Identifying a problem is the first step to finding a solution. That’s what Donald Cohen did when he created The Fan Alliance. “I have always been a music fan, and like many, I stream music to listen to some of my favorite artists. One day, I was listening to music on Spotify and began to wonder if doing so was actually hurting the artists.”
After doing his research, Donald identified the problem for artists as threefold:
Streaming music for free has replaced purchasing albums. Because of that, artists must look to other revenue sources, including touring and selling merchandise, and depend on direct support from their fans. And touring is tricky – it’s not unusual for a touring artist to do 150 shows a year, and with the high travel cost, they can lose money on a tour.
Artists regularly see their music shared without adequate – and sometimes even no - compensation. Tech companies are shielded from responsibility by the existing laws. Payment rates from digital platforms, including Spotify, YouTube, and others, are far too low.
And finally, hidden ticket fees and predatory resellers hurt artists and fans. Promoters, ticket companies, and venues often add high costs on top of the concert ticket price, and predatory resellers buy up the best inventory to resell for profit. Some of the worst offenders sell “speculative tickets” – or, in plain speak, tickets that don’t exist. That is money fans want to go to the artists to offset the high cost of touring.
Because of these problems, artists are having an increasingly difficult time earning a living creating, recording, and performing their music. “That’s where The Fan Alliance comes in,” says Donald. “We can help.”
Donald says that many fans don’t understand that artists are people who have families, mortgages, and bills and that if they aren’t touring and selling merch, they aren’t making money. “I did a workshop for fans in 2018 or 2019 on the working life of musicians.” Joining Donald on the panel were members of the folk-pop band Birds of Chicago and singer-songwriter Amythyst Kiah.
A few years ago, Donald met Roseanne Cash, who sat on the Artist Rights Alliance (ARA) board. She introduced him to the executive director of the ARA in Washington, D.C. “We said we can be helpful on some of the issues that artists have today, whether that is updating copyright protections or other policies that could raise incomes for artists. I saw the need for a fan organization, and that’s what I did. I created The Fan Alliance.”
The organization is volunteer-run and operates from Donald’s home in Los Angeles. “I worked with a website designer to get our website up and running and we talked to more artists about how Fan Alliance could help artist-led initiatives. When we launched, I emailed my personal lists, including artists like Rhiannon Giddens and others. Rhiannon posted about The Fan Alliance on her social media, and it took off.”
The Fan Alliance deals with issues including artificial intelligence through the Human Artistry Campaign, which supports the No AI Fraud Act; ticketing reform through Fix the Tix, a campaign that supports bills to reform live event ticketing; and streaming royalties. It recognizes that while creators have little power standing alone, collectively, they can negotiate on a level playing field to secure fair licensing rates for their work.
Simply put, The Fan Alliance exists to add the power of fans to support these and other projects to help music creators – and the entire independent music ecosystem – so they can earn a decent livelihood to create and share the music. The Fan Alliance works to build a network and community of fans that can work together to pass new laws and industry practices that will create a fair, sustainable ecosystem for artists.
The Fan Alliance launched in November 2023, and Donald continues to spread the word and learn about the issues facing artists, songwriters, independent music venues, and others who are part of creating a vibrant music scene. He attended the National Independent Venue Association conference in New Orleans in June to learn about the challenges independent venues face while working to keep their doors open. “It’s hard for artists to reach new audiences these days unless they tour. They are like all workers; they need places to work, and venues need workers (aka artists) to fill seats. It’s simple: music needs fans, and fans need music. Our goal is simple. We believe that there are a lot of people who would do better if they were better educated on this topic. We want to encourage those fans to be actively involved in helping support the artists and the entire independent ecosystem.”
The only requirement to join is to agree with The Fan Alliance's pledge to be a music fan who supports the future of music. Members support fair pay for all music creators, fair compensation, transparency, and accountability for artists from online platforms, the rights of artists to control and receive compensation for the use of their work, and efforts to ensure that live music is a fan-friendly concert experience free from predatory ticket selling prices. To join The Fan Alliance, visit their website at thefanalliance.org.
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