Massachusetts initiative, Mission: Music, flips royalties into relief funds during COVID-19 and beyond
Somerville, MA, May 7, 2020
Today, Mission: Music, a collaboration between Union Sound, Dust Collectors, and Flagg Street Studio that flips royalties into relief funds for the music community, launches worldwide.
The idea is simple: use music to save music. As the pandemic continues to pose an interminable threat to musicians’ traditional sources of income, Mission: Music offers a way for everyone to support the arts simply by listening to amazing music. Unbeatable, Mission: Music’s inaugural project, is a playlist of new and original tracks of which 100% of streaming revenue will benefit The Record Co.’s Boston Music Maker COVID-19 Fund.
Relying heavily on the local hip hop community, Unbeatable showcases legends and newcomers alike, from Termanology and DJ 7L to Red Shaydez and Cliff Notez. In total, 23 musicians agreed to donate all royalties.
The Boston Music Maker COVID-19 Fund has already raised over $100,000, providing small grants to 568 local artists. Even still, there is much more need than there is relief.
As of April 15th, the Massachusetts Cultural Council reported the following statistics:
Arts and culture organizations reported more than a quarter of a billion dollars ($264,799,746) in lost revenue.
91% of all respondents reported cancelling programming and events, and 95% of organizations with facilities reported closing their facility to the public.
62% of cultural organizations responded that they are making decisions to layoff or furlough employees, or reduce their hours or wages. These decisions will impact 15,381 employees across Massachusetts. Many musicians and artists themselves work at cultural institutions.
“Every day, it becomes more clear that musicians and cultural institutions won’t receive meaningful support from local, state, or federal government quickly, if at all,” says Erik “Loman” Sarno, founder of Somerville’s Union Sound and one of the creators of Mission: Music. “As a music community, we’re bracing for more bad news, for more of the venues we came up in to close. Same goes for the record stores and studios. With Mission: Music, we are offering a new way for everyone to support the arts now.”
As for the importance of tapping into streaming specifically, Bret Silverman, co-founder of the Boston-based record label, Dust Collectors, says, “More people are streaming music than ever before right now. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music make it easy for all of us to participate in this initiative. Fans and listeners just have to press play.”
Unbeatable releases on Friday, May 22nd. You can stream to donate on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming platforms.
For more information, visit missionmusic.org or contact:
Erik Sarno
erik@unionsoundshop.com
845-527-5355