Within communities affected by displacement, 3 Tbsp identifies refugees with a passion for music and a validated track-record of entrepreneurially trying to do good within their communities. Then, once we’ve raised enough funds to launch a new studio, we collaborate with them to procure context-appropriate recording gear. This could allow for a small home studio, mobile field recordings, or something in between.
Our deal with partners is essentially this: we provide them with the funds to start their own business, which they will 100% own. They do not have to repay us; however, they agree to set aside a significant amount of their studio time for marginalized populations who cannot afford to pay the studio’s full rate. They offer sound engineering training and paid opportunities for members of their community. And they agree to present all artists who record there with an option to sign with 3 Tbsp, for licensing of both their sound recording and publishing rights. With these rights in-hand, 3 Tbsp can release their songs on our compilations, collect streaming royalties, and license their music for others for use as a cover song, in TV, film, etc. Since many of our artists do not have a bank accounts and cannot receive wired funds, our studio-owner partners will serve as “royalties agents,” receiving artist royalties and ensuring fair distribution between themselves and artists per our contracted terms.
Studio 1: Mwana Mama (Kampala, Uganda)
Partner: Elvis D.
Story: At 14 years old, Elvis fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spent his formative years in the Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in southwestern Uganda (camp population: 70,000). Elvis quickly became known for his leadership abilities, first as a UNHCR youth chairperson for his zone and later for the entire camp. All the while, he was known for his musical abilities, singing at local festivals. Elvis soon became a regional representative for a Finnish non-profit focused on transforming the lives of orphans and later founded his own non-profit. Elvis speaks 6 languages, fluently. Meet Elvis and learn more.
Studios 2-5: TBD
Partners: TBD
As an organization still in its infancy, we are experimenting a lot. Our first investment was the funding of a home recording studio. While we expect to get several years worth of nicely produced music from there, we believe much our future may be in inexpensive hand-held recorders. Lower cost, lower risk, and capable of capturing clear and beautifully raw one-take performances, we can more quickly and easily purchase and deploy hand-held recorders, especially into refugee camps. So, for our next round of funding, we will experiment with this. For those with hand-held recorders, the “studio” business model will not be as formulaic, but to say creating a successful business out of a hand-held recorder is not possible, is to underestimate the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the most entrepreneurial people in the world.