Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Becca Raccone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Becca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
When I moved to Colorado years ago I met a man by the name of Eric. He was a bassist in a punk rock band and had hair to match. His energy and love of life drew me in as a friend. Eric loved all sorts of music genres, the Misfits was one of his favorites. Eric introduced me to many bands in the Colorado scene. Many of which I still follow.
Eric passed away in the summer of ’21. Not from alcohol or drugs, but from not taking care of himself properly. Not because he did not care to, but because he could not afford to. As a musician Eric lived on a tight budget, a budget he never complained about fore that was the life he loved.
After his passing and talking with other musicians in the field, I realized Eric’s lifestyle was common within in the music community. Instead of wallowing in my sorrow, I decided to research and see if there are better options. There are some, but the establishments that exist currently are run by corporations and those corporations decide what the musicians needs are. They can change if the backing corporation changes. I felt that did not properly meet the needs of a musician.
I started Music First whose goal is to better the lives of musicians and the venues they play in. Our musicians are our members, each one has a say in how our nonprofit grows. They can submit ideas, vote, run for officer and director positions. This is the first nonprofit geared to helping musicians that is run by the musicians themselves. They get to determine what their needs are and how they are met.
When I started this, I was not fully aware of the need, just that I wanted to make a positive difference. Since our founding in January of this year we have experienced growth beyond what I could dream. Musicians have taken to the idea that they can control how their needs are met and not be told.
Becca, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Music First offers assistance with mental health, addiction help, health insurance, music lessons, gigs and events, instrument repair, education, scholarships and much more. We raise funds through holding different events ranging in size. We have our music series that highlights musicians at the venues we work with and our much larger, all day festivals with multiple bands and vendors.
I started this program with a group of like minded individuals who share the same goal as me. We assist musicians with issues that can affect their life, from mental health to providing education to the musicians so they can properly run themselves as a business. When I decided to form this, I was able to take my background in assisting those with spectrum disorder and pull in the mental health portion to Music First. I also set up partnerships with a local music school to provide education space and have also set up partnerships with venues along the front range that want to highlight our musicians.
For a musician, what we offer sounds appealing due to the fact that they remain in control. Not just with the services that we offer, but they like the fact that they can submit ideas and if voted in, they get to watch them grow and typically have a direct hand in that growth. Two of our musicians suggested a music abroad program, that has now being developed into a cultural exchange with different schools across the globe and they are working on grant funding. Music First allows the musician to create that spark, that dream, then we give them the avenue to live out that dream.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
For Music First the best way for us to grow our clientele is by continuing to do what we are doing, but on a bigger scale each time.
Each festival we have thrown has grown larger then the prior one. Which means more eyes will see it, more musicians will experience it and more will want to be a part of it. This also means more businesses will want to work with us on partnerships and sponsorships. Which in turn will give us the means to continue growing our events.
The more I can get Music First’s name out there, the easier this will all become. The stronger the name, the stronger the following.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
What has helped Music First garner a positive reputation is the fact our musicians, our members, openly talk about us and how we positively impact their lives.
Whether they are on stage at an event, or being interviewed on the radio, they talk about us. Our members are happy and they share that happiness with others. They want more musicians to know about us, feel comfortable with us and benefit like they have.
Contact Info:
Image Credits
The first two images, the ones with the watermark, are by Lily Sitero Photography. Lily handles all the photography for Music First. Please credit her, she is so talented. The next image is from Linda Cranston And the last image is from Chantel Mohar