— George Bernard Shaw
Our very first order of 1” IMU buttons have arrived! They are very rad and we can’t wait to start handing them out once we get back to the Cleve on April 5th. We want to take a minute to thank the always-helpful Kyle over at www.cheapestbuttons.net for being so gracious and helping us with this project. He and his company have always been supportive of IMU since before we even had a clear vision, and his caring and kind help deserves to be acknowledged over and over.
If you’re in need of buttons for your band or label or whatever, do yourself a favor and check out CheapestButtons.net
— Robert F. Kennedy
One of the comforts that I found most helpful while living in a van with four other guys for weeks and months at a time, was reading. Nothing could kill time, ease stress, or help me escape quite like a good book. It is with that in mind that we here at IMU have decided to collect any and all fiction and nonfiction books that are in passable condition so that we can donate them to bands on tour who pass through the Cleveland, Ohio area (or are leaving from the Cleveland area to embark on a tour).
More information will be coming in the next few weeks, but we’ve already managed to collect over 100 books just between our staff, volunteers, friends, and family! We are aiming to collect at least 500 books during our first drive, and we hope that you’ll go through your old collection and donate one or two to help independent musicians keep their sanity while on the road.
Be sure to follow this blog, join us on Twitter @indiemusicunite, and become a fan on Facebook so that you can keep up with everything we’ve got going on at IMU. We love you all and appreciate your time and support!
What books changed your life?
The link above will take you a site that simply lists a good amount of our favorite music business resources for independent musicians. The list was compiled by our very own Director of Optimism, Jack Storey, and Brandy Price, Course Director of Music Distribution at Full Sail University.
Just a little starter for you before we launch our first annual Independent Music Business Resource Guide in the coming months! What companies would you suggest we add to the list?
We’re extremely proud to be Cleveland natives, but its been a while since we’ve been able to sit down and enjoy the awesome sights and sounds of the city. We’ve been busy working on the development of the organization while finishing our graduate studies, law studies, and more. It’s been a rough couple years outside of our home.
Next week we finally get to come home (albeit for a very brief 10 days)! We’re meeting with a number of our favorite organizations, individuals, and friends and family to start turning the wheels on Independent Music United there in the Cleve. As we will soon be unveiling our 2010-13 plans for the organization, and the important role that Cleveland will play, we couldn’t be more excited to flee to the Cleve!
Anyone have any suggestions on where we should go eat first?
Independent Music United (IMU) is an official sponsor of the FTF Music Conference taking place April 22 thru the 25th at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Our fearless Director of Music Optimism, Jack Storey, will be an active panelist throughout the event and will be on campus all 4 days preaching the gospel of IMU! Come hang out with us and get some great, cheap fun! Details of the event are below:
The FTF Music Conference features 4 days of music and knowledge. Consisting of 4 showcases, and 3 days of industry panels, workshops, and mentoring sessions, the FTF Music Conference is set up to enhance your musical career by providing you with knowledge, connections, and visibility!
Whether you’re a performing musician, aspiring song-writer, artist manager, or just someone who wants to learn more about the business, the FTF Music Conference is right for you!
Join us for 4 days of music, knowledge, and fun!
So, we’ve spent the entire beginning to 2010 working tirelessly on the IMU Business Plan. It is an in-depth, heavily researched analysis of who we are, what we plan to accomplish in the next three years, and how we plan on accomplishing them. We are excited to announce that as of 3:00pm EST on February 23rd, that plan is now complete!
We would like to thank Michael Koch, Steve Burhoe, Brandy Price, Andrew Raut, Matthew Warner, Angela Jarden, and a slew of other amazing individuals who helped us compile, create, edit, revise, transform, and ultimately finish this 30+ page manifesto for the future of our organization. Without them we would never have created such a thorough and exciting road map for the future! We love them and you should too!
Stay tuned for big announcements in March! We’re going to take a couple days to decompress and get our affairs in order. Our friends and family haven’t heard from us in a while :)
Be sure to visit www.independentmusicunited.org and sign up for the mailing list if you haven’t already!
Above is a link to our start up survey. We will absolutely love you even more than we already do if you’d take a moment to share your thoughts with us! Every person who fills out this survey, musician and music lover alike, help IMU to better prepare ourselves to make the biggest impact possible on the music community. Thanks in advance for being a critical part of our vision and organization; we couldn’t do it without you!
