LASALLE x PopDream Studio: SoloTogether Community Forum

PopDream Studio is a music studio that fosters a relaxed, joyful environment for individuals to explore musical creativity. It addresses the common challenges of sustaining passion and creating original work while championing a collective spirit of perseverance. A new integrated "SoloTogether" digital platform aims to empower Singapore's independent artists by providing fair, accessible opportunities. Through AI-powered matchmaking and community initiatives, the app connects artists with businesses and audiences, building a vibrant, inclusive hub where they can collaborate and thrive.

The project aims to engage a group of LASALLE students to curate and organize a Community Forum to present the "SoloTogether" platform to a wider stakeholder community and gather critical feedback. To address the core challenge of a fragmented arts ecosystem, students will conduct stakeholder mapping, identify and invite a diverse mix of artists, vendors, and institutions to participate in the Forum, as well as design and facilitate the Forum’s key activities focused on sharing the platform's proposed AI matchmaking and artist development features. They will curate engagement with diverse stakeholders to ground the platform's development in real-world community needs and ensure its practical viability. 

I call this team the "Supergirls" team! The students have such a strong sense of ownership and collaboration, I allowed them to take over the implementation and execution of SOLOTOGETHER Pre-Launch event, and it was a success! 

The students had genuine care for what we are building, they embody precision, high professionalism and strong team spirit. They are true arts managers!

Working with the LASALLE BA Arts Management students has also helped my business move forward more quickly. The event brought relevant stakeholders and my project achieved successful business matching, new industry partnerships. This arts project collaboration is a new journey of a collective vision, between LASALLE, industry partners and the arts community in Singapore

~ Solomon Chua, Founder, SoloTogether

Team member and roles: 

• Ethel: Project and research lead
• Kyla: Marketing & Communications lead
• Elizabeth: Partnerships lead
• Yingge: Logistic lead
• Naiyu: Multimedia lead 

This project aims to pre-launch SoloTogether platform through a Community Forum Event with the following objectives:

• To identify the different needs of emerging creatives
• To connect creatives from different disciplines
• To gather critical feedback from the creative community
• To obtain feedback for Solotogether app improvements
• To identify potential resident artists for the app’s pre-launch.

At the end of the event, SoloTogether would achieve the following goals:

1. Attracted more than 50 signups to attend the pre-launch
2. Developed online profiles for at least 3 resident artists from different disciplines
3. Connected with potential SoloTogether app users and investors 

LASALLE BAAM students successfully conceptualised and implemented a community forum event titled "SoloTogether:Pre-Launch" on 19 March, 7pm to 830pm at Swee Lee Clarke Quay! Through strategic venue partnership and innovative programming, SoloTogether: Pre-Launch exceeded the client's expectations with 50% more audiences, emerging creatives from more than 5 disciplines and attracted angel investors who have committed to fund SoloTogether and supports the idea of unifying creatives through a job-matching platform.  

"SoloTogether:Pre-Launch" successfully attracted Singapore's emerging creatives from music, dance, visual arts, illustration, interior design, theatre, literary arts and live performance sectors through an careful curation of four sample artist profiles from varying sectors. The event featured sample digital content creations of the four artists to show how SoloTogether can build on artists' capabilities, provide cross-disciplinary opportunities and match emerging creatives to potential business opportunities. BAAM students worked with SoloTogether to identify these four artists through a strategic selection from hip-hop, live hosting, music/DJ and illustration. They also curated the programme lineup to feature the artists in their performing arena so that the event is a seamless showcase instead of a traditional introduce-perform style.

The finale was an open-concept, community forum discussion centred on the four profiled artists. LASALLE BAAM students shared pre-event survey findings on what Singapore's emerging creatives need. Such critical insights immediately opened the floor for audiences to agree/disagree and volunteer their personal insights. Audiences and profiled artists shared their needs as one community, and the event concluded with potential clients, business partners and investors for SoloTogether.

BAAM students effectively built community between SoloTogether, Swee Lee Clarke Quay and multiple artists/businesses/investors in Singapore. They found the venue partner, negotiated rates, designed marketing collaterals, prepared production timeline and designed the night's programme through effective communications with SoloTogether Founder and Swee Lee Clarke Quay.