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.
Recommended Nonprofits for 2011 Holiday Giving
Below are some highlights from our annual list of recommended nonprofits that are working on lead issues to consider for the 2011 holiday giving season. Please let us know if you have any questions. Happy Holidays from the ATC staff!
Creative Responses to Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Musicians has launched as an online tool for “sound engineers, sound artists, producers, DJs, instrumentalists, composers, and lyricists” who support Occupy Wall Street and its affiliated protests.
The new initiative seeks to focus the incredible support the movement has received from the music community into a petition and public statement of solidarity. The site will also serve as a resource to musicians, helping tp put on musical performances at Occupy protest sites and providing a hub for the documentation of audio, video, and writings from artists who support the 99 percent.
How to Support Public Radio: Resources & Actions for Musicians
Accessible non-commercial radio is a vital part of both the music business and the process of creating an informed and engaged democracy. Over 90% of Americans listen to traditional radio every week, and half of all Americans listen to public radio.
The non-commercial radio space is one of great turbulence and great opportunity. In the past year, we have simultaneously seen both an attack on public radio and the passage of a law that will create up to 1,000 more low-power community stations.
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.
Songs About Water & Land
ATC came up with a playlist of songs about water and land for a recent presentation about our work with musician’s on climate change and environmental issues. Here are some of our favorites:
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.
Pass Along Our Tools to Your Digital Strategists
ATC has been getting an increasing number of requests about how to support the causes you care about through your social network channels and online assets. We recently went through all of our resources to identify the tools we think would be most helpful to the digital strategy community. Many are focused on particular channels or technologies and include sample text for simple and effective calls-to-actions that can easily be pushed out to various fan bases through multiple channels.
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
Support for Artists Raising Money for Causes
In the past fifteen years, ATC’s team has helped artists raise, direct and re-grant over $10 million to social change and social justice organizations. These donations go far beyond fulfilling immediate and dire monetary needs of great organizations. They also, and perhaps more importantly, inject energy and excitement into these organizations and the tireless efforts of their staff and volunteers.
This donation is more energizing to our movement than much bigger donations because of who it came from! –an Executive Director after hearing that a musician was giving her organization a small donation.
10th Anniversary of 9/11: How to Get Involved
As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches we are also reminded that October 7th–the anniversary of the US invasion of Afghanistan–will mark ten years of our nation continuously at war. The significance of these events provides us with a unique opportunity to honor those who have lost their lives, to remember the sense of community that arose in response to the attacks, and to lay out a vision toward more peaceful outcomes in the future. Outlined below are several ways to get involved in commemorating the anniversaries by promoting peace, creativity and community service or by generating funds to continue important work in this area. Please help spread the word by sharing the following recommendations with your fans and networks.
Support NOLA & The Gulf on the 6th Anniversary of Katrina
The end of this month will mark the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed. In conjunction with the 6th anniversary, ATC is offering the ‘Dear New Orleans’ compilation for $6 to generate more awareness and funds for the album’s excellent beneficiaries–Sweet Home New Orleans and Gulf Restoration Network.
Help us spread the word. We are asking all of our colleagues, retreat alum, friends and family to help us spread the word about this push by posting language about the promotion to their Twitter, Facebook, blogs and/or websites starting this Thursday (8/25) until the follwing week (8/31). We have included some sample text below and would VERY much appreciate any support you can give.
Vote for Our SXSW 2012 Panels
It’s that time of year again. Please vote for ATC’s proposed panels on the official SXSW 2012 Panel Picker website or by clicking on the direct links below. Voting begins 8/15 and runs though 9/2. See below for panel descriptions and links. We have some really great content and speakers on board again this time around. 
It’s an Election Year!: http://bit.ly/mUK3nA
Go Green: Strategies For A More Sustainable Tour: http://bit.ly/pMNpFq
Responding to Natural Disasters: http://bit.ly/n1NRVH
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.
ATC’s New App for Artists Helps Music Fans to “Go Green”
Fan transportation to and from venues constitutes the vast majority of carbon emissions on a tour—up to 85-90%. ATC has researched sustainable production and touring for several years presenting our findings and recommendations for a more sustainable tour to our network. During this time we have observed and evaluated many sustainable touring trends and have learned that – thanks to Radiohead’s pioneering research into fan transportation – encouraging fans to take public transportation and/or carpool is the single, most effective thing an artist can do to reduce the environmental impact of a tour.
