Ministry of Folk is on Spotify!
Hit play on the Ministry of Folk playlist, then keep reading.
Whether you hate it or love it…
I know we’ve all debated whether Spotify is a force for good or for evil in the music industry, and I’d be curious to see if peoples’ feelings on the topic are changing as everything music-related has moved online these days. As someone who has discovered hundreds of new artists through Spotify, and accessed for the first time trad albums from the 70s and 80s and 90s that aren’t even in print anymore, I confess I’m pretty team-Spotify. I believe it has the power to democratize music, allowing people to access music they wouldn’t have otherwise heard and make connections with artists far beyond the ones who might have come through town on tour. I get that it’s not a viable way for the majority of artists to make a living, that adding up streams that pay artists pennies on the dollar does not hold a candle to actually purchasing CDs. I wish Spotify would pay artists more. And for those artists who have chosen not to put their music on Spotify, I respect that choice. But I think there’s a way to share more music with more people and support our artists financially (I mean that’s why we launched Ministry of Folk, right?)
For those that can support artists by buying their records, DO IT. I’ve started gifting people albums on Bandcamp as birthday presents because it means one less risky trip to the store and/or the post office. (Bandcamp is doing a fee-free day on May 1st, where artists take home all of the proceeds from sales that day, but more on that later.) For those who can’t afford to buy every album they listen to, I’d say stream away, share those albums with your friends, and help artists build their brands through word of mouth.
Support Ministry of Folk Teachers on Spotify
With that in mind, check out the Ministry of Folk playlist I made of artists teaching here on Ministry of Folk.
Not all of our teachers are on Spotify, but for the ones who are, you’ll find samples of their music here. It’s organized roughly by genre, starting first with some folks that I grew up listening to and playing with in New England. Then we head over to Scotland, Scandinavia, Ireland, and then back to the States for some bluegrass, old-time and klezmer music. I’ll add to it as more teachers come on board. Here’s my plug: listen lots, find stuff you love, and buy directly from these artists (or even better, TAKE A LESSON!)
And Donate If You Can
If you’re an artist who has music on Spotify, check out the new feature Spotify just launched yesterday: the Artist Fundraising Pick. Just like artists can select any piece of music to highlight on their profile as an Artist’s Pick, they can now highlight a fundraising destination (in addition to their Artist’s Pick), either using Cash App, GoFundMe, or PayPal.me. Also noteworthy, Spotify has partnered with Cash App, who have established a $1 million relief effort for artists during these challenging times. Spotify for Artists users that submit their “$cashtag” username as their Artist Fundraising Pick — and secure at least one contribution of any size through Spotify — will receive an extra $100 in their account from Cash App, until a collective total of $1 million has been contributed. This effort is available to artists in the US & UK, but Spotify listeners located all over the world can still make contributions via Cash App. (Terms apply, see here.)
I’d also quickly highlight that Spotify has launched a musicians relief effort, in which they’ve partnered with a growing list of organizations offering financial relief to creators around the world. Spotify is making a donation to these organizations and will match donations made via this page dollar for dollar up to a collective total of $10 million.
Other Spotify Playlists You Might Like
Tunes for the Social Distancer, by Jenna Moynihan, is full of chill vibes and cozy selections, perfect for any day of quarantine.
Tunes for the Girls, by yours truly, is a mix of tracks from powerhouse ladies in the Scottish and Irish folk scenes (mostly fiddle players, okay I’m biased) good for those days when you want to dismantle the patriarchy.
2020 Baltimore Old Time Music Festival, by Brad Kolodner, features all of the artists who would have been performing at the festival, had we not started quarantining the weekend it was supposed to happen. (Also you can still buy festival t-shirts, I just got mine in the mail yesterday!)
Passim’s BCMFest 2020 Playlist features many of the artists from the Boston Celtic Music Festival in January (feels like a lifetime ago) and you’ll recognize some of them as Ministry of Folk teachers!
Comment below with your favorite quarantine playlists!
