feature many songs that are previously unreleased, or a live, demo or acoustic version of a hit song providing a unique experience for the fan. Next, because we are a 100% volunteer organization, artists know that their contribution of a song means nearly 100% of the proceeds actually go to epilepsy research and patient care services and are not eaten up by paid employees, board members or solicitors. Our model also is appealing to folks who buy our CDs or make a donation. Because we are all volunteers, all songs are donated and most of the services necessary to produce a CD are done pro bono, we are able to take a $1 donation and turn it into a CD. That CD is, in turn, sold for $8-12 resulting in larger donation to the charities we support than would have occurred had the donor given directly to the charity. Lastly, Joey’s Song is a member of the music industry. We are technically a non-profit, independent record label. As such, we are building our relationships within the industry and providing a reliable charitable outlet for artists, labels and publishers. tDB: How did you connect with AirPlay Direct and how has that experience been? KB: We reached out to AirPlay Direct prior to release of Joey’s Song Volume 2
and Joey’s Song Volume 2 for Kids. After hearing Joey’s story, AirPlay took us under their wing, helped us get started with all the great tools AirPlay Direct offers and promoted our CDs to their 8,800+ radio stations. After several weeks, the Joey’s Song Volume 2 CDs had been downloaded and played on several hundred radio stations around the globe. And, without any explicit promotion of our Volume 1 CDs, both of those garnered tons of interest. At one point, in the first month following our release, all four of the Joey’s Song CDs were in top 30 of the AirPlay Americana/AAA chart at #1, #5, #15 and #30. We are extremely grateful for the support of the entire AirPlay Direct team and look forward to a long and prosperous friendship/partnership. tDB: What are the next steps for Joey’s Song both musically and with other partners? KB: It is our hope that we can continue to grow the Joey’s Song brand name and to raise ever greater amounts to fund epilepsy research and patient care services for children with special needs. We will continue to produce CDs each year as they are a great way to raise awareness and money for
epilepsy and also provide us an entrée to tell our story to more and more artists. But, we also are looking to grow the benefit concert side of our fundraising capabilities. Live shows provide an experience that music lovers are looking for and are a great fundraising vehicle. Joey’s Song has produced 3 benefit shows since 2010 featuring artists like Rhett Miller (Old 97’s), Freedy Johnston, Miles Nielsen, Sam Llanas, and others. Much like our CDs, we are growing our concerts, both in the name recognition of the artists performing and the size of venue. Our dream goal is to have artists like Paul McCartney, Katie Perry or Blake Shelton performing with our independent artists in a Joey’s Song benefit concert to help us continue FIGHTING EPILEPSY WITH MUSIC!
What you can do to help: Your donation makes a difference! Please consider a tax-deductible contribution by visiting their website: JoeysSong.org For more information on “Joey’s Song” contact: Kevin Baird, Executive Director 520-464-5639 kmbaird@joeyssong.org