Open Fest was formed in the summer of 2003 by saxophonist Daniel Bennett, Andrew Cloninger, and Rich Oppedisano.
The vision of Open Fest was to create a platform for diverse musical groups to perform.
From traditional Taiwanese performer Yi Chen Chang, to synthpop guru Joy Electric, Open Fest quickly became a format for new music.
In 2006, Bennett Alliance began an important collaboration with California-based Velvet Blue Music.
[citation needed] Velvet Blue Music is operated by veteran musician Jeff Cloud, who has released albums for groups such as Richard Swift, Stavesacre, Soul-Junk, and Starflyer 59.