A Columbus musician who built his name on Crew pregame concerts is now trying to fill a club show with artists most fans have never heard of. Project: Sell Out Ohio lands at Summit Music Hall in the University District on October 10, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and tickets starting at $12.33, according to the project's founder, a local musician who performs as Yacobucci.
The Columbus date caps a two-city, two-concert showcase that began October 3 at Musica in downtown Akron, where Yacobucci performed alongside regional bands Chil and Waterlemon, per the Downtown Akron Partnership. As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, the Summit Music Hall bill includes Yacobucci, Trek Manifest & The Aye-1 Band, SlimetimeRich, Malcolm Westmoor, and The Dolfin Folken Street Band, all gathered under a format Yacobucci designed to promote lesser-known acts and encourage support for homegrown talent.
Yacobucci, 26 and an Akron native, told the Dispatch that artists often struggle to fill rooms simply because audiences haven't discovered them yet — a gap he's hoping this showcase helps close. He started making music at 17, releasing a mixtape called Strong Static and performing under the name Lil Yac, the same report notes.
From Times Square Busking to a New York College Dropout
Before Columbus, Yacobucci's path wound through Brooklyn and Los Angeles. He studied criminal justice at St. Francis College in Brooklyn and busked at Times Square, in subways, and at other New York City sites, but left school after a single semester, per the Dispatch's reporting. He then spent four years in Los Angeles before relocating to Columbus in 2023.
That move appears to have paid off. In an April 2025 interview, Yacobucci said his music career progressed faster in Columbus than it had during his four years in the oversaturated Los Angeles market, according to Voyage Ohio Magazine.
Building Clout Through Crew Pregame Concerts
Once in Columbus, Yacobucci met Tyler Phillips, then the Columbus Crew's manager of fan culture and development, and pitched the idea of concerts before Crew games, the Dispatch reports. He teamed up with local hip-hop artist Joey Aich, and the pair curated a free pregame concert series during Columbus Crew home matches that first launched on Chase Plaza at Lower.com Field during the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, according to a Facebook post from the Columbus Dispatch. The duo later partnered on the Rhythm & Goals matchday concert series in 2025, per the Dispatch.
Aich brings considerable local clout of his own to Project: Sell Out Ohio. He was voted the number one musician in Columbus for 2024 by readers of Columbus Underground, according to a piece published by We Amplify Voices. Another performer on the October 10 bill, Trek Manifest, has history with Aich dating back to 2019, when the two teamed up with other Columbus hip-hop artists to form the supergroup Carried by 6, according to an event listing from Natalie's Grandview.
A Scene Worth Billions, Artists Earning a Fraction
Yacobucci's push to fill rooms for local acts lands against a backdrop of striking numbers. A July 2025 economic study commissioned by Music Columbus found the local music ecosystem generates $1.3 billion in annual economic output across central Ohio, supporting 9,244 full-time jobs and generating $5.6 million in city tax revenue, according to CreativeOhio. Yet data from the 2023 Greater Columbus Music Census found that working musicians in central Ohio derive only about 20% of their total income from music on average, a gap researchers attributed to a regional shortage of performance venues and dedicated industry support, as Hoodline previously reported.
That tension between a booming industry and struggling individual artists is part of what Music Columbus has tried to address elsewhere. In August, the nonprofit organized a free tailgate showcase on the Schottenstein Center East Plaza during a sold-out Caamp arena show, giving five local acts direct exposure to thousands of concertgoers. Music Columbus also selected October 10 performer SlimetimeRich to headline a free local artist spotlight show called The Unheard at Columbus venue Ace of Cups this October, according to a listing on Eventim.
The Venue and the Ask
Summit Music Hall, located at 2210 Summit St. near Ohio State University in the University District, operates as an intimate club-style venue with general admission standing room, offering up-close access to regional indie, hip-hop, and rock acts, according to Vivid Seats. It's that kind of room Yacobucci is hoping to pack on a Saturday night with artists still building their followings.
Yacobucci has said he hopes Project: Sell Out Ohio will increase appreciation for the Columbus music scene and inspire attendees to see more lesser-known artists going forward. He described the project as being about helping people with bigger dreams, telling the Dispatch he wants audiences to support underdogs as much as they do nationally touring acts.
