Giving on the Main Line

Main Liners find unique ways to contribute.

(page 5 of 5)

Pay to Play

Feed the Muse makes it easy to support struggling artists.
By Dawn E. Warden

Gone are the days when every musician’s dream was to score a hefty, long-term recording contract with a major record label. It’s no secret that, over the past decade, the once-mighty infrastructure of the music industry has weakened significantly, primarily due to dwindling CD sales and its inability to find any real financial footing online.

Meanwhile, down in the trenches, talented artists continue to struggle to make a living, most reluctant to ask for help. Many will admit that marketing and self-promotion aren’t their strong suits—and these days, postings on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter aren’t enough. Musicians need to build stable, long-lasting relationships with their audiences.

That’s where Feed the Muse comes in. Founded by Ardmore-based musicians/producers Jamie Lokoff and Tom Laskas, the website facilitates fundraising while uniting a variety of artists and supporters in one place. The process is simple: A musician (fine artists, writers and filmmakers are also welcome) signs up and creates a personalized page where fans and the curious can read all about said musician and make a contribution as small as a dollar. Artists receive their donations by check or electronically, minus a 7.5-percent service fee.

Working at MilkBoy Recording with producer Tommy Joyner, Lokoff and Laskas have found a niche producing bands on the verge. “But they lacked the various rungs of support necessary to get to that next level,” says Laskas.

Then, one day, Lokoff was going through his e-mails. “I got something about [Susan G. Komen] Race for the Cure,” he says. “It wasn’t the first fundraising e-mail I’d gotten, but it was the first time I started to relate the model to music.”

Websites similar to Feed the Muse do exist, though many function more like record labels. “They’re built around several in-house artists that outside investors or donors can contribute to,” says Dena Marchiony, executive director of the Philadelphia Songwriters Project. “Other sites act as a way for investors to get a return of their cash, so it’s not so much fan funding.”

Lokoff and Laskas weren’t aware of the fan-funding concept when they first started Feed the Muse. It was only after working on their new website that they discovered other models out there. Both would like to see Feed the Muse expand. “Tommy and Jamie have been focused on creating a community and supporting all types of artists,” says Marchiony. “But if their artists do well, they can do well. And I do think they have a desire to create a national presence for MilkBoy and all it stands for.”

Adds Lokoff, “The better our artists do, the better the Muse does. That’s a win-win for everyone.”

For fans, the benefits are numerous. Access to the artist increases exponentially as they gain insight into the creative process and enjoy cool perks like “private” concerts. They may even act as an album’s executive producer, previewing tracks prior to the final cut.

“We want to educate the fan about how they see the creation of art, so they begin to understand what the cost of creating art—a CD, touring, putting together a film—actually is,” says Laskas. “This will also shift the mindset of the public and help them better understand what it is they’re paying for.”

To learn more, visit feedthemuse.net.

Click here to pick another story.