EVEN, a creative platform that empowers music artists to sell their music directly to fans, has closed a $2.2 million seed round led by CSA Partners. The platform aims to be the go-to destination for artists to release their music and connect with fans before it hits streaming platforms. Fans are rewarded with exclusive content and experiences in return. This innovative platform was created to help Black and brown artists retain equity in their creative work.
EVEN was founded by Mag Rodriguez, a music industry veteran of 10 years. He was introduced to the tech world after helping to build an art program for gener8tor, a startup accelerator based in Madison, Wisconsin in 2018. After the program became popular, Rodriguez was introduced to investors who helped him raise the seed funding for EVEN.
The platform aims to address issues faced by artists today, including proper compensation and crediting, by enabling them to connect with their fan base easily. This also helps fans support their favorite artists directly, avoiding fees from reseller platforms. Fans of marginalized communities who cannot afford resale tickets or exclusive opportunities often miss out on supporting their favorite artists.
EVEN is currently in beta and generates revenue through transaction fees. It is built on the blockchain, which provides more transparency regarding transactions. The company plans to partner with artists like French Montana and experiment with products like a chat feature to allow artists and fans to communicate. EVEN hopes to launch later this year with more than 600 artists; the waitlist of those looking to join the platform currently tops 4,000.
Rodriguez plans to use the seed money to hire more talent and grow the business. He also made sure to include diverse fund managers in his cap table, including Raquel Filmanowicz, founder and managing partner at VC 414. She stated that Rodriguez’s “creative and innovative approach to solving a vexing problem in the music industry” made him “exactly the type of entrepreneur VC 414” was looking to back.
EVEN is a groundbreaking platform that is giving music artists more control over their creative work while also enabling fans to support them directly. It is exciting to see Milwaukee-based companies like EVEN making waves in the music industry and supporting artists everywhere.
