With the rapid onset of COVID-19, the live music industry has suffered mightily as all events, tours, and festivals have ground to an indefinite halt. With them went the income streams for the crew and staff of touring artists everywhere. Thus far, a large percentage of music industry workers have been marginalized or disqualified from stimulus funds. We all miss the magic of live shows, our favorite jams, and losing ourselves in the moment, but these fine folks are also wondering how they are going to eat, pay bills, and take care of their families.
In response, a group of big-hearted live music fanatics has coalesced to help out our friends—and we need your help! Music fans like you make a difference in the lives of the people behind the scenes: the Crew, the ones who make the magic happen, who build your live music experiences from the ground up, city by city, night after night.
Help From My Friends is a limited-edition poster, dreamt up by a group of hardcore music fans who want to do their part to support this culture and its denizens. The color version is an 18′ x 24′, 4-color process print on natural stock. There’s also a one-color black-and-white variant (also on natural stock).
This detailed, original artwork was meticulously crafted by Mike Tallman of Add Noise Studios conveys deep gratitude for the fulfillment that live music provides to all of us. 100% of net proceeds from this initiative will benefit Crew Nation, an organization that has committed to matching every dollar raised from this campaign, and distributing funds equitably. By purchasing this limited-edition poster, you’re helping out these hard-working people whose lives and livelihoods are currently at a standstill.
“We’re proud to announce a special fundraiser poster drop, called #helpfrommyfriends with gorgeous art created by Add Noise Studios, benefitting Crew Nation. Our goal is simply to help generate some much-needed revenue for a portion of the folks suffering the hardest from the concert industry shutdown. 100% of the net is going in the pot, and #CrewNation is matching our total earnings.” Michael Berg from Suwannee Hulaween/North Coast Music Festival/Collectiv Presents.
As Tallman says of the print, “The artwork is meant to reflect the joy and fulfillment we all get from music. It’s about the artists and performers, but it’s also about the tour managers, sound engineers, guitar techs, recording engineers, bus drivers and all the others that work tirelessly to bring joy into peoples’ lives through music. There are so many behind-the-scenes heroes that make things go in the music industry and this project is meant to honor and help them during this turbulent time.”
The presale period for the poster is now underway and runs until Wednesday, May 20th at 11:59pm CT. Pre-sale posters are being sold for $45 (color)/$40 (b&w), including shipping. The price will jump to $55/50 after the pre-sale. Your pre-sale order reserves you one poster from the introductory limited run of prints, signed and numbered by the artist, Mike Tallman.
The number of prints purchased during this period will determine the final edition size. The prints will then be made to order so please expect 3-4 weeks for delivery. Final edition size will be announced via social media and customers will be notified with tracking info via email when prints ship. Spreading the word is almost as helpful as buying a poster, so if you’re not in a position to grab one, a share is more valuable than you might think and much appreciated.
Help From My Friends is a philanthropic group of live music industry professionals including Berg, Tallman and B.Getz of Upful Life and L4LM. They came together when each felt called to step up for the people behind the scenes, The Crew.
Join your friends in lifting up and supporting the people in the music industry most affected by this unprecedented shutdown. Let them know: a little help is on the way.
You can check out the two “Help From My Friends” poster variants below and purchase yours to benefit Crew Nation here.
“Help From My Friends” Poster [Color]
“Help From My Friends” Poster [B&W]
#HelpFromMyFriends #CrewNation