating the importance of supporting fellow musicians

We’re grateful for the incredible support this past year and look forward to everything 2025 has in store. Let’s make it a year of music, growth, and collaboration.