Indie music retailer Rough Trade and Sweet Relief Musicians Fund have launched a new donation program to support musicians and industry professionals in need, set to launch on Rough Trade’s US platform.
Music fans can chip in with donations by purchasing standalone digital products on the site, as well as through an add-on option in the checkout cart. The latter is based on Sweet Relief’s ‘Add-a-buck’ model, which the fund has used in similar initiatives.
“We’re huge fans of Rough Trade and we’re thrilled to partner with them to raise funds for our music community in need,” said Aric Steinberg, Executive Director of Sweet Relief.
“We’re looking forward to more creative collaborations designed to help our musicians and music industry workers in need of emergency financial assistance due to a physical or mental health emergency.”
The programme is part of Rough Trade’s 50th anniversary, which has been additionally celebrated with a new two-year partnership with indie streaming platform Qobuz.
“Supporting artists and music workers in times of need feels entirely aligned with what Rough Trade has stood for over the past fifty years,” said Stephen Godfroy, Co-owner of Rough Trade.
The pair join a number of recent initiatives which have been prioritising mental health in the music industry. See also Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead foundation, Backline’s ‘Mental Health Toolkit‘ for the electronic-music sector, and recent partnerships involving major labels UMG and Sony Music.
