ArtIsMyOccupation Launches To Support Occupy Artists
ATC is excited about the launch of a new partner project called ArtIsMyOccupation (AMO).
Founded by artists and for artists who are involved in Occupy and other movements for Economic Justice, the project’s mission is to provide direct support for the culture workers of the 99% and get the artists who are working on the front lines of social change the resources they need.
AMO is now accepting applicants for the first round of grants and is calling all musicians, artists or performers with brillant ideas for an #occupy art project. Visit the AMO website for more information.
New Music from Lateef the Truthspeaker
Some incredible music for the movement just came out today. Lateef the Truthspeaker‘s new solo album ‘FIREWIRE‘ features 2 songs written in reaction to the current political and economic climate. The best is the summer-in-winter jam for the people, “We the People” which is guaranteed to keep the movement warm. Take a listen here:
And please help spread the word:
1.) Send it to your friends, networks and constituents to get them energized. http://bit.ly/sYkiBP
2.) Buy it and ask them to buy it (we’ve gotta keep these artists in their jobs too!) http://amzn.to/ufQqxm
SPOTLIGHT: Call To Action Music Videos
Current research shows that the numbers of Americans who are watching and sharing videos online via sites like YouTube and Vimeo has more than doubled over the last 5 years to a whopping 71 percent. Watching videos online now outranks social networking, online banking and other activities as the most frequent online activity.
As new features and capabilities are being added to video sharing sites including the ability to sell music, merch, tickets and more, it is clear the potential impact call to action music videos can have in raising awareness, generating funds or promoting action for a cause or issue an artist cares about–while at the same time promoting an artist’s music and brand.
Small Actions to Support Economic Justice
Throughout the country people are taking to the streets to demand changes to the economic system that will take care of Main Street before Wall Street. Many artists have reached out to us asking for advice for how to take small actions to support economic justice issues, so we have put together some recommendations on simple ways to get involved below.
From visiting or supporting the protests that are spreading throughout the country to moving your money from big banks to smaller community-based ones that support local economies, there are many things that musicians can do to support economic justice. To find out more about these protests and campaigns, please see the reference section below.
Guest Post: Martín Perna on Immigration
In May of 2011, ATC & FMC brought a group of musicians on a fact-finding trip to Tucson, AZ to explore the multitude of issues at play in the immigration reform debate, including the role of the criminal justice system and media rights, and to hear directly from affected communities and experts. What follows is a first-hand account written by musician and retreat participant, Martín Perna, founder of the musical groups Antibalas and Ocote Soul Sounds.
Part I: Landing
East Africa Food Crisis-How You Can Help
The severe drought throughout East Africa has triggered a famine in Somalia, claiming thousands of innocent lives each day. Political instability, conflict and dysfunction in the area has only complicated relief efforts, but organizations are working to get humanitarian access to some of the hardest-hit areas.
With up to 11 million people in danger of starving to death, relief organizations are calling on the international community to donate the funds needed to get essential aid to those that are suffering.
Ways that you can provide immediate help:
1. Donate to Oxfam America, which has launched a major campaign to help the people affected by drought and famine in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia: http://bit.ly/nAx2f1.
ART AND PROTEST — TUNISIA TO MADISON
From Tunisia to Cairo to Madison, Wisconsin, the protests spreading across the world have illuminated the power of people, technology and organizing. They are also highlighting the important and energizing role that art and artists have in these historic moments to usher in democratic change.
“We accomplished the biggest uprising in the world in 18 days,” said Zaky Khelfa, an Egyptian artist and organizer. “And how did it happen? With art and blood. We drew the ideas of the people.”
ATC AND TOPSPIN HELP MUSICIANS SUPPORT CHARITIES & NONPROFITS
A recent Topspin blog post highlights how ATC and Topspin having been working in partnership with several musicians to create successful and engaging social change campaigns. The post also notes some of the ways in which ATC can help to support artists in their efforts – helping to identify a beneficiary, collecting & delivering funds, managing compliance paperwork, evaluating the donation’s impact and more. Below is the original post showcasing some of the most successful case studies from the past year.
(Original post by Topspin can be found here: http://www.topspinmedia.com/case-studies-2/musicians-for-charity/)
WHO SAYS THERE AREN’T ANY CURRENT (AND GOOD) PROTEST SONGS?!!
