Introducing: The Breakwater

a new forum to protect and grow music on the east coast, from the former CEO of the ECMAs

hi everyone, Blanche here.

you may know me from my brief-but-spectacular 10-month stint as CEO of the East Coast Music Association.

i am starting this space to pick up where i left off. i am calling it ‘the breakwater’.

i want to keep working toward the creation of a structure to support musicians and music professionals on the east coast. i am going to share my process here.

who knows where i will end up, but it is clear to me that i will need collaborators and input along the way. otherwise, i might just recreate what already exists.

i think it’s time.

the best time was probably a year ago. the second best time is now.

i am not interested in relitigating my termination from ECMA, and i am not interested in trying to fix that organization.

but i have been thinking for some time now about launching something new. and i sense that the music community wants me to try.

why a substack

1. away from socials

i would like to work on this. and if i am going to actually work on this, i need a place to connect with the community that isn’t instagram or facebook - a place where things can be productive.

2. allows async group work

if you could only see the one-on-one chats i have had over DMs, coffees and phone calls over the last year! but we are still lacking a shared, semi-public place to discuss and work on ideas that isn’t under an industry association banner.

3. you already contribute

there is already a precedent of contributing an annual membership of $50-$200 to industry institutions. the idea is that they work on your behalf. i will work on your behalf - build a community of likeminded, forward-thinking people, host meetings, and share my thinking openly.

and if we make headway, i can take the lead on registering an organization, writing grant applications, hiring people. that sort of thing.

4. and other reasons

also: because i am a working single mom, and working on this on my own is not available to me right now. but i wish i could, and maybe you also wish i could? so i am thinking that this substack can be a framework for folks to support and join me in working on it, if they want.

why ‘the breakwater’

erosion. barriers.

words i have heard a lot this year.

a breakwater is a coastal structure built to absorb and diffuse the energy of ocean waves, facilitating calm, safe waters and helping prevent erosion. it protect harbours and shorelines from ocean waves and tides.

so if we build a new structure of some kind, i think that is what it should be: something that protects and absorbs impact, creating a harbour that help artists thrive.

the substack paywall is also a breakwater, facilitating open conversation in calm waters, away from the prying eyes of the darn mafiosos who many in our community seem to be terrified of, and at the very least are tired of.

what i am committing to rn

i will put some time into this. i will lead from behind, i will listen, and i will work to address my biases.

i will post my thoughts and share updates about my tangible work on this issue. this may look like:

• potential structures and org/funding models

• thoughts on scenebuilding

• case studies

• some details about what i worked on while in leadership

• interviews with artists about the scene

• polls, discussion threads

i will post once a week or so for now, i think. i will let you know in advance if that cadence needs to change.

i will be as transparent as i can think to be. i will only put behind the paywall what needs to be behind the paywall.

i will write in my own tone. i will never post AI slop.

so join me

if you can contribute, please do. but join me regardless, okay?

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