Montreal's Passovah Festival Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for 2015 Event

BY Sarah MurphyPublished May 1, 2015

After delivering a summer festival for the last few years, as well as a smaller-scale celebration this past February, Montreal's Passovah Summer Festival is seeking help to stage this year's event.
 
The festival's founder and head honcho, Noah Bick, is hoping to bring back the Montreal music showcase — bigger and better than ever. It's scheduled to take place from August 26 to 30, with a goal of 60 artists across 10 venues. He's launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise money for this year's edition, wanting to be able to give back to the artists and staff that make the festival such a memorable experience.
 
His statement about the project reads:
 
In 2012, I came up with the idea for the Passovah Summer Fest (PSF), with the intention of celebrating local music. The first edition of the festival took place at Il Motore and featured 24 local acts performing short sets over two days. Despite the ambitious premise, the pay what you can mini-festival went off without a hitch. Last year (the 3rd edition) was the most ambitious to date: 4 days, more than 60 acts, and 6 fantastic venues. We had a staff, volunteers, an opening event, a dance party, and a blowout Suuns show. It was wild!
 
The previous years have been great. But the honest truth is that PSF runs on the good will and almost exclusively undervalued labour of the people who make the festival possible. We at Passovah are tired of paying musicians and our staff next to nothing for their effort. We seek to make the 4th edition of PSF bigger, better, more professional, and most importantly more consistent with the Passovah ethics. To make this possible we need your help to raise a few thousand dollars to get the festival off the ground.
 
Above all PSF is about the music. We're proud to have had hundreds of acts over the last few years.
 
If the campaign raises $5,000, organizers will establish a minimum fee to be paid to all artists that play. Reaching $7,500 would bring that fee to at least $100 per artist. Contributors are eligible for donation-based rewards like personalized songs, house shows and tickets to other music events.
 
Bick has already garnered support from 2014 performers Suuns, with guitarist Joseph Yarmush offering the following statement: "They keep it real and honest and have promoted some of the best artists to come from Montreal, EVER. Period. It's an honor to work with them."
 
Check out the full campaign details — and make a donation, if you so desire — over here

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