Page 66 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2022

Fueling Musicians Program

Getting Musicians Back On The Road

By Nancy Folgmann and Shawn Gonzalez must do it themselves. At the end of the show, the artist hopes
he or she has sold enough tickets and merchandise that not
The music industry came to a halt in the spring of 2020
when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. As the world began only covers the expenses of the show, but also leaves a profit
after the managers and bandmates are paid. To come out in
to shut down, life as we knew it was about to change, without the black (with profit), musicians need to be able to perform
any indication as to how long it would take to get the virus and entertain consistently.
under control or how long before touring musicians could get The slogan of the Fueling Musicians Program is a core
back on the road to continue making a living. There was no value to the organization: “Helping musicians get back on
road map to navigate the unknown. the road.” The assistance provided by FMP aims to alleviate
From well-known superstars to gigging bands working expenses so artists can perform with confidence and with the
in local clubs, this affected every nook and cranny of the resources they need to succeed. In fact, many of the grant
entertainment industry. Joe Bonamassa’s management recipients used the funds to pay for rent, backpay for their
company, J&R Adventures, began to work remotely – stretching musicians or literally just to keep food in the fridge.
from the tip of Northern California down to Miami, FL. Joe felt Right away, Joe donated his own money to kick-start the
the plight of his staff and musicians in the blues community fund. The entire staff used their skills to bring the campaign to
and responded immediately; it quickly became all hands on life and fundraise across all social media platforms, websites
deck. But what could make a difference? What was the best and newsletters.
way to support the music community? In the first several rounds of grants, a physical gas card
Realizing no one could wait for government handouts or was provided. Together with Exxon, FMP purchased hundreds
emergency grants, J&R Adventures and Keeping the Blues of gas cards to send to grant recipients, along with a $1,000
Alive Foundation (KTBA) staff put their heads together and check and some Keeping the Blues Alive merchandise.
created the Fueling Musicians Program (FMP). Suddenly, The program also fundraised by rallying support from
Zoom meetings became a daily occurrence to stamp out musicians all over the country, and asking them to donate
details – Who is eligible for these grants? What are the a performance video of one or two songs for a Stream-a-
requirements? How would applicants be vetted? The FMP thon. The first Stream-a-thon featured performances by Toto,
team set out to design a unique program like no other by Dion, Warren Haynes, Ana Popovic, Joanna O’Connor, Jared
using their resources, creativity and know-how to bring real James Nichols, Bobby Rush and at least 25 other artists, and
assistance to those who needed it most. originally ran over five hours of non-stop performances. Music
The road is where most touring musicians make the lovers all over the country showed their appreciation and
majority of their income. However, expenses are subtracted support by donating to the program. In 2021, the Stream-a-
from those performance checks. In order to sell tickets to a thon raised just over $45,000, and FMP looks to increase this
show, there are marketing fees and other promotional costs. amount in 2022.
Performers must hire workers (or family and friends) to sell While the Fueling Musicians Program originated with
their merchandise and maintain inventory. Otherwise, they blues artists in mind, they realized the pandemic impacted

64 Blues Festival Guide 2022