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VNUE To Add StageIt Founder Evan Lowenstein To Board Of Directors

VNUE announced today that Evan Lowenstein, founder of StageIt, will be joining VNUE’s board of directors, to be effective at the closing of the acquisition of that company. The parties are in the final stages of preparing the definitive documents to the transaction.

Lowenstein, also known for half of his identical twin duo “Evan and Jaron,” who had the smash hit “Crazy for this Girl” back in 2000, is a pioneer in the ticketed live-streaming space, having achieved many firsts including the introduction of the “Virtual Tip Jar” and a “Pay What You Can” model for ticketing. On the board, Lowenstein will be working closely with VNUE CEO Zach Bair to help Stageit take advantage of other offerings such as Soundstr, VNUE Radio, and set.fm, inside the overall company.

It wasn’t originally contemplated that Lowenstein would be taking a more active role in VNUE. After steering Stageit to $4M in revenue in just under 10 weeks in early 2020, Lowenstein moved to the Chairman role of StageIt and brought in new management. As the company continued to grow it experienced growing pains under the new leadership and quickly found itself in debt. Bair was able to see a path forward for the fledgling company and reached out to Lowenstein to see if there might be a way to work together.

“A 20-minute phone call turned into about two hours as we just kept discovering new things that we completely connected on,” said Bair. Added Lowenstein, “As soon as I heard Zach talk to me about his passion for the arts and his desire to always put artists first, I was on board with the deal.”

Bair continued: “I’m so excited that Evan is joining our board.  He is the mastermind of this space and brings an abundance of creativity and passion that will immediately be felt at VNUE. Having his vision and guidance will help us to better build upon the legacy brand he created.”

Lowenstein will join the other VNUE board members including Bair, who is Chairman; Tony Cardenas, and Lou Mann.

Avid CEO Jeff Rosica Named Boston Arts Academy Foundation Board Chairman

Boston Arts Academy Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises essential funds for Boston Arts Academy (BAA), the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, today announced the election of Avid Technology CEO and President Jeff Rosica to Board Chairman. Longtime BAA Foundation Chair Lee Pelton will be recognized as Chairman Emeritus, as he also becomes President and CEO of The Boston Foundation.

“It is with great honor that I follow in the footsteps of Lee Pelton,” said Rosica. “Boston Arts Academy Foundation engages private donors in funding programming and opportunities that allow young artists to find their voices, express themselves, and achieve their dreams. I am grateful to serve Boston Arts Academy’s students and faculty during this critical time in our city and our school’s history.”

“It has been my privilege to serve as Chairman of the BAA Foundation Board of Directors and the Boston Arts Academy Trustees,” said Pelton, who is celebrating nine years of service to the Boston Arts Academy community. “Boston Arts Academy is an exemplary model of equity and access for underrepresented students, with exceptional support from BAA Foundation. The Foundation’s future will be bright under Jeff Rosica’s leadership.”

Under Pelton’s leadership, the BAA Foundation hired Denella J. Clark as President, who built an exceptional team to engage private donors in bridging the annual multimillion funding gap between Boston Arts Academy’s allocation from Boston Public Schools and the true cost of the school’s arts-intensive and college preparatory education—equivalent to $5,000 per student each year. The Foundation has raised more than $12 million towards its $32 million comprehensive Building Our Future Campaign, which augments the school’s budget and builds long-term financial sustainability. In 2022, Boston Arts Academy’s new school building will open directly across from Fenway Park, immediately increasing the number of students from 480 to 500 and eventually growing over the years.

Rosica has served on the BAA Foundation Board since 2018, helping to raise awareness and support for the school from the media and entertainment industry. That same year, Avid Technology licensed all Boston Arts Academy students to use its music and audio creation software, Pro ToolsÆ, and in late 2020, donated state-of-the-art equipment to help outfit BAA’s new school building. Rosica served as the Chair of BAA Honors 2019, which raised a record-breaking $1.3 million. Avid has made more than $800,000 in technology and Building Our Future Campaign investments for the school.

