AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

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Listener Sponsored Music from Ancient Future
by Matthew Montfort
http://www.ancient-future.com/donation.html
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Support Report

For the first few decades of Ancient Future seasons, I brought together a diverse set of institutions to provide the support for world fusion music. We had a record deal that included major label distribution and financial support for record production. Even though we had to fight hard to maintain artistic integrity, our victory was that we were able blaze the trail for support for world fusion music from the record industry. Ancient Future was selected as a recommended ensemble for California Arts Council Touring Program support, which paid half of our fee for selected tour dates. While there was no circuit of venues for world fusion music, there were some open minded folk, jazz, and traditional ethnic music presenters who included Ancient Future in their offerings. All of this allowed me to keep Ancient Future afloat and stay true to my mission of bringing world fusion music into the world.

Current Conditions

Due to the downturn in the record industry and the decline of state funding for the arts, most of the institutions in the USA that were supporting Ancient Future either no longer exist, or have drastically cut back their programs and are focusing limited resources on their core missions rather than expanding into new territory. So, for our 30th Anniversary Season coming up, a new support structure for Ancient Future concerts and recordings is needed.

Crucial Creative Cause

This is important because Ancient Future is not just a band, it is a cause. It is a musical organization dedicated to the mission of creating world fusion music, a term I coined in 1978 to describe Ancient Future's unusual blend of musical traditions from around the world. My vision was a musical movement seeking to show how people from different cultures can grow by learning from each other. World fusion is a process by which new traditions are created, and has occurred throughout history. It would be difficult to find a form of traditional music that has not at some time been influenced by the music of another culture. Current times offer the opportunity for musicians to learn music from anywhere on earth. It is my passion and vision for Ancient Future to explore new sonic territory between different traditions, while illuminating the ancient musical knowledge of the world.

It is critical that new innovations based on the knowledge of the world's great traditions are supported, because without new innovation, the art of music can lose its vital spark and relevance in contemporary life. In world fusion music, master musicians from different cultures work together and grow from the exchange. They learn techniques and forms that are new to them, and in a small way act as ambassadors between their peoples. Because it has both familiar and exotic elements, world fusion music has the potential to open people up to music and ideas from cultures other than their own. I believe that the cumulative effect of people appreciating diverse cultures can have very positive ramifications for international relations.

Contribution Solution

Recent cuts in arts programs and changes in the record industry make direct listener support of virtuoso level world fusion music more important than ever. The same Internet that gave listeners the tools to damage the record industry through file sharing also gives them the tools to band together to support the the cause of world fusion music directly. Although these tools make it easy to unite people who already share a single easily Googled common interest, building bridges between cultures takes a lot more effort. So for those music lovers who enjoy the music created through this vibrant musical process, with its potential to open hearts and minds and connect diverse cultures in positive ways, the time has come to get involved.

Please support the cause through the World Fusion Music Support Page (http://www.ancient-future.com/donation.html). There you will find a variety of intriguing ways to get involved. For example, for as little as $25 you can become a download subscriber to world fusion music recordings and be a part of the process of creating the next Ancient Future record. For just $100 a month you or your business can be a sponsor of Ancient-Future.Com and will be thanked with a text link to your web site from Ancient Future's popular home page and the World Fusion Music Links Page. A tax deductible donation of $250 helps support touring to your region and you will be thanked with a pair of VIP tickets to the nearest Ancient Future concert or 5 CDs on the Ancient-Future.Com label.

Your support can help insure the survival of Ancient Future and the virtuoso world fusion music movement. Plus with the variety of options explained on the the World Fusion Music Support Page, there is an engaging way for everyone to get involved!

"The time has definitely come for world fusion music. Ancient Future is one step ahead of the game; on their side is the philosophical parallel between global consonance and world peace." - SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL