For the second year in a row, Phish has donated nearly $25,000 of their proceeds from LivePhish downloads to the Mockingbird Foundation, the all-volunteer, fan-run nonprofit that provides funding for music education for children. We are extremely grateful for the band’s generosity in continuing to donate a portion of proceeds from those downloads, and look forward to announcing the next round of grants at or around the time of this year’s New Years Eve run of shows at Madison Square Garden.
Whether you're still doing Christmas shopping, or making other purchases, anytime you shop at Amazon and start here, a percentage of your purchase is donated to the Mockingbird Foundation – up to 15%, on anything you buy!
This isn’t chump change: One fan bought his HDTV via the affiliate link, and the Mockingbird Foundation received $200! Support music education for children, via the non-profit, fan-founded, fan-managed, all-volunteer Mockingbird Foundation, and start shopping here!
The Mockingbird Foundation is excited to announce THE PHAMILY POKER CLASSIC, a no-limit Texas Hold’em Tournament in Atlantic City to take place in the Tropicana’s poker room on the afternoons of October 30 (tournament) and 31 (final table). There will be both CASH and non-cash prizes, and some of the $120 ticket price (the “buy-in”) will benefit the Foundation. This event is being graciously organized by Phish fan Kevin Young, with the assistance of others including Foundation volunteers, and none of us are benefiting financially from this event. For more details and to purchase tickets, please see the event’s website. If you play, you will not miss any Phish. So please, make a hand for Mockingbird, and don’t delay in purchasing tickets, as this event is expected to sell-out. It is unlikely that tickets (seats) will be sold at the door.
Whether you play poker or not, and especially if you enjoy using the advertisement-free Phish.Net, please consider donating an “ante” or “blind” — $5 or $10 — to the Foundation. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. The Foundation is run entirely by volunteers with very little overhead. Your support for music education is greatly needed and appreciated.
Some individuals will play in the Tournament as “bounty players” for the Foundation, with non-cash prizes to be awarded to any player who busts them out of the Tournament. (One bounty player per table is expected.) If you have anything that you would like to donate for the benefit of the non-cash prize pool, then please email charlie at phish.net. We would enormously appreciate your support. We anticipate that there will be a table and some space on hand at this event for use by the Foundation, where the prizes may be viewed by Tournament participants and non-participants alike.
Thank you for your support of Phish.Net and The Mockingbird Foundation!
Two organizations founded and operated by fans of the rock band Phish announced today that they have raised and distributed a combined $1,000,000 for charity. The joint announcement was made by The Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds through online auctions, and The Mockingbird Foundation, which publishes historical information about Phish in print and online. Both organizations are operated on an all-volunteer basis, with no salaries, paid staff, or offices. (Formal release)
The Mockingbird Foundation was organized in 1996, by Craig DeLucia and a dozen other fans, to raise funds for music education for children through the publication of an encyclopedic book about Phish and its music. Expanding its efforts to include the cultivation and distribution of Phish-related intellectual property more generally, the Foundation has published two editions of a 900-page book, released a double-disc tribute album, produced a variety of tour-friendly merchandise, and re-launched the Phish.net website as a comprehensive database with a dozen mobile extensions. As a result of these efforts, as well as direct donations, the Mockingbird Foundation has been able to fund 193 grants (in 42 states) totaling over $613,000.
The Mimi Fishman Foundation was organized in 1998, by Mimi Fishman (mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and family friend David Shulman, to raise funds for vision-related charities through online auctions of Phish-donated memorabilia. While expanding its focus of charitable giving to include women, children, and animal-related charities, the Foundation also expanded its musical reach by receiving donated auction items from other bands, including The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Umphrey’s McGee. The Mimi Fishman Foundation has administered over 30 online auctions resulting in grants being made to 38 organizations totaling over $390,000.
Communal efforts by Phish fans reflect the history of the band itself. Phish earned commercial success during the 1990s stealthily, with little radio play and a video that primarily aired as joke fodder on Beavis and Butthead. They evolved from a rumored bar band to an idolized arena organization, benefitting from ingenuity and courage as much as from talent. Ingenuity and courage also drove fans of the same period to begin orchestrating charitable works at shows: the Green Crew collected trash from venue surroundings, the Karma Crew and Clifford Care Bears discouraged hard drug use, the Phellowship provided camaraderie for sober fans, and the Phunky Bitches provided support to female fans. While several of those nascent elements continue, the charitable ambitions of volunteer fans expanded alongside Phish’s success. Groups incorporated, boards of directors were formed, and Phish fan philanthropy was born.
The Mockingbird and Mimi Fishman Foundations look forward to many more years of serving Phish fans and grantees alike. Each has already raised the funds for additional grants to be announced this fall, and each is underway with new plans to continue their success.
New Image Community sells Concert-Friendly Glow Sticks to Fund Music Education
Today, the Mockingbird Foundation launches a partnership with a new website dedicated to celebrating the sky-filled light festivities that fans have come to known as “glow stick wars”. The site will feature specially branded products with fan-friendly packaging, and a percentage of proceeds will be donated to Mockingbird to support music education.
While “glow stick wars” sometimes entail heavy, pointed, injury-inducing items, GlowStickWars.com distributes only thin, concert-friendly, 8″ loops, and they’ve branded their own just for fans: Show Sticks. A percentage of all sales go to The Mockingbird Foundation, whose logo and website URL appear on the customized packaging. The packaging itself was designed just for fans, including a recycleable, reuseable tube with a cap that pops off and on, ready to store collected Show Sticks for the next toss, or to serve some other purpose on tour.
GlowStickWars.com will bring together pictures, videos, discussion, planning, and more, and aims to build a “first-of-breed concert photo and video sharing community”, where members own their own content. The site is offering a pre-sale discount on tubes of 100 concert-friendly glowrings for $5.99, plus entry into a Bonnaroo ticket giveaway. Plus, those who pre-register now to reserve a username will receive an emailed coupon for a free tube with their first order of Show Sticks.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, both in print and online. It fund-raises through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, special events, and the Phish.net website. Operated entirely by volunteers since incorporation in 1996, the foundation has no paid staff, salaries, or office, and disburses more than 99% of funds raised to charity.
Funds solely support music education for children. Most are distributed through a two-tiered application process intended to add critical support for important and innovative programs serving diverse populations. Currently, only about 1% of the thousands of inquiries received each year can be funded. Please consider helping raise that percentage!
Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and grew to become one of the highest-grossing live acts in the nation before performing a “final show” August 15, 2004. They returned last March, and are now as strong as ever. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.
Today, Setlistics released Phanatic, an app for the iPhone and iTouch which provides setlists, statistics, YouTube links, and more. The app utilizes Phish.net setlists data provided under license from the Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit that will direct 10% of net sales to music education for children.
Setlistics describes Phanatic is enabling users to…
- Search every show by song, tour, date, venue, city, or state; watch YouTube videos with 1-click access from any setlist page; and email any setlist (real or fantasy) to friends with 1-click.
- Ever wondered how unique the setlist is that you’re currently seeing? Or how many times certain songs have been played in the same show, the same set, back-to-back, etc.? Phanatic allows you to type in the setlist during the show and calculate these stats in real time, with immediate updates on openers, closers, encores, bustouts, debuts, last seen dates, and more.
- A Set-Shake feature allows you shake the device to get a random real setlist, or to randomly generate a fantasy setlist.
- A Links section provides a comprehensive list of fan sites, official band links, and Phanatic App links to stay in the loop and find what you need.
The App will soon be upgraded to v.1.0.1, including setlists from Fall Tour and a new ability to download setlists after each show, and will cost $1.99. However, users are encouraged to buy it now, because v.1.0 is available for 99 cents for a limited time, and all software upgrades are free. Phanatic is currently supported by a Twitter Feed and Facebook page.
.
The Phish.net setlists are the definitive collection of information about Phish’s performance history, and the result of decades of all-volunteer work by untold numbers of fans, including ongoing interaction with band management and colleagues. The comprehensiveness, accuracy, consistency, and integrity of the current dataset surpass even the Foundation’s own 928-page book. The data is the core intellectual property of the Foundation, actively protected by copyright, and provided to third-parties in limited fashion through a set of APIs as well as comprehensively under a standardized licensing agreement.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, both in print and online. It fundraises through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, special events, and the Phish.net website. Operated entirely by volunteers since incorporation in 1996, the foundation has no paid staff, salaries, or office, and disburses more than 99% of funds raised to charity.
Funds solely support music education for children. Most are distributed through a two-tiered application process intended to add critical support for important and innovative programs serving diverse populations. Currently, only about 1% of the thousands of inquiries received each year can be funded. Please consider helping raise that percentage!
Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and grew to become one of the highest-grossing live acts in the nation before performing a “final show” August 15, 2004. They returned last March, and are now as strong as ever. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.
Today, the first Phish-related iPhone app became available at the Apple store. iDIDN’TKNOW: Phish Games, which includes five Phish-related games, is also the first of two produced by Tour Buddy Systems that will Phish.net setlists data provided under license from the Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer 501c3 nonprofit that will direct 10% of net sales to music education for children.
As described by its developers, iDIDN’TKNOW Phish Games “will challenge your knowledge of Phish while keeping you and your crew entertained for hours” with five different games: Phinal Exam, Phanagrams, Phuzzy Math, Tour Libs, and Wookipedia. A portion of the sales (not just of the profit) will go to the Mockingbird Foundation, and the app has already been upgraded to v1.1.”
The Phish.net setlists are the definitive collection of information about Phish’s performance history, and the result of decades of all-volunteer work by untold numbers of fans, including ongoing interaction with band management and colleagues. The comprehensiveness, accuracy, consistency, and integrity of the current dataset surpass even the Foundation’s own 928-page book. The data is the core intellectual property of the Foundation, actively protected by copyright, and provided to third-parties in limited fashion through a set of APIs as well as comprehensively under a standardized licensing agreement.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, both in print and online. It fundraises through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, special events, and the Phish.net website. Operated entirely by volunteers since incorporation in 1996, the foundation has no paid staff, salaries, or office, and disburses more than 99% of funds raised to charity.
Funds solely support music education for children. Most are distributed through a two-tiered application process intended to add critical support for important and innovative programs serving diverse populations. Currently, only about 1% of the thousands of inquiries received each year can be funded. Please consider helping raise that percentage!
Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and grew to become one of the highest-grossing live acts in the nation before performing a “final show” August 15, 2004. They returned last March, and are now as strong as ever. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.
The Mockingbird Foundation and The Mimi Fishman Foundation, both 100% volunteer non-profits with ties to the band Phish, are delivering grants that will fully fund the publication of a book from the National Braille Press entitled Who’s Afraid of Braille Music? Aimed at every teacher of braille, teacher of music, and parent who wants to help a blind child acquire music literacy, the book introduces the concepts of reading, writing, singing and playing braille music.
The Mockingbird Foundation revealed the partial funding of the instructional book with the announcement of their February round of grants. The Mimi Fishman Foundation has stepped up to complete the funding of the book, through sales of an online charity auction that will feature many artifacts from former Phish drummer, Jon Fishman.
“Since Phish broke up I’ve finally gotten around to going through all the piles of drum equipment I’ve accumulated over the years and setting aside the items I no longer need or will ever use again,” said Fishman. “There have been a lot of opinions about what I should do with them one way or another, but it’s always been clear to me the best thing I could do would be to auction it off through my mother’s foundation to help raise money for those she would have been happy to support.”
The charity auction features various pieces of Fishman’s drum kits used on tours as well as studio recordings – some dating back to the mid to late 80′s. This impressive list of items includes Jon’s first kick drum which was used during the recording of “Junta” as well as early tour dates, his complete road practice kit, as well as many other gems from his equipment while with Phish. Fishman signed all the items he donated.
“The Mockingbird Foundation is pleased to support a book that makes music education available to children who are blind,” said Ellis Godard, Executive Director of the Mockingbird Foundation. “The extra support from the Mimi Fishman Foundation makes the book fully funded by the Phish community, something we can all be proud of as Phish fans.”
To view and/or bid on the auction, please visit the Mimi Fishman Foundation Auction Page. The auction begins April 2.
“Jon (Fishman) and I have been talking about this auction for a while now. I am thrilled we were able to pull it together to help such wonderful causes”, said David Shulman, the Foundation’s Executive Director.
The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1999 by Miriam “Mimi” Fishman (the late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and David Shulman as a vehicle to raise funds for various charities, including The American Glaucoma Society, Colorado’s Boulder County Safehouse, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Evangelical Children’s Home, Healing the Children, The Solace House and The Delta Gamma Center for the Visually Impaired. With no paid employees, the Foundation operates solely by the help of unpaid volunteers. To date the Foundation has been responsible for the distribution of nearly $200,000 to the charities it supports.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. Mockingbird funds are distributed twice per year through a two-tiered application process that is one of the most competitive in the country, able to fund fewer than one percent (1%) of the initial inquiries received. The process has so far provided 150 grants, in 36 states, totalling $500,134.
