We are a collaborative, that is very loving, hence the name. We specialize in dance and art workshops, and have a TLC music Co-Op. Most things we do are donation based, so it is more accessible to all regardless of financial situations, creating more inclusion & diversity in our projects. We also apply for grants to take the arts to places & situations they may not always get to.
When donations are kindly given, they are divided fairly within the collaborators of the project, like a cooperative. So what is a Collaborative & a cooperative?
Collaborative | kəˈlabərətɪv |
adjective
produced by or involving two or more parties working together: collaborative project.
Cooperative | kəʊˈɒp(ə)rətɪv | (also co-operative)
adjective
involving mutual assistance in working towards a common goal: every member has clearly defined tasks in a cooperative enterprise.• owned and run jointly by its members, with profits or benefits shared among them.noun
So how are the funds distributed fairly?
TLC Music Cooperative:
We raise funds through donations given from music downloads on Bandcamp. When we are producing a record, whoever participates gets a share of the donations raised. If a person has done more than one thing on the record, they get more shares. Simple.
For Example, this track called fathers is a collaborative effort; it was written by Chichi, so she gets a share, recorded by Pique, so he gets a share, as does Juan Cruz who gave his home studio to record for the day, and finally Drew for singing it. & Hopefully one day we will create a video for it, & those involved who get a share too. And a share goes to the TLC fund to keep everything running.
Another example is this track called Message, it was a solo project, where Drew recorded, wrote, sang & provided the equipment to create the track. SO he gets all those shares. However it was recorded while staying at his family home in the UK, so a part share goes to them when donations are given. & when a video is made, donations will given to participants. And a share goes to the TLC fund to keep everything running.
TLC Art Collaborative:
With the art it works slightly differently, for the art that is sold, depending if it was exhibited, promoted, drawn, materials given etc. Each person gets a share, but each share is different, as the majority goes to the artist; 60%, 10 % goes the the TLC fund, and the remaining 30% to promoters or exhibitors.
TLC Workshop Cooperative:
So much work goes into each part of the workshops, from the researchers, writing the workshops, working out the techniques that can be done by all ages & skills, the music composed, played & recorded, the artwork created, the talented contributors like dancers, therapists, helpers etc.
Each person that takes part gets a share of the funds raised for the workshop like grants, and of the donations given.
We also take talented artists to places they usually couldn't get to so they can share their talent, and be enriched by the experience of sharing their talent, which is done 'pro bono' by all parts. We think it's important to practice mutual aid, to exchange, and obviously we need money to keep running to a certain degree, however we believe it shouldn't be at the cost people who can't afford it. The arts is a human right for all. It is part of our Human heritage, and it contributes to quality of life, without harming the earth.
If you wish to support us, please feel free to donate through bandcamp enjoying music, buying art or taking part in a workshop and donating.
To find out where & when we hold workshops, please become a member of The Loving Collaborative, you will be loved & cherished, kept up to date, can comment on posts and take part in our wonderful forum.
We are not the first to try to live in this horizontal way, there are cafe's. theater's, and festivals all over the world that run like this. The way we see it, we need to pay the bills to keep doing what we do, but never want that to get in the way of the arts being accessed by all, always. So if you can give, we thank you, and if you can't, don't let anything stop you. And hopefully we work as a little reminder that making a profit isn't always the priority.