Farm shares allow consumers to support local farms by purchasing shares in the harvest. Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares lets music fans invest in local jazz by buying in to concerts before they are staged. By connecting musicians, venues, and audiences through a grassroots network, Jazz Shares creates consistent opportunities for performance. This makes local jazz more vibrant and resilient.

Started in 2012, in Northampton, Massachusetts, Jazz Shares is the brainchild of a husband and wife team, Glenn Siegel and Priscilla Page. He, a longtime jazz DJ and concert producer, and she, a theater professor and arts organizer, cooked up the idea after years of hosting musicians, producing concerts, and realizing their community needed a sustainable way to keep adventurous jazz alive outside of traditional venues.

Jazz Shares is run by local musicians, fans, and volunteers who want to build and support a community around jazz. The group operates as a nonprofit, with members purchasing annual shares that fund a full season of concerts. Concerts are staged in a variety of local venues—churches, clubs, concerts halls, galleries, even retail spaces—making live jazz easy to reach. A typical full share for members includes admission to 10 shows per season. Half shares are available, and tickets can be traded and shared.

This is proven idea that would work in many other communities.

‍WEBSITE: Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares