I was sitting in the whip listening to ‘All Things Considered’ on local NPR affiliate WHYY this afternoon. I tuned in during one of their fundraisers; you know, where the broadcasters extol the virtues of public radio programming, hoping that listeners will call in and pledge money. I think a lot of people dislike these annual fund-drives, or at least consider them a necessary evil, and a means to an end. I’ve always really liked NPR fundraisers; maybe even looked forward to them. There’s a certain virtuosity that the on-air personalities have: switching up topics at the drop of a hat, riffing off of each other, and coming up with segues on the fly, that appeals to me on the same level that freestyle rap does. Imagine that cipher. Click on the jump to read more!
To make a long story short, I ended up calling their 800 number [if you were wondering, you don't hear the phone call ring on the radio in real-time]. Anyhow, I always thought that NPR/PBS tote bags were basically hip-hop as fuck, and I wanted to see if I couldn’t support a cause I truly believe in, and floss extraordinarily, all at the same time. Well, it turns out that they no longer offer the throwback tote bags [only grocery bags], and with my sense of style overwhelming my sense of responsibility, I ended the call.
Another brush with adulthood averted.
Not for long, though. See, I’m a recording artist, and on a daily basis I deal with companies and people who squarely fall into the ‘Industry Rule #4080″-column. But, once in a long while you get to work alongside an organization with pioneering vision, high-minded goals, and the kind of membership that, you know, helps you remember “why you got into this rap shit in the first place”.
Enter: CASHMusic
I couldn’t begin to explain how much this non-profit means to me. On their website, CASH describes their mission as: “build[ing] open tools and services to benefit artists and music organizations.” They’re being modest… from my experience, anyway. These dudes gave me the tools to shop my latest record, Cassette City, on a unique, secure online platform, and then helped me ice-grill potential labels. The folks at CASH saw my jacket design through a billion iterations. They’re even dedicating time to awesome promotional projects, post-release. CASH has been an incredible resource to an artist going it largely on his own.
Well, now that they’ve got their non-profit status, CASHMusic needs some funding, too. So, they’ve launched a pretty awesome fundraiser themselves. Nope, no coffee mugs or bumper stickers on offer. But, go over to their site, http://cashmusic.org/, and you can bid on some really cool stuff, donated by an amazing group of artists and bands. See: Deerhoof, Mission of Burma, MGMT, Secret Machines, Sunset Rubdown, and lots more! Seriously.
If it sounds like I’m shilling for these dudes… I am. Honestly, I’m trying to be up on that Time to Pretend 7″ on white vinyl. I mean, Prairie Home Companion isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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