The second edition of The Phish Companion (the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia) is available from major book outlets nationwide. The Foundation’s double-disc tribute album Sharin’ in the Groove is available in CD format through Amazon, CDBaby.com, and Homegrown Music Network, as well as in digital format from nugs.net/livedownloads.com, iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, BuyMusic, MusicMatch, Sony Connect, MusicIsHere, Liquid Digital Media, PassAlong, MusicNet, Puretracks, MusicNow, and LoudEye! For more information about Mockingbird, or to make a donation, please visit www.mbird.org.
Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and has not performed since August 15, 2004, then deemed its final show. For more information about Phish, please visit the official Phish.com and the fan-managed Phish.net.
An all-volunteer group of Phish fans today announced that it has donated more than a thousand drumsticks to two music education programs in Burlington, Vermont: The Burlington School District and the 242 Main Street Center. Each recipient is being given approximately two hundred and seventy-five (275) pairs of Zildjian drumsticks – 1,100 total sticks, including a variety of sizes and styles, all made from selectively logged Alabama hickory, and with an estimated value of nearly $5,000.
The sticks were presented to the Mockingbird by David Whiteside, a University of Vermont student and founder of Black Warrior Riverkeeper, which helps protects watersheds in Alabama. Whiteside recently worked with Phish drummer Jon Fishman and others on an event to benefit Black Warrior Riverkeeper, which protects and restores the Black Warrior River and its tributaries in Alabama. (Though Fishman currently uses a different brand of drumstick, fans will recognize Zildjian as the name on half of the ten cymbals in his drum kit.) The sticks were first given by Zildjian to Whiteside, who asked Mockingbird to find appropriate recipients for them.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Since its inception in 1996, the Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish through books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. Funds are distributed through a two-tiered application process that is one of the most competitive in the country and that has so far resulted in over 120 grants, in 33 states, totaling nearly $420,000.
The second edition of The Phish Companion (the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia) is available from major book outlets nationwide. Its double-disc tribute album Sharin’ in the Groove is available in CD format through Amazon, CDBaby.com, and Homegrown Music Network, as well as in digital format from iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, BuyMusic, MusicMatch, Sony Connect, MusicIsHere, Liquid Digital Media, PassAlong, MusicNet, Puretracks, MusicNow, and LoudEye! For more information about Mockingbird, or to make a donation, please visit www.mbird.org.
Phish was a rock band that started in 1983 and performed its final show on August 15, 2004. For more information about Phish, please visit http://www.phish.com.
TWO PHAN GROUPS RAISE OVER $500,000!
[Saratoga Springs, NY; and Maryland Heights, MO] – Two groups of Phish fans have raised more than a half million dollars for charity, according to a joint statement issued today from the Mimi Fishman Foundation and the Mockingbird Foundation. The funds include competitive grants, emergency disbursements, discretionary contributions, and targeted fundraising.
“We’re excited at reaching this mark,” according to David Shulman, executive director of the Mimi Fishman Foundation. “I must say, when we first began I never imagined we would have this type of impact. It’s truly amazing. We are deeply grateful for the support given by those that have donated items for our charity auctions, and of course those that bid on those items.”
“Phish may be ending, but our work has just begun,” said to Ellis Godard, executive director of the Mockingbird Foundation. “Each of these organizations has worked for many years to develop a unique approach, a stable authority structure, and an ongoing revenue stream. That puts them in a strong position to continue to do the good deeds we’ve accomplished so far.”
The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1999 by Miriam “Mimi” Fishman (the late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and David Shulman as a vehicle to raise funds for various charities, including The American Glaucoma Society, Colorado’s Boulder County Safehouse, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Evangelical Children’s Home, Healing the Children, The Solace House and The Delta Gamma Center for the Visually Impaired. The Foundation operates a variety of fundraising techniques, including a series of online charity auctions featuring ticket/pass packages, autographed posters, and other merchandise donated by Phish and other jambands; and several benefit concerts, including the “Tribute to Mimi” in Syracuse, New York.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation has just released a second edition of The Phish Companion and will announce its next round of grant recipients in October.
Both Foundations are operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff, and keep their administrative expenses remarkably small. The projects of each group are operated out of our love for Mimi and Phish, and every person that benefits from what they do.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983, became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history, and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.
