I CARE IF YOU LISTEN and NewMusicBox are excited to join forces for the first time to launch “Money Matters,” a new series of commissioned essays supported by New Music USA and edited by I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. The collaboration reflects NewMusicBox’s new focus on content partnerships that promote the sharing of platforms and resources. This first series will be dedicated to discussing the financial realities of maintaining a career as a living music creator/practitioner. As composer Juhi Bansal boldly put it in her viral 2022 essay for ICIYL: we have to talk about money.
Too often, there is an assumption that artists make 100% of their income from their art, which can create feelings of disempowerment or failure if artists are relying on multiple income streams to support their livelihood. With this series, we’re creating space to have an honest discussion about how artists in the United States are making a living. Possible essay topics might include, but are not limited to:
- holding multiple jobs;
- balancing full-time work in another field with professional artistic pursuits;
- inequities in funding opportunities;
- making gigs, opportunities, and commissions more financially viable;
- discovering creative and unexpected income streams;
- modeling the realities of being a working artist in 2025.
To put it simply: we want to hear how you make it all work!
We are committed to commissioning essays that resonate with our shared equity goals and offer diverse perspectives from composers and performers (whether or not the majority of your income comes from this work), educators, administrators, individuals from the film industry and jazz scene, and those who have left the field due to financial pressures.
Ten essays of 1,200-1,500 words will be published monthly, and authors will be paid an honorarium of $500. Please submit proposals of no more than 300 words via this Google Form by 11:59pm PST on Friday, Feb. 28.
While we have enjoyed working with an international cohort of guest authors from our previous calls, we are specifically looking to address the unique financial issues facing artists based in the United States in these essays. Therefore, we will only be inviting proposals from individuals based in the United States for this series.
The most exciting contributors often do not apply for various reasons, so we strongly encourage submissions from individuals who might be unsure if this is for them. ICIYL’s editorial process is highly collaborative and adaptive for writers of all experience levels.
“Money Matters” is a collaboration between NewMusicBox and I Care if You Listen, and is supported by New Music USA.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially-independent program of the American Composers Forum, and is made possible thanks to generous donor and institutional support. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and may not represent the views of ICIYL or ACF.
You can support the work of ICIYL with a tax-deductible gift to ACF. For more on ACF, visit composersforum.org.