CASH Music

CASH Music, short for Coalition of Artists and Stakeholders, was a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit organization focused on giving musicians and independent labels greater control over digital production, promotion, distribution, and relationships with fans. Rather than operating as a conventional music company or commercial software vendor, it combined artist advocacy, technical development, and education. Its central proposition was that artists should be able to communicate with audiences and sell or distribute work directly, without having to rely entirely on closed platforms, intermediaries, or proprietary label systems. The organization grew from conversations about the economic and technological sustainability of the music business among musicians Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave, Donita Sparks of L7, their managers Billy O'Connell and Bob Fagan, and web developer Jesse von Doom. Von Doom became closely involved after working with Portland independent label Kill Rock Stars. Through his web-development studio, Dutchmoney, he built tools for the label that went beyond a conventional website and helped it manage promotional activity and interactions with music writers. Maggie Vail, then associated with Kill Rock Stars, supported the broader CASH Music mission, joined its board in 2007, and later became a co-executive director. CASH Music's principal technical project was a free, open-source platform for artists and labels. The system provided functions including digital sales, download-code creation and redemption, secure downloads, email-list collection, tour-date publishing, member areas, social feeds, and embedded media. Its architecture was intended to work with outside services through application programming interfaces, including services such as MailChimp, Google Drive, and PayPal. This approach reflected the organization's preference for interoperable tools that artists could inspect, adapt, host, or connect to other systems. The source code was made available through GitHub, allowing users and developers to examine or fork the software. The platform was used by a range of independent and established artists, including Brendan Benson, Calexico, Deerhoof, Explosions in the Sky, 50 Foot Wave, Health., Iron & Wine, Kina Grannis, Lushlife, No Age, Portugal. The Man, The Raincoats, Ray LaMontagne, The Swell Season, The Thermals, Xiu Xiu, Zoë Keating, and Zola Jesus. Participating labels included Kill Rock Stars, Mom + Pop Music, FatCat Records, Nat Geo Music, Sacred Bones Records, Saddle Creek Records, Sub Pop, and Temporary Residence Limited. These associations illustrated CASH Music's position at the intersection of independent music, artist services, and open technology. Education was another important part of the organization's mandate. CASH Music organized events and worked toward curriculum that would help musicians acquire both practical digital resources and the technical knowledge needed to use them. It held summits in Portland in 2013 and another in Los Angeles later that year. The organization also became known for its involvement in debates about open source, artist independence, digital rights, and sustainable music practices. CASH Music encountered difficulty securing federal tax-exempt recognition. Its application for 501(c)(3) status, submitted in 2009, was denied by the Internal Revenue Service in 2012. Later reporting connected the denial to increased IRS scrutiny of organizations using open-source terminology, amid the wider controversy over the agency's handling of applications from politically associated groups. CASH Music continued operating as an Oregon nonprofit while pursuing federal recognition. After approximately twelve years of activity, CASH Music announced in June 2020 that it was shutting down. The organization ceased operations on July 10, 2020. Its work remains relevant as an example of an artist-centered, nonprofit attempt to build open infrastructure for music distribution and audience engagement.

CASH Music emerged from discussions about the long-term sustainability of the music industry among musicians, managers, and technology practitioners. Kristin Hersh, Donita Sparks, Billy O'Connell, and Bob Fagan were involved in the early discussions, with Jesse von Doom becoming a central participant soon afterward. The group was concerned with the dependence of artists on commercial intermediaries and with the lack of flexible, artist-controlled tools for digital promotion and distribution. A practical starting point came through von Doom's work with Kill Rock Stars, a Portland independent label that had asked him to create a new website. Operating through his web-development studio Dutchmoney, he developed promotional and audience-tracking capabilities that went beyond a basic label site. Maggie Vail, who was then associated with Kill Rock Stars, recognized the potential of this approach and joined CASH Music's board in 2007. She later became a co-executive director with von Doom in 2011. Von Doom subsequently left that role to concentrate on other matters, while Vail became the organization's executive director. The organization developed a free platform intended to give artists and labels direct control over key digital activities. Functions included online sales, download-code generation, secure delivery of files, email collection, tour-date listings, restricted member areas, social feeds, and embedded audio or video. The platform was open source, with code available for inspection and reuse through GitHub. It was also designed to connect with external services, including MailChimp, Google Drive, and PayPal, so that artists could combine CASH Music tools with systems they already used. CASH Music also maintained cashmusic.js, a lightweight JavaScript library for platform embeds. It supported simple audio players and video lightboxes compatible with YouTube and Vimeo. The library used a simplified BSD license and was designed to avoid conflicts with other JavaScript libraries. Audio playback relied on SoundManager 2, while the library itself had no broad set of external dependencies. The platform attracted artists from independent and alternative music communities as well as larger touring acts. Examples included Deerhoof, Iron & Wine, Explosions in the Sky, Calexico, The Thermals, Xiu Xiu, Zola Jesus, Zoë Keating, Ray LaMontagne, and Portugal. The Man. Labels associated with the project included Sub Pop, Kill Rock Stars, Saddle Creek Records, FatCat Records, Sacred Bones Records, Mom + Pop Music, and Temporary Residence Limited. These relationships helped demonstrate how an open infrastructure model could serve both individual artists and established independent music companies. Education was embedded in the organization's mission. CASH Music sought to help musicians understand not only how to use digital tools but also how those tools worked and how they could support more independent business practices. It held two summits in Portland during the summer of 2013 and another summit in Los Angeles in November 2013. The organization also developed plans for an educational curriculum aimed at strengthening artists' technical and organizational skills. CASH Music's nonprofit status became a significant institutional challenge. Jesse von Doom applied for federal 501(c)(3) status in February 2009, but the application was denied in June 2012. The denial later received attention because the IRS had been scrutinizing nonprofit applicants during a period of controversy over the agency's treatment of politically affiliated groups. Reporting indicated that the phrase open source had contributed to the agency's concern that some organizations using the term might be commercial enterprises. CASH Music continued as an Oregon nonprofit and continued seeking federal recognition. The organization eventually concluded its work in 2020. It announced on June 25 that it was shutting down and later ended all operations on July 10. CASH Music therefore remained a finite organizational project rather than becoming a continuing commercial platform, but its open-source software, direct-to-fan philosophy, and educational work contributed to wider discussions about artist autonomy and the structure of digital music markets.

• 2020

  Operations ended

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  The organization announced its closure in June and formally ceased operations on July 10.

• 2013

  Artist-education summits

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  CASH Music held summits in Portland and Los Angeles focused on artist education and technology.

• 2012

  IRS denied 501(c)(3) application

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  The Internal Revenue Service denied CASH Music's federal tax-exemption application.

• 2011

  Vail became co-executive director

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Maggie Vail became co-executive director alongside Jesse von Doom.

• 2009

  Application for federal nonprofit status

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  CASH Music sought recognition as a 501(c)(3) organization.

• 2007

  Maggie Vail joined the board

  [1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  After encountering the promotional tools developed through Jesse von Doom's work with Kill Rock Stars, Vail joined CASH Music's board.

Artist-centered, nonprofit, open-source infrastructure for independent music distribution, promotion, commerce, and education.

• Open-source artist and label platform

  CASH Music platform

  A free, open-source collection of tools for musicians and labels to sell, share, and promote music directly to fans. Features included digital purchases, download-code generation and redemption, secure downloads, email collection, tour dates, member areas, and social feeds. The platform could connect with third-party services such as MailChimp, Google Drive, and PayPal through APIs.

• JavaScript media library

  cashmusic.js

  A lightweight JavaScript library supporting CASH Music embeds, simple audio players, and video lightboxes compatible with YouTube and Vimeo. It was distributed under a simplified BSD license and was designed to coexist with libraries such as jQuery. SoundManager 2 supported its audio playback functionality.

• 2012

  IRS denial and scrutiny of nonprofit application

  CASH Music's application for 501(c)(3) status was denied. Later reporting stated that the IRS's scrutiny included concern that organizations using open-source models might be commercial enterprises, placing the organization within the broader controversy surrounding the agency's nonprofit-application review practices.

  Source

Read more

• 2013CASH Music education summits

  United States

  CASH Music hosted two summits in Portland during the summer and another in Los Angeles in November, supporting its goal of helping artists develop digital and technical skills.

  Outcome. The events established education as a visible part of the organization's artist-autonomy mission.

  Source

• 2020

  Decision to close the organizationStrategy

  Background

  After approximately twelve years of activity, CASH Music determined that it would no longer continue as an operating organization.

  Action taken

  It announced the shutdown in June and ceased operations on July 10.

  Aftermath

  The nonprofit platform project ended, leaving its open-source work as the principal legacy of the organization.

  Source

• 2009

  Pursued federal tax-exempt statusStrategy

  Background

  As a nonprofit focused on open-source music infrastructure, CASH Music sought formal federal charitable recognition.

  Action taken

  The organization submitted an application for 501(c)(3) status.

  Aftermath

  The IRS denied the application in 2012, and CASH Music continued operating at the Oregon nonprofit level while seeking federal recognition.

  Source

• 2020

  CASH Music announced that it would shut down[1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy · Other

  CASH Music announced its closure in June and formally ended operations on July 10, 2020, after roughly twelve years of activity.

• 2013

  CASH Music organized music-technology education summits[1]CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign · Other

  The organization held educational summits in Portland and Los Angeles as part of its effort to give artists practical technical knowledge and resources.

1. 1CASH Musicen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CASH Music official websitecashmusic.org