Over the last five years, there have been many articles lamenting a false conclusion that there are no good protest songs these days. In fact when asked, most writers and even many music fans think that the art of the protest song died in the sixties. In an effort to both highlight some of the great and creative examples that came to mind when pondering the question, and to attempt to curtail those naysayers continuing to report that they are none, here is ATC’s list of the best protest songs of THIS YEAR. Please email us with any we may have missed: info @ atctower.net
MUSIC COMMUNITY SUPPORTS GAY RIGHTS THROUGH SONG
While policies around gays in the military and same-sex marriage remain unmoved and harassment of gays in schools has led to dozens of suicides across the United States, pop music remains an arena where gay rights and tolerance is embraced. Several songs such as Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R”, Taylor Swift’s “Mean”, Pink’s “Raise Your Glass” and Katy Perry’s “Firework”, many of which were written in response to the recent wave of gay teen suicides and anti-gay bullying incidents, contain themes of overcoming persecution and self acceptance. Lady Gaga, who has spoken out many times against “don’t ask don’t tell” both in public appearances and on her website, will also add her upcoming single “Born This Way” to this list.
URGENT ACTION: DEVASTATING FLOODS IN PAKISTAN
The worst floods in Pakistan’s history have hit the north-west region of the country. Estimates have the death toll over 1,600 and over 20 million people affected. The United Nations has warned the international community that, due to a massive shortage of international aid, an estimated six million people, mostly children and children, are at a high risk of deadly diseases from dirty water.
ATC asked our contact at Oxfam America for an update and how our network can best help the situation. Here is what he said:
MUSICIANS + IMMIGRATION: BY THE TIME I GET TO ARIZONA
On Friday, April 23, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed SB 1070, a bill concerned citizens are calling anti-immigrant and unconstitutional.
Here are some actions ATC has compiled for musicians and their fans:
1. May 1st is a national day of action for immigration reform.
Find a local event to attend or participate in: http://bit.ly/9SkCGQ
2. Post links to May Day events and other actions on band websites + social media.
On websites, bands can include the iconic Shepard Fairey Immigration Reform images which are available for download at: www.cimarrones.org.
For social media, copy and paste the messages below, or write your own.
TIBET EARTHQUAKE RELIEF – RECOMMENDED ORGS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO
At approximately 7:40am, Wednesday, April 14th a 6.9 magnitude earthquake followed by several powerful aftershocks struck in eastern Tibet.
Media are reporting nearly 600 people killed and more than 10,000 injured. Tibetans with contacts in the area have heard the death toll may be as high as 4,000.
The following is a list of organizations that our colleagues at Students for a Free Tibet recommend. ATC staff knows many of these organizations well and have worked with a few of them in the past when producing the Tibetan Freedom Concerts. We will continue to monitor the situation and update accordingly.
CHINA DENIES BOB DYLAN PERMISSION TO PERFORM
China has denied Dylan permission to perform in Beijing and Shanghai. As a result, Dylan has canceled his Asian tour stops including Hong Kong and South Korea.
Ever since Björk made a call for Tibet independence at a Shanghai concert in 2008, Chinese officials have scrutinized performers coming through China.
The Guardian reported:
China’s ministry of culture, which vets planned concerts by overseas artists, appeared wary of Dylan’s past as an icon of the counterculture movement, said Jeffrey Wu, of the Taiwan-based promoters Brokers Brothers Herald.
LILITH FAIR: VETTING BENEFICIARY ORGANIZATIONS FOR TICKET SURCHARGE
Lilith Fair will be donating a $1 from every ticket to a local charity in each city the festival stops in.
Vetting the charities can be challenging and Lilith Fair is facing some scrutiny for a few of their choices.
The Chicago Reader reports:
”After becoming a fan of the fest on its official Facebook page, people can vote for which organization in their town they want Lilith’s bucks to benefit. The pulldown menu includes about ten choices for most cities, most of them women’s shelters or health centers for the underserved, with a synopsis of the services each offers.
MUSICIANS RESPOND TO HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL
Paste magazine published a series of musician responses to the recent Health Care Reform Bill. Some artists we have worked with are quoted in the article.
From PasteMagazine.com
Nellie McKay: “Well, it’s something. We need a public option. We don’t need mandatory payments to some of the worst corporations on Earth. The President’s support of abortion restrictions is deceptively benign; Obama, why is it always poor women who pay the price? Reform represents a hard-won step in the right direction. But to quote Dave Chappelle, ‘Where would a black man be without his paranoia?’ We are right to be paranoid when something like health care is in the hands of people who are only motivated by profit.”
