Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares

Short Summary

Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares is a Western Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization inspired by the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. Members purchase a share that gives them access to jazz concerts produced by the organization throughout the Pioneer Valley.

Website address: http://jazzshares.org/

Location: Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties, Massachusetts, USA

Co-founders: Glenn Siegel and Priscilla Page

Logo. source

Profile

Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares has produced 11 and counting seasons of jazz concerts at various venues throughout the Pioneer Valley, situated in Western Massachusetts. Each season runs from September through June. Co-founders Glenn Siegel and Priscilla Page wanted to put on more jazz concerts in the Pioneer Valley but needed help to come up with the money to fund the inaugural season. They then got the idea to apply the CSA model to music. In the CSA model, interested community members buy a share of a farm before the harvesting season, which financially supports the farm throughout the season, and shareholders receive a certain amount of produce on a regular basis.

To apply this model to the live music industry, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares sells 100 shares at the beginning of the season for $125.00; half shares are also available. The money raised from the shareholders helps Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares finance the concerts throughout the season. Purchasing a share gives members tickets to the ten shows the organization holds throughout their season. In addition, members are invited to special events with jazz performers or other members and may transfer their tickets to whomever they like. Occasionally members will assist in the production of the concerts by either hosting events on their property, picking up the jazz talent from the airport, or cooking food to serve at the events.

Jazz concerts are accessible to the non-share-paying public by purchasing tickets for individual events. Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares holds at least ten shows in one season, but in most years, they produce more than that. Every concert pulls an average of 115 attendees. The co-founder has tremendous experience producing jazz concerts for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, so he and the other board members use their network to scout talent to perform.

YOUTUBE 8vF6hgUGOUo A New England Public Media (NEPM) Connecting Point news report on Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares from 2021.

Governance

Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares is a §501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization has a nine-member board of directors, including four officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The board steers which acts to book for the season and runs the logistics of organizing the events. All members of the nonprofit are non-paid volunteers.

Projects

  • Pioneer Valley Jazz Network
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Northampton Arts Trust
  • Wistariahurst Museum
  • The Blue Room
  • Community Music School of Springfield
  • Institute for the Musical Arts in Goshen

Friends & Partners

  • What types of people and organizations does it work with?
  • Any formal institutional partners or network of allies

Finances

Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares operates on a model similar to Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). Members pay an upfront $125 investment in return for admission to ten jazz concerts throughout the September - June season. Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares also accepts donations, sells individual tickets to non-member concertgoers, and partners with sponsors. The company’s expenses include talent fees, food for events, and venue fees.

Origin Story

Co-founders Glenn Siegel and Priscilla Page met in 2004 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when they organized a jazz pianist residency at the University. Glenn produced jazz concerts for the university, and Priscilla had plenty of experience planning live music events. They found that more jazz artists were willing to perform in the Pioneer Valley than there were venues to host the shows. So they came up with the jazz share idea to grow the number of available venues. The idea could build a community centered on jazz and expand the network of jazz enthusiasts in the Valley, which would have the added benefit of identifying more venues for jazz concerts.

In 2012, the couple hosted a jazz concert for a few friends in their backyard and successfully pitched their jazz share idea. Since that backyard concert, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares has hosted 11 seasons of jazz concerts.

See Also

  • Community-supported agriculture

Sources