Today, we are establishing the Advocacy Fund for Alabama Musicians.

Because the need is great and we must meet it.

On Monday, March 16th, I got a call at 2:00am from a Delta Airlines representative telling me my flight back to the USA was cancelled and that we needed to rebook immediately. I was on tour in Australia. It was a scary feeling, for sure… but if I had known then what I know now, I would’ve been horrified.

Our lives were about to change and I barely realized it. We rebooked for the next day and got out. Still, even as we landed over empty Los Angeles freeways, I thought the pause would be temporary. Maybe a month off?

And now, in July, my life and the lives of Alabama musicians have been transformed. “Normal” is months away — at best. We are out of work. The industry that surrounds musicians is nearing the breaking point, as well.

How can you run a music venue without crowds and music? How can you run a booking agency without shows? How can you pay your bills as a sideman without a gig? How can you sell records if the shops aren’t open regularly?

These are just a handful of the very real questions that threaten the future of our state’s music business. Sure, music will always be around — but what about our musicians? They’ve got bills to pay, just like everyone else. It’s even scarier to consider that, for some, health insurance isn’t among those.

For these reasons and countless more Single Lock Records is announcing the Advocacy Fund for Alabama Musicians.

The fund is simple — we are accepting your donations and then turning around and issuing no-strings-attached grants to Alabama musicians in need.

To accomplish this, we’ve established an allocation committee of folks around our state that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to the health of the Alabama music industry. These fine folks will review the applications (with names and identifying details removed) and review the amount of funds raised and issue grants accordingly.

We intend to issue grants every two months — the amount issued will be completely dependent on the money raised. Everyone that receives a grant will receive the same amount of money. We will be completely transparent about what that amount is and the number of recipients.

The future is uncertain and our role is evolving. Nevertheless, we want to help… and right now, we must.

If you are a music fan: Consider what you would spend on a concert ticket and start there with your donation. Click here to donate.

A note: our fiscal sponsor for this initiative is the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation, which gives us 501(c)(3) status. We couldn’t have gotten it this quickly, so we thank them for their support and help on the back end.

If you are a music maker or industry professional: We are now accepting applications for the 2020 AFAM Grants. Click here to apply.

The grants are open to Alabama musicians, musicians that have recorded in the state of Alabama and music industry workers that have demonstrated a sustained connection to the Alabama music industry. Document your work and tell us why you qualify in the application. We’ll do our homework and we’ll make some decisions, and if we select you (and we certainly intend to do so) we will notify you via e-mail. Simple as that.

The more donations, the more people we can select — and the more we can afford to grant.

Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that live music will not be a safe reality until sometime in 2021. In the meantime, the financial and emotional impact of this pandemic is swift and severe.

Live music and the work of your favorite musicians will likely be among the last things to return to normal.

According to a study done by 50 States of Music, Alabama’s music industry contributes $636.09 million to the state’s GDP. The industry supports over 14,000 jobs. The industry is made up of music professionals and music makers and those people are human beings.

These artists are infinitely worthy of our support and we aim to do that — no strings attached.

Please consider donating to our fund today at www.afamalabama.org. We will keep that site updated with the latest details and fund statistics. With your help, we can help sustain our state’s music through this pandemic.

Thank you.