The record label Blue Note and internet platform ArtistShare joined forces in a joint project with the aim to help young and talented artists to release their debut CDs.
Blue Note will select the musicians, release the albums and help with the promo campaign, while ArtistShare will collect money to co-finance the releases through their platform. Musicians will retain full ownership of master recordings, along with the potential to upstream to the official Blue Note Records roster for future releases.
The record label Blue Note was founded in 1939 and has released recordings by such iconic artists as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey. Among artists currently on the Blue Note roster are Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Terence Blanchard, Robert Glasper, Norah Jones, Gregory Porter, Robert Randolph and José James.
The internet platform ArtistShare was uploaded in 2003 with the aim to give aspiring musicians a chance to release their first albums with the help of donations. Among musicians who released their debut CDs this way are Jim Hall, The Clayton Brothers, Chris Potter, Maria Schneider i Ryan Truesdell.