Sofar Sounds Launches IN SESSION Series For Artists

Sofar Sounds, whose artists have been deeply affected by the suspension of shows due to the pandemic, has been focused on supporting the 30,000 independent artists who play Sofar shows in more than 400 cities around the world. In addition to quickly offering live streams by creating an online listening room in which artists can perform and receive 100% of direct donations from fans (in addition to a performance fee from Sofar), this week Sofar will launch "In Session," a free discussion and education series exclusively for local and independent artists. Each week, Sofar will host a session on a new topic aimed at helping artists work on their craft and learn more about the art and science of growing their music career.

This week's "In Session" episode features a conversation between Sofar founder Rafe Offer and Paradigm Talent Agency's Tom Windish, who counts Billie Eilish, Diplo, alt-J and many other superstar artists among his clients. The conversation kicks off at 2pm EST on Thursday, April 23rd. Artists can register HERE for each session.

Other upcoming "In Session" webinars include "End Writer's Block: 20 Songwriting Tips" hosted by Berklee Online faculty member and songwriter Andrea Stople who will offer a masterclass in songwriting techniques on April 30th, and a May 7th conversation with Death Cab for Cutie's Dave Depper to talk about his journey as a musician. Future episodes will include additional appearances by Berklee College of Music faculty members and a discussion about addiction and recovery in the artist community hosted by Turn Up For Recovery co-founder Melia Clapton.

Replays of the sessions will be available on the site, which already features two beta sessions: an episode on strategies artists can employ to get their music playlisted and one on live streaming in the time of COVID-19.

Shortly after Sofar shows were halted in cities around the world on March 13, the company pulled together a plan to support its artists, many of whom were facing financial hardship and uncertainty. This is what has been done to date:

Sofar Sounds advanced a payment to nearly 3,000 artists with canceled shows.

Established its online listening room where local and independent artists are earning an average of $500 directly from fans, in addition to a performance fee from Sofar.

Established a Global Artist Fund focused on musicians who make a living playing small capacity shows. The company hopes to raise $250,000 for the fund with 100% of the proceeds going directly to artists.

Created an online directory of local resources for its artists.

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