“I congratulate Jeff Rosica and Lee Pelton on their new roles and am so grateful for their leadership. Along with the entire Board, I look forward to working with them as we move into the next chapter at Boston Arts Academy Foundation,” said BAA Foundation President Denella Clark. “Jeff is deeply committed to our students. His leadership and understanding of our school and the unique challenges facing our students make him an exceptional Board Chair.”

Pelton will step down from the role as Board Chair on June 1, the same day he begins his new position as President and CEO of The Boston Foundation, after nearly 10 years as President of Emerson College.

“The Foundation will be forever indebted to the visionary leadership of Lee Pelton,” Clark said. “We congratulate Lee on his Emeritus role and value our continued partnership with him in this new capacity. His commitment and contributions to BAA and the Foundation are singular in the more than 20-year history of both the school and the Foundation. We look forward to cutting the ribbon of the Lee Pelton Board Room in the new Boston Arts Academy school building next year and celebrating Lee as our Lifetime Achievement Honoree at BAA Honors 2022.”

Adaptr Shakes Up Music Licensing with New Platform for Developers

It’s been an exciting start to 2021 for Feed Media Group.

The San Francisco-based technology firm raised the curtain on the new year by partnering with Warner Music Group to launch Adaptr, a platform that fosters the growth of innovative new apps by allowing developers to easily and legally integrate music into their experiences on an interactive basis.

Bopper Offers First Artist Exclusive Release

Music licensing platform Bopper is announcing its first exclusive release by one of the numerous independent artists it champions. Artist, DJ, and producer Ben Maxwell will offer a new 10-track album exclusively on Bopper before its official release in April 2021.

Amazon Music Launches New Shopping Experience, Making It Easier for Fans to Find Merch from Their Favorite Artists

Amazon Music today announced the integration of artist merchandise within its mobile app, combining the convenience customers have come to know and love from Amazon, with a new way for artists to engage with their audience and enrich the fan experience.

ForTunes Users Can Now Track Their Content on Twitch

ForTunes, the music data analytics app created by artists for artists, is announcing the addition of Twitch as a trackable platform on its app. The biggest video game and video streaming platform in the world, Twitch offers infinite opportunities for musicians and artists to share their content and gain followers.

Artists Can Now Receive Direct Payments with Ryddm

Ryddm is the first streaming platform for IOS that allows musical artists to drastically increase their earnings through direct payments from fans.

Harvest Media Provides the Platform for the Music Business’s Underappreciated Powerhouse

The world of production music is often overlooked in broader discussions of the music industry. But this branch of the music business is a sleeping giant, one that’s global, large, lucrative, and growing.

It requires specific, flexible, and scalable tech to make it thrive, software that can connect farflung markets, search lightning fast, and work–even across competitor lines–as efficiently as possible. Harvest Media has created these tools, tailored to both small nimble libraries and major international players. It is the backend that powers one of the music business’s often overlooked, consistently profitable sectors.

SoundCloud Announces Fan-Powered-Royalties

In an industry-first move, SoundCloud, the next-generation music entertainment company, announced today the introduction of fan-powered royalties, a more equitable and transparent way for emerging and independent artists to earn money on SoundCloud.

Fan-powered royalties are a new model of payouts that is driven directly by an artist’s fan base.

Viberate: Every Music Festival Will Likely Have an App by 2025

The music industry has digitalized over the years, shifting towards streaming, social media, and apps.

During the covid-19 pandemic, these tools proved to be essential for connecting with fan communities and keeping businesses afloat; especially in the heavily-impacted festival industry. As live events will finally start to make a comeback, optimizing online communication efforts and costs will be crucial – and apps will be a vital part of that.

Feed Media Group Adds eOne Artists, Distributed Labels to Adaptr

Feed Media Group, a technology company helping businesses incorporate music to create more engaging experiences, has inked a deal to bring tracks from artists and labels distributed by leading independent entertainment company Entertainment One (eOne) to its new Adaptr platform.

Adaptr’s library of fully licensed songs accelerates the time to market for startups, helping them launch and develop traction without the need for lengthy direct licensing negotiations.