Years ago, as a lowly unpaid intern at an independent Nashville radio station, Ray Mahar had a revelation.
The staff would gather weekly to listen to songs submitted by artists with hopes of getting airplay. These “Music Wednesdays” culminated with each person voting for their top five favorites — and everyone’s vote counted the same.
“I always thought it was so cool,” Mahar said. “I am the bottom of the bottom of the food chain. I get coffee and I slice together commercials. But I have the same vote right now as our VP of programming.”
It taught him something valuable: Systems work best when everyone has a voice.
Mahar carried the lesson into founding The Local Sound Collaborative in 2020. Two years ago, the nonprofit began putting money in the pockets of Rochester-area music makers, in a program based on a Universal Basic Income (UBI) model. Recipients get $200 a month for one year, to be used on new gear, groceries, child care or other necessities.
The group’s artist grants program has lately garnered even more support in its mission to give financial help, and hope, to local musicians. Much of the money comes from community fundraisers. And its latest, this past September’s Be Kind Festival, raised $26,113 — nearly double the amount amassed in 2023.
“I was visibly emotional, because I was just like, what is going on?” Mahar said. “We weren’t expecting it at all.”
But he’s ready for it. The influx of cash will allow the group to pay even more musicians this year. The latest cohort includes eight artists, up from six in 2024, who span genres, backgrounds and demographics — including a percussion instructor, a music therapist, a rapper, a folk artist and more.
“We want to find the 19-year-old that is trying to break onto the scene and figure out what they’re doing in this small market of Rochester,” Mahar said, “and we want the 48-, 58-, 68-year-old that’s been here for a while and has some mentorship to give.”
Mahar sees even more opportunity to expand The Local Sound Collaborative in 2025.
“When we think about what’s next, it’s really hard, because of the rapid growth, not to think about, wow, what are all the different directions that we can take this thing?” he said.
One of them, for example, might be to provide health insurance to local musicians. Another might broaden the nonprofit’s education efforts.
The artist grants program remains core to The Local Sound Collaborative’s mission. It’s a tough task, especially since 60-80 musicians each year apply for the coveted slots. But each one gets a fair shake interviewed, thanks to a grants committee that’s elected new every year. Those folks get a stipend, too.
“The way that we achieve getting a cohort each year that I think is truly representative of Rochester is finding a group in our grants committee that believes and values so many different aspects of what they bring to the table,” Mahar said.
This is where the Nashville experience comes in. Mahar wants selection night, where the committee finalizes its picks, to have the same feel as those Music Wednesdays. “The best way we can do it is bringing a ton of different voices and opinions into that room and having some good discussions,” he said.
The group also puts music educators into local schools and puts on live events, something Mahar said they’re aiming to expand in 2025.
After all, the Local Sound Collaborative isn’t anything if the people involved are not, in fact, collaborating.
Patrick Hosken is an arts reporter for CITY. He can be reached at patrick@rochester-citynews.com.
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
