The music industry is hurting. Destroyed.  We need your help.

For years since streaming took over the marketplace, album sales have plummeted.  Artists at every level have compromised by touring more to make up for the loss in revenue. 

Now, all of that has stopped. No gigs, no tours, no live shows for any income.  

It is hard to understand how catastrophic this has been for the entire music industry. 

As a strong voice during this time, I have been able to connect with many artists and the picture is not good.  Let me give you some examples: Graduates from Juilliard and Curtis that can’t afford to pay rent.. Broadway stars that are living with parents to get by. Artists I have looked up to for years thinking of giving it all up and retraining. Bands raffling off instruments to pay their crew. Many dear friends in the industry are looking at mortgages they can’t pay trying to figure out how to support their kids right now with no income and no idea of when it might return.  

But it isn’t just the musicians. This is industry wide.  No touring bands or shows means no income for venues. Beloved community hubs that are struggling to pay their rent right now are wondering if they can stay the course or not. It means no stage hands, no sound engineers.  One of the most talented engineers I know just got a job working at a garden center. It means no booking agents, no managers, no marketing teams, no volunteers.  And the longer this continues, the harder it will be to come back.  More and more venues are faced with the difficult task of closing permanently, laying off staff, and shutting the doors to the communities they have served for generations. 

This is an industry wide catastrophe. 

And we need your help.

Let me rephrase that.

I need your help. 

My income for the past 10 years has been almost entirely from live engagements. That is gone.  This period has helped me unwind, reflect, learn a hell of a lot of new skills, but also to re-access what is truly important to me. And this is the time to make changes, to our own lives and to the entire music industry.  

Many of us have slowed down for the first time in a long time enough to realized that this system isn’t working.

Now is the time to rebuild in a new way!  Let’s rebuild in a way artist and fans actually have a direct connection. Where your support and love of music actually feeds the creation of it.  Let’s rebuild in way where YOU are involved in the process, engaging your creative skills and directly helping fund the kind of content you want. Let’s rebuild in a way that is more stable and supportive of artists so that we can focus on making great quality art, instead of putting food on the table through product advertising or making choices that compromise creative control. 

So this is my plan.  

I am launching a Patreon.  But really I should say, WE are launching a Company.

What is Patreon? This is a way that we take music and the arts back to how they were for most of human history. You, the Patron, directly fund and interact with the artist. We can connect directly and meaningfully, and your support goes directly the creative projects we will embark on together. It  worked for Shakespeare… (In Tomorrow’s post I will share with you EXACTLY what these are and how we can join together to create greatness!) 

I also am doing a concert for the Ark Family Room Series.  A Live Stream on July 16th, and all the proceeds will go directly to the venue to help this beloved venue’s lights on. 

And Lastly, I have made a new commitment to social justice as an artist, and I hope you will help me on this journey.  I have been spending countless hours reading, writing, and attending meetings - and ultimately I hope to re-vamp the way the music education works in this country.  This starts small and gets really big. But I will share all of this with you in time. 

First, Dates to mark in you Calendar.  

July 1 - Patreon Soft Launch + LIVE Q&A at 12:30 (EST)

July 6 - Patreon Launch and Launch Party!

July 7 - First Tune video goes live on Patreon.

July 16 - ARK Family Room Livestream. 8:00pm (EST)