Brevity is the soul of wit
“Brevity is the soul of wit”
— Shakespeare, as Lord Polonius in Hamlet
Unfortunately brevity is not my strength.
But I’m trying.
We’ve been working to craft the mission statement for CASH as well as find a way to describe our efforts in less than an hour conversation. I wrote a few paragraphs (below) that don’t accomplish either of those goals, but hopefully start both on their way. So consider it a really early draft, but here goes:
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33⅓ is a number etched into vinyl and into our hearts as a link to a bygone era in music. It wasn’t just a play speed, it was a technological baseline that musicians could count on when it was time to release their music to the world. A release could be upgraded to a picture disc, a gatefold. It could be backed by the most PR dollars or airplay. But making it spin at 33⅓ was a constant that all artists could rely on to make their music accessible to all.
CASH Music is trying to create a similar technological baseline by building open tools and services. We are a nonprofit and all code is being written as open-source, and will accessible to all either through a hosted service or by taking the code and setting up a new server. We feel that artists should all be able to release, promote, and distribute their music in the ways that their audience wants to consume. We also strive to provide education and case studies, so artists can make informed decisions in the use of any digital-era tools, ours or otherwise.
We’re not trying to replace any industry or service. CASH Music is simply trying to provide a solid foundation upon which all artists and listeners can build while participating in the new music landscape.