U.S. Tornado Relief + Update on Japan Recommendations
Suggested text for sharing on Twitter/Facebook/Band sites – How to help: US tornado relief and Japan aid update http://bit.ly/kDYuSl #disasterrelief
TORNADO RELIEF
ATC has been monitoring response to the recent tornadoes that have ravaged parts of the Midwestern and Southern U.S. After researching what our philanthropy and aid experts advise (including advisers in disaster philanthropy and relief work) we recommend the following organizations. These groups are doing immediate relief and long-term rebuilding in the areas impacted by the flooding and tornadoes.
Artists Write List of Reasons to Support ATC & Celebrate Its 6th Year (It will make you laugh.)
At ATC we take a different approach to working with musicians (i.e.: we do not “use” them for social justice but rather, we are here to be used by them as a resource). In this same tradition, we also take a different approach to fundraising.
To celebrate our 6th anniversary (which is today!) & to ask for your support, we are not going to send you the typical, boring fundraising appeal. Instead, we have complied a list of reasons, as written by some of the artists, managers and organizers that we work with, to donate to ATC.
Tips for Musicians Navigating the Health Insurance World
ATC recently came upon this guest post with some great information for musicians looking for best practices on finding health care coverage. The post’s author, Dennis Carlson, runs Bespoke Benefits, an insurance agency in Davis, California as well as Gaslight-East, an artist development and licensing company.
Using his direct knowledge of the complexities of both the health insurance industry and the music business, Dennis put together a list of some of his best tips and tricks. While they provide no guarantee of getting coverage – they do provide some very helpful guidance and direction for navigating the health insurance world.
The BP Oil Spill One-Year Later: How You Can Help
This Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 will mark the 1-year anniversary of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. As that date approaches, we turned to our friends and colleagues at the Gulf Restoration Network (healthygulf.org), a New Orleans based environmental organization who have been following, monitoring, reporting and activating concerned citizens since day one of the disaster.
From today through the 20th sales from ATC’s Dear New Orleans digital benefit album will be dedicated to @HealthyGulf. http://bit.ly/dhYrNx. Help spread the word by tweeting, re-tweeting or posting this message to Facebook.
Music Tech Tools for Causes
There are a number of great online tools that provide a variety of solutions for independent musicians in a post-major label world from direct-to-fan marketing to booking your own gigs to DIY licensing/distribution services. ATC has also started to see an influx of online tools targeted at helping musicians raise money for various charities and causes. Here are a few that are using these new technologies and funding models to connect musicians and their fans directly to the causes they care about.
UPDATE: JAPAN AID & DONATIONS
Since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, ATC has been monitoring the situation and consulting with our philanthropy and aid experts (these include advisors in disaster philanthropy and relief work).
What you should know:
- There are 3 phases to a disaster: 1. Rescue, 2. Relief, and 3. Recovery + Rebuilding. Governments are usually best able to respond to the rescue and relief phases as we have seen in Japan. The phase where experts agree that the international community has the most important role to play is in the recovery and long-term rebuilding work. This is also the phase where musicians and fans can have the biggest impact — helping to keep the spotlight on the path to recovery as the international community turns to other news and disasters — and as ATC has seen happen in New Orleans and Haiti.
URGENT ACTION: JAPAN RELIEF – HOW TO HELP
On March 11, 2011, a 8.9/9.0 earthquake – one of the largest in recorded history- and subsequent tsunami hit Japan, causing extensive damage across a large part of the country. The death toll is high and the number of displaced and homeless is even higher.
Immediate relief and search and rescue efforts are being led by the Japanese government, one of the most prepared in the world for this type of disaster. This makes aid and relief response very different from other recent disasters that took place in developing countries. Numerous countries and relief agencies have pledged support and aid to Japan when they are ready. Suggested organizations and text are noted below for immediate donations. They are mobilized and have presence on the ground in the affected areas.
UPDATE: ACTIONS & PROTESTS FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Update Madison, WI: Protests are heating up in response to Gov. Walker’s recent actions altering the State’s law and allowing Republicans to strip union workers of their collective bargaining rights. Below are up to date actions Artists and their fans can take to help defend workers’ rights.
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DEFENDING WORKERS’ RIGHTS – HOW ARTISTS CAN SUPPORT:
Post/Tweet/Facebook/Email the below actions to band sites and social media…
Close to Madison? Rally on Sat, Mar 12 for workers’ rights. Go to “action centers” at capitol for more on what to do: http://bit.ly/fgbgvh
Support public service workers. Sign the petition: http://bit.ly/f1HoR0