HAITI UPDATE: TWO MONTHS LATER & HOW YOU CAN HELP
An informative editorial in today’s New York Times outlines the current status of the relief efforts and the major players.
It highlights the very small dent that has been made in the on-going relief efforts and what is still required.
The NY Times Editorial states:
”There are four main strands to the campaign to make sure 1.2 million homeless people are sheltered and safe as the weather turns fierce. All are inadequate…
DAMIAN KULASH’S OP-ED FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Check out this great op-ed by OK Go’s Damian Kulash re: frustrations with their label (EMI) and their policy to not allow OK Go’s fans, video viewers, bloggers etc. to embed their music videos.
Kulash writes:
In these tight times, it’s no surprise that EMI is trying to wring revenue out of everything we make, including our videos. But it needs to recognize the basic mechanics of the Internet. Curbing the viral spread of videos isn’t benefiting the company’s bottom line, or the music it’s there to support. The sooner record companies realize this, the better — though I fear it may already be too late.
WhoseTube?
By DAMIAN KULASH Jr., Published: February 19, 2010, The New York Times.
WHITE HOUSE HONORS MUSIC FROM THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Calling the civil rights movement, “a movement sustained by music,” President Obama, along with legislators and musicians, honored both the music and the movement on Tuesday night.
The evening is part of a series of music events hosted by Michelle Obama at the White House. The program was the Black History Month event titled, “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” and will be broadcast this Thursday night on PBS.
ARTIST & MANAGER MEMO: HOW CITIZENS UNITED SUPREME COURT RULING AFFECTS YOU
The recent Supreme Court ruling (a.k.a. “Citizens United”) greatly changed election law and regulations and, because most bands are incorporated, these changes greatly impact musicians.
To help us better understand the Supreme Court ruling and how it affects artists and bands we asked our Federal Election lawyer to write the following MEMO. It outlines various scenarios specific to musicians as well as the areas of federal election law that have NOT CHANGED.
Read the full Memo below or download a PDF of it here:
Memo for Artists and Managers: Citizens United and Supreme Court Ruling.pdf (190.74 Kb)
ATC’S RECOMMENDED NON-PROFITS FOR 2009 HOLIDAY GIVING
ATC’s recommended non-profits for giving include: Sweet Home New Orleans, The Roots of Music, Jail Guitar Doors, Energy Action Coalition, Students for a Free Tibet, Innocence Project, DonorsChoose, Future of Music, Heifer International and more…
Below is a list of ATC’s recommended non-profits for the 2009 holiday giving season. Please let us know if you have any questions. Happy Holidays from the ATC staff!
Arts Corps
Arts Corps is Seattle’s largest nonprofit arts organization working to inspire creative habits in young people through a passionate corps of teaching artists. They hire professional teaching artists who work with a variety of art disciplines and place them in school and after-school sites in the area. They have also been picked to lead the MusicianCorps Seattle pilot.
MUSIC SAVES MOUNTAINS
Country singers and other musicians including Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea and Big Kenny band together to stop mountaintop removal coal mining.
Music Saves Mountains is an artists’ initiative sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Gibson Foundation intended to help protect the Appalachian mountains from a form of strip mining called mountaintop removal.
The campaigns slogan “Let’s keep the ‘country’ in country music” speaks to the close connection that many country singers have to the songs, both new and old, written about or in the region.
THE ONLY REPUBLICAN TO VOTE FOR HEALTH CARE IS FROM NOLA
This weekend, when the U.S. House voted on their version of the Health Care Reform Bill, only one Republican out of 177 crossed party lines to support it: Rep. Anh Cao from New Orleans district.
When asked why he voted in favor of the bill Rep. Cao said he, “had to make a decision of conscience based on the needs of the people in my district.”
LOS TIGRES DEL NORTE CANCELS MEXICO CITY PERFORMANCE AFTER SONG IS BANNED
L.A. based Los Tigres, one of Mexico’s most popular bands, recently canceled an award show performance after being told they could not perform “La Granja”, a song critical of the Mexican government.
The lead singer, Jorge Hernandez, explained that the banned song, “La Granja” is a fable that tells the story of life and problems in Mexico. Some critics have accused the band of glorifying drug traffickers. Hernandez says:
“The song speaks of all the problems in Mexico, through a fable with little animals…We wanted to deal with the problems our government has — narcotics trafficking, the violence, what we already know about and live. There is nothing to offend anyone, it is simply a representation of what is happening to us.”
