Mack Avenue To Aid Artists With allONE Initiative

News, Cyrille Aimée, Joey DeFrancesco, Aaron Diehl, Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Veronica Swift, Tower of Power, Kirk Whalum

By DownBeat I Apr. 29, 2020

Christian McBride is among the artists whose albums will be sold during the allONE initiative, running on the Mack Avenue website from April 30 to May 3.
(Photo: Anna Webber)

As live performances have come to a halt during the coronavirus pandemic, jazz musicians and record label executives continue to seek creative ways to connect artists and fans.

In an effort to put money directly into the pockets of artists, the Mack Avenue Music Group will present the allONE initiative, running April 30 to May 3. During that four-day span, 100 percent of the money from purchases made through the Mack Avenue website will be distributed directly to artists within 14 days of the event. Organizers selected the launch to coincide with International Jazz Day.

Items offered will include CDs, LPs, merchandise, online lessons and special bundles. Among the artists who will be represented are Cyrille Aimée, Joey DeFrancesco, Aaron Diehl, Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Veronica Swift, Tower of Power and Kirk Whalum.

In a video posted Monday, Mack Avenue staffers and artists hint at some of the unique experiences that will be offered during the event, including master classes, online concerts and home recording sessions.

“Almost everyone I know—musicians, managers, venue owners and booking agents—are facing unemployment or worse for an unknown amount of time,” said Will Wakefield, Mack Avenue’s senior director of A&R, in a prepared statement. “We are keenly aware of what that means and want to be there to help in whatever way we can, and I think [the allONE initiative] is a good start.”

In a statement posted on the Mack Avenue site, Denny Stilwell, the company’s president, wrote, “For music fans like you and me, revisiting our favorite albums, songs and artists reminds us of music’s role as a primary comforter or source of inspiration when the world seems to tilt off its axis.”

He went on to explain that Mack Avenue previously made a donation to the Jazz Foundation of America’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund.

During the past few weeks, other organizations have taken steps to aid musicians during this unprecedented crisis. The music commerce site Bandcamp has specified certain dates on which it will waive its share of revenue in order to aid artists.

In a separate move, as part of a digital campaign to provide revenue to artists, Pi Recordings will post new music to Bandcamp every two weeks. DB