Bands must find new ways to distribute their music in the wake of the problems facing the music industry today. Greed, digital rights and label-artist relations are just a few of the issues at play. Groups like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have used their artistic power to sell and distribute their own music without the help of a label. Mae, a rock band from Virginia, has also found a unique way to share its new music with the world, all the while helping Americans in need.
Mae performed in Boston last Saturday at The Middle East, and its next live performance is scheduled for April 4 at Salisbury University in Maryland. Live performances are the basis of Mae's fame, but recent marketing and humanitarian initiatives have also brought the band popularity.
Mae is spearheading the "Spread The Fire" movement, in which the band raises money by releasing music through its Web site. The money Mae raises will help the band build a home through the Habitat for Humanity program to benefit Rhonda Floyd, a single mother of three. Band members are trying to raise $65,000 for their current project, but plan on continuing their devotion to community service by beginning other humanitarian efforts in the future. Up close and personal
Mae began its foray into charity through music with a system it set up at each of its live shows. During its performance on Saturday, the band announced that it would offer special, private acoustic sessions to fans who donated to a specific cause on the day of the show. This system began with a Toys for Tots fundraiser which brought in over 6,000 toys in three weeks.
The private acoustic performances became very popular with Mae fans, since they were able to request songs that they would not normally get to hear in a pre-determined set for a larger audience. The initiative's success encouraged Mae to continue various charity projects. This commitment to charity coincided with the band's idea for "Spread the Fire," an initiative born out of its recognition of the Internet as a powerful tool in the modern music industry and the end of the band's contract with Capitol Records.
"The idea came from a discussion we've been having about the way the Internet has really changed things," Mae drummer Jacob Marshall said. "Our record was out in four countries, but we were getting fan messages from people in over 60 countries. How is it that our business model is targeting four countries, but we are getting a response from so many more? There's something missing."
The next step for the band was finding a way to connect fans from different countries to the Mae community, while strengthening the community as a whole. In order to raise funds for their project, to spread their music, and to allow listeners to contribute to the whole process, band members came up with an idea that was influenced by Radiohead's "name your own price" model for its record "In Rainbows" (2007).
Marshall explained, "We wanted music to be the bridge between people, to focus them all on one problem through music ... And we could become the solution to that problem to get it done. Instead of releasing an album, where you have a release date and the moment comes and goes, we wanted people to stay connected to the story."
Mae is releasing a new song every month in 2009 through its Web site. Each song will be available for listening and embedding on personal sites for free, and MP3 versions can be downloaded with a minimum donation of one dollar.
"If you decide to download, you get a different package each month," Marshall said. "You get a special [PDF] art booklet, a letter from the band ... stuff that would really give it some value. Then, we take all of the money we make from it and direct it back into the community."
The idea, according to Marshall, is to allow listeners to concretely give back to their community. They know that by purchasing the song, they are helping to build Floyd's home. "At that point, it's hard for people to steal the music ... We are giving it away for free already, and the money isn't even going to the band," Marshall said. Humble beginnings
Mae was initially formed in 2001 as a studio project between Marshall and lead singer Dave Elkins. Marshall explained that the sound and concept for Mae came from his work with music and color and how people react to different art; the band's name is an acronym that stands for Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience. After a successful first show at a local dive bar, the group began to tour and quickly made a name for itself by putting up tracks on the music Web site Mp3.com. Mae increased to five members and released its first album, "Destination: Beautiful," in 2003. The band traveled with the Warped Tour across the United States to promote its next album, "The Everglow," which was released in 2005.
In 2005, the band also switched labels, moving from Tooth and Nail to Capitol before releasing its latest album, "Singularity," in 2007. Everything seemed like smooth sailing until two band members, bassist Mark Padgett and keyboardist Rob Sweitzer, left due to personal issues. This was a debilitating blow to the group.
"They were married and were spending 200-plus days away from home," Marshall said. "For them, it was now or never. Mark has a studio [back in Virginia] where we recorded 'Destination: Beautiful,' and it's where we are recording these new songs ... We are still friends."
Mae decided to continue on as a core trio, temporarily replacing Padgett and Sweitzer with friends from the band Tokyo. From 'Morning' to 'Evening'
The songs released throughout this year will be organized into three EPs titled "Morning," "Afternoon" and "Evening." When placed on top of each other in the right order, the EPs spell "Mae." Marshall says the EPs will include more than just the four songs released in the time period allotted for each one.
"We are going to take the four songs we released, remix and re-master them, and connect them to each other," Marshall said. "On this first EP, there is going to be about 40 minutes of music ... We built in two additional songs, two pieces of music, and turned it into a whole chapter of what will be a three-part story."
The three EPs signify many things to band members, including the human life cycle. They see their charity work as an important milestone in both their lives and music careers.
"If we as a band are looking back at the end of our career and we have all of these chapters written, what do we want our story to be? What do we want to look back on and be proud of having done? That's what this project is about," Marshall said. "It's about having people see that their actions will tell a story, and it's in your hands to decide what your story will say. At the end we will see that [Rhonda's house was not built] by any one person, any one song or any one album, and it wasn't us. It was you."
Currently the band has raised over $12,000 from two songs released in January and February. "The House That Fire Built" was released first and quickly became the theme song for the project as a whole. "Boomerang" was released afterward, along with a handwritten note from the band thanking fans for the generous contributions they have made to the cause. The next song to be released is titled "A Melody, The Memory," and will be available on the web site sometime in mid-March.
To check out Mae's project and listen to its music, visit www.whatismae.com. Web-goers can download any of the songs mentioned with a donation, or they can tune in to the media player that is located on the page. Mae is completing a short tour before heading out again with the bands Person L, Barcelona and Tokyo.
Be sure to check out the full interview with Jacob Marshall at the Tufts Daily arts blog, "The Scene," at TuftsDaily.com.
