About a year and a half ago, I started a management company. As I spent my workdays zipping files of content around from artists to their team members and/or promotional outlets via IM, Yousendit, e-mail or whatever made the most sense for the recipient, I wondered (and had wondered for years) why it wasn’t as easy to sell/distribute music through my artists’ websites.
In fact, I would often yell about this into the universe, and conveniently lived on the 26th floor with a gorgeous view, so it really did feel like someone out there would hear me as I vented to friends and colleagues.
Then one day, just like magic/Oprah and The Secret, an email from Jesse von Doom hit my inbox opening with: “I run CASH Music, a nonprofit dedicated to new music models and new ways for artists to connect to fans.” After some major geek bonding, Jesse invited me to be a part of CASH’s board, which included a-mazing folks along the lines of Kristin Hersh and Maggie Vail. I was and am truly honored to be included in this organization along with the artists and industry folk that have been assembled.
But what does this MEAN? For artists, me, and you?
ARTISTS
CASH has built custom direct-to-fan platforms for select artists as a test run. Thus, peeps like Deerhoof can post sheet music, encouraging fans to create/upload their own versions and 50FootWave has the ability to distribute torrents of their EP’s worldwide. This is in addition to super rad pre-release support for Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith (KRS rereleases), Fischerspooner, Lushlife, Marnie Stern, Secret Machines, Thao, The Thermals, The Vines and more. You can view additional test artists and their content release formats HERE.
ME (slash Whitesmith Entertainment and our lovely artists).
CASH created a promo page for Sydney Wayser lush with audio downloads, video, press materials, and artwork for shows that has been a massive tool in all areas of her quickly growing career from booking to landing syncs to connecting with international partners.
Jesse then worked some magic for Family of the Year, creating a page for their debut album launch that is my dream of a sleek, functional, user-friendly, data-catching machine. The page has generated more income for the band than major digital retailers (iTunes, Amazon). Not that we don’t love those outlets, but am just reporting the facts for this particular artist.
CASH even built the downloadable media function on my company’s website (design by Jesse).
There are other amazing things CASH does, and I assure you, the wizards behind this thing have nothing but positive and genuine intentions. I am reinvigorated and re-inspired every time I get off the phone with Jesse. These are bonus points, but certainly worth nothing, because we are dealing with art and music at the end of the day and it’s always good to remind ourselves why we’re all here.
YOU
I am one seriously lucky girl, I fully admit that. In addition to Jesse, I am surrounded by a virtual and literal community (Brooklyn!) that is constantly experimenting with art and technology. I’m happy to be the lab rat/conduit between these ideas and the artists I proudly manage. But guess what! The trials are on people like me so CASH can tweak things just right before making their tools open source in the coming months for everyone. Even aliens! Though they have probably sorted out beaming holograms of concerts into their personal pods or spaceships at this point, but it’s a nice gesture.
Questions? E-mail me. We’re open-source kinda people.
Much Love,
Emily White
I Love music, I always have. At the age of three I was spinning the Beatles, Stones, and Zappa on my Dad’ stereo (so I’m told)…I loved music and it’s reproduction. As a kid I enjoyed weekend trips to The COOP to buy the next piece of vinyl nirvana. By the time High School came, I bought a guitar, built amps, made my own effects pedals and stereo equipment. I moved on to college. The most important item of the move…The stereo of course… What to do? College radio of course. WUSM 91.1 was a remarkable playground for anyone wanting to learn more about cutting edge music. It was an immersive, seriously run alternative music station operated by the most enthusiastic and committed group of students and volunteers you could find. It was there in 1985 through 1988 I met the likes of Throwing Muses, the Pixes, Midnight Oil, Rash of Stabbings, Miracle Legion, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and more local acts than I can even remember….At some points, attending University was secondary to being involved with the music….. Eventually, I had to leave. in the meantime, I had met my (future) wife (at A Throwing Muses/Pixes show at the Legendary Living Room that once stood on Promenade Street in Providence.)…I got a job in the audio industry (it was all about the music after all) and we started a family…. I could no longer spend the time attending shows, nor did I have the $$ for CD’s..20 years passes.
It was this time last year I saw an add for the Middle East… It was for Throwing Muses. I had to go! All the pieces were in place, the time became now. My Wife and I had just finished a journey that allowed us to breath. We had just finished the process of getting our daughter enrolled in college….Shit I’m getting old. I attended that show and loved every minute. It was more nostalgic than anything else seeing/hearing Kristin belt out those songs of my *youth*…Can it really be that long ago? While I felt nostalgic for the Muses, I was really sold on 50 foot wave..and even the opening set by Screaming Females….One or two Google searches later for more info on 50 foot wave and I was at cashmusic.org. I loved the premise and the passion that was clearly evident from the mission statement and recognized it as the same passion that my Friends and I shared many years ago at WUSM. I started asking questions… I also started getting answers. Here was a place, virtual as it may be, that I could find music and artists that could further inspire me. All I had to do was support them and In turn I get music; almost like it’s made for me. 50 Foot Wave, Family of the Year, Renminbi, Learning music, and Xiu Xiu top my favorites. I even started a somewhat limited dialogue with Jesse. He helped me further understand the goals of CASH. He was patient, interested and enthusiastic. Quite possibly the nicest guy I’ve never had the pleasure of actually meeting.
To all directly involved with CASH, keep up the good work. To all those that support it, keep on supporting it. To the fans of the artists, Let them know your out there. They might offer the music for free, but remember this is about sustainability.
Thanks for everything and here’s to the future.
Lovely, thank you so much Jarl! :) xo