Crowdsourcing for music?

Hope Sings crowdsourced through Kickstarter to produce new songs.

Now, Microfundo is using crowdsourcing to help support musicians and their local events. Social Edge has a nice little overview of the company. http://www.socialedge.org/blogs/tapping-the-crowd/archive/2011/03/14/microfundo-brings-crowdfunding-to-the-music-halls

We're all for interesting models for how artists can make money in this business so they can keep creating great music. In fact, feel free to shoot us any ideas about opportunities you see for Hope Sings. 

I thought Microfundo used to be part of Mondomix, but I could be wrong. Anyone know the answer to that?

And I love that title: Chief Inspiration Officer...

Video of Hope Sings theme song for UN Women

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. 

On February 24, UN Women launched in New York City. And Hope Sings was there - we created their theme song! Lyrics by me (Beth Blatt, founder of Hope Sings), music by Graham Lyle ("What's Love Got To Do With It") and Somalian/Brit singersongwrtier Clay.

It was so exciting, rehearsing in the General Assembly Hall (that's real gold leaf on those walls!). And hearing Ban Ki-Moon, Michelle Bachelet, Ted Turner, Geena Davis speak - with Shakira and Nicole Kidman sending video well-wishes - well, when history is being made, how cool is that?

Now, the video is up! See it on the home page at www.hopesings.net. Photos there too, behind-the-scenes videos on youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/hopesingsmicro?feature=mhum

 

Shout out for HS partner MicroPlace from social enterprise bigwig

Kevin Jones, one of the fathers of social enterprise must-attend conference SOCAP, gave an interview on social enterprise. He gave kudos to MicroPlace and how it allows investors to make loans as small as $25. Lots of other interesting thoughts as well, for people fascinated by social enterprise (as we are at Hope Sings).

http://dowser.org/interview-socaps-kevin-jones-on-trends-to-look-for-in-2011/

Baby with the Bathwater

There's been a big backlash against microfinance recently, which many of you probably know. No, it's not a panacea. And no, it's not the devil.

And now political gripes in India are threatening to get Dr. Yunus ousted from the bank he founded (Grameen). 

It's nice to see fellow microfinance folk standing up for his rights. See the letter below, signed by several partners to Hope Sings. 

 

An Open Letter In Support Of Dr. Muhammad Yunus

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Washington D.C., March 8, 2011 - Muhammad Yunus has diligently served the poor for decades. No one has done more to inspire generations to work to reduce poverty.

We are increasingly concerned and dismayed with the troubles Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is facing in Bangladesh. As we understand it, the Government of Bangladesh is resorting to technicalities to remove Dr. Yunus from the Grameen Bank, without presentation through legitimate and transparent legal processes of any evidence of wrong-doing.

We deeply deplore this lack of justice and unproven allegations that not only impugn Dr. Yunus' character and the integrity of his flagship bank, but reach much further. Forced removal creates unnecessary risk for the more than 8 million borrowers-owners of the bank. The Government of Bangladesh previously had respect for the bank's independence as a majority client-owned microfinance institution; it is our sincere hope that a return to the status quo can be made quickly.

Dr. Yunus has played a seminal role in the development and recognition of microfinance — the provision of small, working-capital loans and other financial services for the entrepreneurial poor. He has our strong support, and our wishes for a just and speedy resolution to this sad turn of events.

Sincerely,

ACCION 
Calvert Foundation
Co-operative Bank
Deutsche Bank 
FINCA
Freedom from Hunger
Grameen Foundation
Grassroots Capital
Microvest Fund
Opportunity International
Pro Mujer
Triple Jump
VisionFund International
Women’s World Banking

What's the biggest growth market in the world?

According to Hillary Clinton, WOMEN. 

The speech she made yesterday in honor of International Womens' Day is chock full of what I find extremely heartening info. Programs that help female entrepreneurs around the world - which we at Hope Sings, of course, love. See my bolds below. All you social entrepreneurs, take note of conferences and training opps.

Sure, there's lots of disheartening data, too. But I'm a glass half full person. Remember: Hope Sings.

