SONGS FOR A CAUSE
THE BIG IDEA
The idea behind Songsmith is to create an online platform, which brings together musicians and good causes in a way that is beneficial for both. Specifically, Songsmith would invite artists to donate ‘songs for a cause’, as well as live show tickets and merchandise, made available to the user on the Songsmith website. In so doing, awareness and funds could be raised for the cause, whilst the musician can benefit from increased exposure and an opportunity to put out exclusive content for their fans and followers.
THE HEART The heart behind Songsmith is to support philanthropy through music, by partnering with artists, and inviting the user into the narrative to help create change. We are not talking about one-off charity singles and benefit concerts, but a sustainable platform, which showcases artists and causes year-round. We want to celebrate great music, tell positive stories and harness creativity to make a real impact in the world we live in.
THE HEART... Many artists already support causes, or have a desire to use their creativity to do something beneficial. This was demonstrated as far back as 1739, when George Frideric Handel supported the Foundling Hospital in London through donating memorabilia and hosting yearly benefit concerts of his famous “Messiah�. His creative generosity made a real practical difference to what was a huge need at that time, and paved the way for many other musicians to support philanthropy.
Similarly, Songsmith hopes to weave together philanthropy, music and storytelling, by partnering with multiple artists and causes in a way that is unique to this generation.
THE FORMAT Our focus would be on individual cause campaigns, where artists and their fans could come together to create an impact that can be easily measured. This is a compelling narrative for both the artist and the listener to be a part of – a tangible exchange, which sees music making a brick-by-brick difference. These cause partnerships would be chosen by Songsmith, but could also be selected in collaboration with the artist if they were passionate about raising money for a particular cause.
THE FORMAT... A cause campaign could be, for example, to raise money for a water and sanitation project in Uganda. It could equally be something closer to home. Songsmith would start by sharing this as a compelling and quality story, through copy, photography and video to invite the user into the narrative and to raise awareness of the cause. Partner artists would donate exclusive music, merchandise or concert tickets, which would be made available for users to purchase via Songsmith, to reach a specific campaign goal.
THE PRODUCT The central product on offer would consist of exclusive music, tickets to live shows and merchandise.
EXCLUSIVE SONGS
EVENTS MERCHANDISE
This could either be a brand new song only available on Songsmith, a pre-release of a new song, or an exclusive session of existing material filmed and recorded for Songsmith. Equally we would love to see some unique collaborations between artists. An artist, ticket promoter or venue could release a number of tickets to upcoming gigs to support causes on Songsmith. Exclusive merchandise and memorabilia would also be made available to raise money for causes. This could be anything from T-shirts to signed sheet music.
THE PRODUCT... The cause goal would be visualised, so that a user could see the impact that their purchase would make. Once they have made a purchase, they would be invited further into the cause story– with updates as to what their purchase helped achieve for the cause.
ÂŁ25,000 raised so far
Target: materials for well Share with a friend
SONGSMITH SONGS FOR A CAUSE
HELP ALT-J & OTHER ARTISTS BUILD A WELL IN UGANDA...
We have partnered with Charity:Water to help support the building of a new well in southern Uganda and a sanitation educational programme for the local area. Watch the video here.
Be a part of the solution, by downloading Alt J’s exclusive session... and if you’re quick, by purchasing one of their kindly donated tickets to their upcoming London show. DOWNLOAD NOW MP3 • VIDEO
In essence, Songsmith would be giving users and fans the chance to change the world (in some small way) by listening to music. This is made possible by the creative generosity of the music artist who has donated something of their craft to the cause. Our desire would be to create something that is genuine and transparent, to fulfill the following aims: • To raise awareness and to educate people on important issues • To raise funds for meaningful causes • To be an effective platform for musicians, which helps them in their career • To create positive cultural stories, which inspire generosity