Dear friends, supporters, and musicians in need,

The past ten days have been an unprecedented time in the modern world. Everyone, in every part of the world, in every sector of the economy, is scrambling to ensure their own safety and security while also trying to do right by others and help those in need. We are all deeply affected by this virus, Equal Sound and our whole team included. It’s a scary time.

Last Thursday I got the idea that we could do a fundraiser. By the end of Friday it had received national attention, and thousands of dollars in donations, and thousands of requests for help.

We do not take the gravity of the situation lightly. People have placed their trust in us for financial help, and people have donated expecting us to be responsible stewards of their money to use it to do the most good for people in need.

First, let me reassure you. I do not shrink from this responsibility, and neither do the people who have stepped up to help run Equal Sound. We are absolutely committed to handling this situation with care, and to maintain absolute ethical integrity as we build out the larger infrastructure required to meet this great need in our community.

I have long believed that the best way to accomplish great things is to talk to people who are good at what they do and take their advice seriously or ask them to help.

We must, at this point, only ask your patience, and a bit of trust. We are testing the payment system this week, and expect to begin processing the first payments to musicians by Friday night.

We are committed to total financial transparency for the Corona Relief Fund. We are committed to being fair to everyone who has requested help and everyone who has supported us. In fact, if we do not raise the money to pay our staff-to-be for the time they have already put in, which we are racing to do, I will, as a last resort, personally cover them for their time. Even though I too am applying for unemployment from now until the time we lock down our own contracts and find the way to pay ourselves, this is something I am responsible for starting, so this is a guarantee I have to make to them. We’re in this together.

We will post another update as soon as we can. If you are donating, please keep doing that. If you are in need, please apply for help. If you want to partner with us or lend your support in any other way, we are so happy to hear that. For all of these things, the resources you will need are are below. We will continue to update this page as things progress.

That’s what I’ve got for today. Back to work for me.

In this with you,

Nick Norton, Artistic Director
Equal Sound