Blue Note Records Partners With ArtistShare For Fan Funded Releases
Iconic jazz label Blue Note is partnering with music crowdfunding platform ArtistShare to create a new record label devoted to recording and releasing a new generation of jazz artists. Under the arrangement, UMG owned Blue Note will be involved in the selection of
artists, add its logo and promotional support to the release, and if response warrants it, upstream the artist to the official Blue Note roster.
While Blue Note/ArtistShare, will be acting as a farm team, artists will retain full ownership of the initial master recordings; and fans helping to fund the project on ArtistShare will be involved throughout the creative process.
Not as well known as Kickstarter or PledgeMusic, ArtistShare, founded in 2003, works mostly with jazz artists; and has helped fan fund album releases that have won 6 Grammy awards and 18 Grammy nominations.
"Young artists worldwide are making fresh musical statements left and right, but are forced to do their own marketing campaigns, too, often when their main focus should be their creative output," says Bruce Lundvall, Chairman Emeritus of Blue Note Records.
This is called outsourcing of risk from A&R management decisions to donors.
Corporate labels don’t need the money acquired in crowd funding to finance a production.