“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda took to YouTube Friday morning to announce the Atlantic Records release of “The Hamilton Instrumentals,” the instrumental edition of the Broadway cast recording of the Tony-winning smash. At the same time, “Hamilton” producers and rights holders officially endorsed fan sing-along events that have begun to take place around the country, beginning with the first edition of Hamiltunes L.A. in Los Angeles in late 2015.
Miranda was joined in the video by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, the Roots members who executive produced the “Hamilton” cast recording, as well as Jonathan Groff, an original Broadway cast member of the show.
He and the show made a stir on social media earlier this week with the announcement of the #Ham4All challenge and the video that goes along with it.
Not mentioned in the video is the fact that the informal network of “Hamilton” sing-alongs, organized by nonprofit Hamiltunes L.A., is now official. The producers of the musical are now authorizing free sing-along programs for fans and offering the Hamiltunes name and logo to promote the events. Inspired by Hamiltunes L.A., similar Hamiltunes events have taken place in New York, San Francisco, and Boston.
For the show’s producers, there’s a clear benefit to encouraging the sing-alongs, since the events only serve to stoke and sustain fan enthusiasm for the show as it rolls out across the country on national tour. “Hamilton” starts performances at L.A.’s Pantages Theater Aug. 11, as productions continue on Broadway and in Chicago. A London staging bows later this year.