One of the biggest growth markets in the world may surprise you. You’ve heard about the opportunities opening up in countries like China, regions like Asia and industries like green technology. But one major emerging market hasn’t received the attention it deserves: women.
    Today, there are more than 200 million women entrepreneurs worldwide. Women earn more than $10 trillion every year, which is expected to grow by $5 trillion over the next several years. In many developing countries, women’s incomes are growing faster than men’s.
    Facts such as these should persuade governments and business leaders worldwide to see investing in women as a strategy for job creation and economic growth. Many are doing so. Yet the pool of talented women is underutilized, underpaid and underrepresented in business and society.
    Throughout the world, women do two-thirds of the work, yet they earn just one-third of the income and own less than 2 percent of the land. Three billion people don’t have access to basic financial services we take for granted, like bank accounts and lines of credit; the majority of them are women.
    Certainly we are seeing the impact of excluding women in the Middle East, where the lack of their access to education and business has hampered economic development and helped lead to
social unrest.

                         Ripple Effect

    If we invest in women’s education and give them the opportunity to access credit or start a small business, we add fuel to a powerful engine for progress for women, their families, their communities and their countries. Women invest up to 90 percent of their incomes on their families and in their communities.
    When women have equal access to education and health care and the freedom to start businesses, the economic, political and social benefits ripple out far beyond their own home.
    At the State Department, we are supporting women worldwide as a critical element of U.S. foreign policy. We are incorporating women’s entrepreneurship into our international economic agenda and promoting women’s access to markets through the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the Pathways to Prosperity Initiative and women’s entrepreneurship conferences.
    The U.S. is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum 2011 to help foster growth and increase opportunities for women throughout the region. We are working with the private sector to provide grants to local non-governmental organizations around the world that are dedicated to women and girls.

                       Closing the Gap

    We are encouraging governments and the private sector to use the tools at their disposal to provide credit, banking and insurance services to more women. Through our mWomen initiative, we will begin to close the gender gap in access to mobile technology, which will improve health care, literacy, education and economic potential.
    This is a central focus of my diplomatic outreach. Wherever I go around the world, I meet with governments, international organizations and civic groups to talk about economic policies that will help their countries grow by expanding women’s access to jobs and finance.
    Many powerful U.S. businesses have embraced this mission as their own. ExxonMobil Corp. is training women entrepreneurs to help them advocate for policies to create more opportunities. Coca-Cola Co. has issued an ambitious challenge in its “5 by 20” program to empower and train 5 million new women
entrepreneurs across the globe by 2020.

                       Improving Access

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc. started the “10,000 Women” initiative to open the door for women who would not otherwise have access to a business education. Ernst & Young is tapping into the productive potential of women with its “Winning Women” program to help female entrepreneurs learn growth
strategies from some of the most successful leaders in the U.S. Companies all over the world are committed to increasing productivity, driving economic growth and harnessing the power of emerging markets through greater diversity.
    As Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank said, “gender equality is smart economics.”
    Governments are passing laws that support women’s economic empowerment and building awareness of women’s rights. Botswana lifted restrictions on the industries in which women can work,
for example. Morocco now allows women to start businesses and get jobs without their husbands’ approval. Bolivia began a land titling effort to recognize that women and men have equal rights
to own property.

                   Astonishing Achievements

    This week, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. It’s an occasion for honoring the achievements of women. Without question, the past century has brought astonishing progress, by just about every measure, in women’s health, their economic opportunities, political power
and more. Today, women are leaders in every field.
    Never in history have there been so many forces working together for gender equity.
    But International Women’s Day is also an occasion for recognizing how much more needs to be done to support women and girls worldwide. I encourage everyone reading this to reflect on what you and your friends can do to support women -- to put words and ideas into action.
    If we decide -- as societies, governments and businesses -- to invest in women and girls, we will strengthen our efforts to fight poverty, drive development and spread stability. When women thrive, families, communities and countries thrive -- and the world becomes more peaceful and prosperous.