ViewStub and Save Our Musicians Foundation Collaborate to Create Bold New Opportunities for Talented Musical Artists
Across the globe, people of all cultures and walks of life recognize that music is a powerful force. One that not only catalyzes personal growth but also sparks creativity, builds community, and more. In 2020, Dennis Cunningham (the founder of mobile social networking app Airtab and CEO of Perfect Vodka) created the Save Our Musicians Foundation. Based in Jupiter, Florida, the purpose of the foundation is simple: to fund programs and schools for musical artists wherever and whenever possible.
Save Our Musicians: The Story So Far
“My mother’s career as a professional singer cultivated my deep love for music and the arts, influencing my goal to help others gain the same access,” reflects Cunningham. “These early experiences, marked by constant change and a strong connection to music, have profoundly shaped my character, teaching me resilience and the importance of pursuing one’s passions with dedication.
He continued, stating that “through our concerts and other efforts, the Save Our Musicians Foundation has been able to focus on rescuing underfunded or eliminated music departments, ensuring that students have access to these vital programs. Additionally, we’ve worked to create pathways for aspiring musicians to build and expand their brands, providing opportunities for them to thrive and grow in their artistic pursuits.”
Save Our Musicians and ViewStub: The Perfect Pairing
Currently, the Foundation is holding a series of charity concerts to benefit itself as well as two institutions based in Florida’s West Palm Beach area. They are the Bak Middle School of the Arts and the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Select student musicians from the two schools get to share the stage with top-selling and Grammy Award-winning artists, including Gwen Stefani and Luke Bryan.
For its concert series, Save Our Musicians chose to partner with Orlando-based ticketing platform ViewStub, which allows event organizers to turn their live events into hybrid events, so ticket buyers can attend events virtually using ViewStub’s online streaming platform.
Unlike other providers, ViewStub does more than just sell tickets to events. Literally, any live event can be turned into a hybrid event with ViewStub's live stream capabilities - thus making it the perfect option for what Save Our Musicians has set out to accomplish.
On ViewStub, anyone can effortlessly post videos to stream or broadcast from any camera to their own personalized web page. Creators can easily offer virtual access to their events and livestreams, all-access subscriptions, and branded merchandise. Viewers can access ViewStub streams from anywhere in the world using any screen or viewing device.
ViewStub offers creators and organizations like Save Our Musicians complete control over their content, allowing them to produce a viewing environment free of commercials and competitors and enabling users to enjoy any event as if they were present in person. Event organizers are no longer restricted by physical locations or venue sizes, which, in turn, creates limitless revenue opportunities. Any live event can be transformed into a hybrid one, exposing those artists to an entirely new platform.
The First Concert: Gwen Stefani
On April 29, 2023, at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Florida, three-time Grammy Award-winner Gwen Stefani performed many of her past hits, including “Just a Girl,” “Underneath It All,” “Cool,” and “It's My Life,” with her own band and dancers. Stefani, frontwoman of the band No Doubt and judge of NBC’s The Voice, was joined by students from the Dreyfoos School’s six art departments, who warmed up the crowd and also participated at nearby venues just prior to the show.
ViewStub allowed the audience for the show to expand beyond just the people who could attend physically. The tremendous response enthused Dreyfoos student performers like 18-year-old tuba player and jazz pianist Mackens Joseph.
“When students are given the opportunity to pursue an art, they’re not only developing creativity; they’re developing discipline and time management. These are skills that are very important to have as an adult,” noted Joseph. Joseph is hoping that his musical education at Dreyfoos will pay off when he attends Tufts University this fall.
Thanks to the Foundation’s efforts combined with ViewStub’s promotional prowess, Save Our Musicians was able to present a check for $350,000 to the Dreyfoos School at the concert.
A Second Concert: Luke Bryan
More recently, on November 18 of this year, country music star and five-time Entertainer of the Year (as awarded by the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music Awards) Luke Bryan played to a crowd of 2,500 at the Jupiter Pointe Marina and open-air restaurant Tiki 52 in Tequesta, Florida.
Bryan was joined by musicians Mason & Julez, Joelle James, Kenzie Wheeler, Ava Camejo, and student performers from the Dreyfoos and Bak schools at a gala concert and dinner. Attendees were able to view the show from their boats, private cabanas, and VIP stageside seating.
Once again, ViewStub allowed the show to be seen virtually by thousands more people. The Foundation was able to use this event to raise an additional $300,000 for the Dreyfoos and Bak school programs.
The Third Concert: John Legend
To top off a tremendously successful year of collaboration and fundraising, this New Year’s Eve, 12-time Grammy Award-winning performer John Legend will be headlining a private dinner concert at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, to benefit the Foundation and local school music programs. Again, Save Our Musicians is working with ViewStub to help draw crowds and broadcast this show online.
The night will feature fine dining and celebration as participants ring in the New Year with style. VIP seating and limited John Legend Meet & Greet options are available for in-person attendees.
Creating a Brighter Future for Musicians, One Step at a Time
In the end, ViewStub is a platform that was founded with its own unique brand of empowerment in mind. It was built as an effortless way for both event organizers and content creators alike to bring people together from all over the world, allowing users to experience exclusive videos anywhere, at any time, without attending in person or battling against scheduling and budget limitations.
With ViewStub, any live event can become a hybrid one with full live-stream capabilities, making it dramatically different from "just another ticketing platform." That's exactly what Save Our Musicians needed and what its mission could benefit from.
Given that the platform itself is a way to support and empower creators via an innovative way to reach their desired audience, it makes perfect sense that they would partner with the Save Our Musicians Foundation. That organization celebrates music in all its varieties and amplifies the stories that only music is capable of telling by supporting the artists who create it.
Both Save Our Musicians and ViewStub support talented musicians and creative voices, albeit in their own unique ways. Thanks to these opportunities, officials from both organizations hope to make further strides in terms of job placement assistance, hosting talent showcases, and more. For talented musicians, these types of career opportunities - not to mention exposure - help foster the growth and proliferation of the music community at large. ViewStub and Save Our Musicians hope this assists musicians who are currently facing the challenges that a career in music can present, no matter what those may be.
