This year has proven that independent music developers are able to give back and share resources. It’s important to follow up on those efforts, too. So here’s how it went with Soundtoys and flood relief in Vermont – flashback to summer.
We’re often good at calling to action for fundraisers and less good at following up on how the results went. But that’s important, not just for transparency but also to celebrate efforts that have some impact, however small. So, you all earned this, partly because you keep reading and supporting CDM and allow me to talk about more than just the latest gear news.
I spoke with Becca from Soundtoys about their Vermont flood fund drive, and this is one where even some small donation can go directly to folks in need, right near where the software developer lives and works.
They’ve given their full report here:
There were two results – one for immediate and long-term assistance to local communities, and one for organic farmers (who often fall through the cracks with government relief):
$22,000 in sales from August 2, 2023 were donated to the Vermont Community Foundation’s Flood Response & Recovery Fund to help to cover immediate support as Vermont moves through this crisis, as well as assistance for long-term recovery efforts to build back homes, infrastructure, and communities.
$15,000 in sales from August 3 were donated to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont’s Farmer Emergency Fund, which provides farmers with the needed cash flow in times of an emergency, to help them recover and ultimately become more resilient farmers.
That’s not too bad for running this in August, when a lot of people tend to turn away from thinking about plug-ins. Past efforts from Soundtoys have, for instance, raise $118,850 for Ukraine. (That has added meaning, too, when our Ukrainian friends in music making and software and hardware development have had their homes come literally under fire.)
For folks working independently, the business of music and music technology requires a lot of sacrifice in exchange for some freedom to do what we want. But then that means the ability – we hope – to give back to what we believe in. This is a small example, but I hope our whole industry and community finds more opportunities to give. We’ve worked for the ability to do that. Other ideas and projects to share are always welcome.