Open Music: Back to Basics

I love music, really LOVE music, and I’m guessing you do too. Remember what it was like when your favorite artist released an album? Or waiting in an actual line to get tickets for their concert? The t-shirts you still own from those concerts? I have them too. 

This is why we created Open Music. It’s worth remembering that. Over the years, as we’ve immersed ourselves in bylaws and API’s, it has been too easy to forget. 

I am a lifetime music lover, but I’m a newcomer to the music business. It’s not an intuitive one, this business, and it’s been a steep learning curve, but, also. . . what a joy to join you all in this wild work of getting music from artists to fans.

We’ve been working on Open Music for three years now, and even after three years, every week, from around the world, people contact me, wanting to know more, interested in what we do. 

People love music. And people want musicians to make a living from their work. We all want a system where music flourishes. 

Isn’t that why we all keep coming back to Open Music? We love music. It seems magical that anyone can make a career out of making music, but since that magical career exists, we want to preserve and fortify it as much as possible. 

So, three years in, we’re collectively exploring, with you, what Open Music is, and what it should be. How might we do this? 

Because Berklee holds artists at its core, it has made a lot of sense that it has been the founder and core supporter of Open Music. But as Berklee expands its commitment to reducing student debt, we can’t support Open Music forever, nor should we. Open Music is for all musicians, and for the entire music industry, and so it’s time to explore how we all support it. 

At the upcoming November 13 meeting, we want to discuss this with you. It’s time to make a decision. Do we become a standalone organization with bylaws and a board and dues? Do we continue as we are, but charge an entry fee for events and activities? Or do we fade away and Berklee and MIT continue their tech work separately? 

Some of you have dug into the governance documents, and for those who did - thank you! We appreciate your care and detailed feedback. But many of you have likely not been paying close attention. So we invite those folks to consider these questions, and to come to our November meeting to weigh in, learn about the upcoming changes, and think about how it will impact you. 

There will be good food and strong coffee, as there always is, hearty discussion and debate, and many of the familiar faces we’ve all come to expect and appreciate at these gatherings. 

I look forward to seeing you there, and hearing from each of you. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about what we’ve been up to, or ask your own questions, check out the governance docs here, the FAQ’s, and a sneak peek of the Berklee / MIT prototype we’ll unveil at the event.