Here at GigSalad, we travel all over country telling people about the talented GigSalad performers in their area so we can get you more gigs. Last year, we were at the DIY Musician Conference in Chicago when we had the pleasure of meeting Live Music Producer, Tom Jackson. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Shawn Mendes, Le Crae, Magic!, Home Free, The Band Perry, to name a few. Tom was a key speaker at this event and gave an energizing demonstration that showed artists how to take their live performances to the next level. When we got the chance to sit down with him, we learned a few things: Besides helping artists with their live shows and being a much in-demand speaker at music conferences, Tom has devoted his life to helping people and is passionate about getting artists more money for their talent.
Because GigSalad’s goal is much the same, our first discussion with Tom inspired us to learn more. We set up an interview and dove deeper into one of his largest projects, Live Music Gives. This program gives artists a way to make significantly more money AND support the world’s poorest communities in over 100 countries. Sounds to good to be true, right? Well, there’s no catch. As Tom puts it, “I’m giving you money. You’re changing a life. I can’t figure out why any artist wouldn’t want to do this.”
If you’re looking for an additional revenue stream that can keep you touring, recording, and investing in your music, this is the way to do it. In this interview, Tom Jackson explains how it’s possible, how it works, and how you can make thousands more a year with Live Music Gives.
So artists actually get paid to raise money for charities? How is this possible?
“Charities spend money on things to get the word out about what they do. The charities I work with really set themselves apart in that they’re dedicated to working with artists. We’ve created an artist program, which is a fundraising arm for them just like television, print, and online ads. I’ve been fortunate enough to be with the most successful organization in the world that has done that, and we’ve raised over $2 billion for charity and given over $100 million to artists. Those are indies, house concert artists, national touring artists, speakers, and everything in between—people who are just in front of people.”
Tom Jackson teaches artists how to give incredible, energizing live performances. Learn more at onstagesuccess.com.
What types of charities are involved in Live Music Gives?
”We work with seven charities that help women, children, and their families in 130 countries. Most of the support goes to people outside the U.S., and there’s a reason for that. I can’t support a child in the U.S. for $30-$35 a month and have it go as far as it does in Cambodia or Vietnam or some of these countries that are really poor. Over 21,000 kids are dying each day from preventable diseases and bad drinking water. That doesn’t happen in the U.S. You won’t see a three-year-old child die of ringworm because the only water within walking distance is contaminated.”
Tom Jackson with one of the sponsored children of Live Music Gives
”You can tell when a community doesn’t have clean drinking water because the kids are listless. We give them clean water, they’re running around playing. We give them food, clothing, education. We provide children with mosquito nets to protect them from malaria. I mean, it’s staggering that these things are not taken care of in this day and age. I’ll help one child at a time if that’s what it takes.”
Child sponsored by artists with Live Music Gives
“And the truth is, it’s not just the kid you’re helping. The families are getting that support, too. We’ve figured out that 5.5 people benefit in some way from the sponsorship. It’s mainly supporting the child but others are positively affected as well. In these countries, digging a well literally changes their entire community.”
Children sponsored by artists with Live Music Gives
How does Live Music Gives support artists?
“We pay the artist $75-$100 for each child sponsored, and the reason we’re able to do that is because it’s a monthly donation. Charities can plan for projects like building schools or a well for drinking water when they’re getting reliable funds coming in versus a one-time donation. And the child gets gets an average of $1500 to $2000 over the life of that one sponsorship. So, I give the artist the $100, but I’ve given the charity $2000. It’s money well spent to help the child and the artist.
Artists with Live Music Gives know they can make thousands more a year just by helping someone. If you did 100 gigs a year—which is doable for a singer-songwriter who’s playing house concerts, coffee shops, church venues, festivals—at the end of the year, if you’ve gotten 300-500 kids sponsored, you’ve just made an extra $40,000 or $50,000, and raised up to a million dollars for the charities to help the children.
Some artists who have been doing this a while now, they’ll take gigs for free knowing that if they get in front of X amount of people, they’re going to make X amount of dollars, even in the house concert model. I recently spoke to one of our artists who plays a lot of house concerts. She’s averaging 6-10 sponsors a night. So she’s performing in front of 40-60 people and walking away with $600-$1000 just from the charities. Now, instead of making $100, $200, $300 which will only take her to the next show, she can pay a mortgage, get health insurance. AND she’s helping 6-10 kids every night!”
Eddie Carswell advocating for a charity during the Winter Jam Tour.
“Artists are worried about the $9 they’re going to make from YouTube, but that does nothing to keep your career going. I’m telling you right now, you can make another $400, $500, $600 a night just by putting this together in your show.”
Can you tell artists how they can encourage donations from their audience?
“Say you’re doing a 45-minute show and you’ve got twelve songs in your lineup. Take one out and look at this as a slot for a song. Work at what you’re going to say. These charities are legitimate—some have been around for 90 years—so you can stand on stage with confidence knowing the money’s going to the right place. And then you just give your audience an honest appeal. You can talk about it while you’re picking on your guitar. Or maybe you’d prefer someone else do the talking? Some of these charities have video footage that will explain it for you so you can play that before an intermission.
You can use incentives. I tell my audience, ‘Sponsor a kid tonight and I’ll give you my CD.’ And Live Music Gives will pay for your CD, between $5 and $10, depending on which charity you choose. So your music is getting to your fans at no cost to you, and you’re getting $100 a sponsorship on top of it. I take about two minutes total to talk about it. It’s fairly simple if the artist dedicates themselves to it like they’d dedicate work on a song.”
Clearly, this is a win-win relationship for charities and artists. So, how has it impacted you?
“I’ve been to the top of the mountain in music, so to speak. And guess what? There’s nothing there. I’ve worked with a lot of very popular artists. Just in the last two years, three of the artists I’ve worked with have had albums debut at number one on Billboard. One of the artists had a song at number one in 61 countries. And I’m happy for them! But I get more satisfaction when I hear about kids’ lives being changed through artists. And the indie artist or the tour can continue on because we’re helping them financially, too. One of the most powerful things we can give people is hope. My artists love knowing that every performance can help people in need and keep their careers going.”
Musicians ready to make a difference with their music can fill out an Artist Inquiry Form to connect with the team at Live Music Gives. To learn more about how it works, visit their Tour Support page.