Greetings!
I hope 2016 is treating you well, and you are neck deep in living the dream : )

I began the year by jumping off grid, and instead of grinding away in usual nonstop 24-7 style, I took a huge break, inhaled life, and unplugged from everything else: no phone, no internet, no traveling – just a return to the source. I now find myself greatly replenished, working every day on a new album, with a few more months of Spring left to have fun being creative and brace for the impact of Summer Festivals and adventures. There are many new things in store (new music, new collaborations, new side projects, new visual art, new ideas, new interactive art contest) not the least of which is something I have been waiting years to kickstart: The Bassnectar Art Exchange.

The Bassnectar Art Exchange (TBAE) will be like an interactive art gallery (like a mix between Tumblr & Etsy – all Bassnectar themed) where you can share what you have created, but also discover amazing new artists, and new ideas.

We want to provide a community hub for all artists who create artwork with Bassnectar themes: to showcase, to share, even to sell. Every year there are thousands of new fans, and every OG bass head is one year deeper into the ride. There is so much art being created (from painting and drawings to tattoos to flags and pins and even clothing and specialty items) and we want to encourage the creative process as much as possible!

What we do love:
We love when you make art, when you flex your imagination, when you give life to something you are inspired by, when you take an idea to a new level. And we love when you share it: when you give it to friends and loved ones, or represent loud and proud!

What we don’t like:
Selling bootleg merchandise. Bad.

Let me make the long story short by saying we encourage unlimited creativity, art, passion & inspiration in our community! And we strongly encourage you to share & give and let your art reverberate throughout the universe. But if you make art and then take the Bassnectar Logo and sell your art using the Bassnectar Logo, that’s not ok. That’s not what a true fan does, that’s not what a bass head does, and that’s not what I would do.

In high school I loved the underground music scene, and I was obsessed with so many bands. I was always drawing their logos, or remixing their cover art, and I’d even make my own shirts and patches and whatever. But it would have ***NEVER*** occurred to me to go mass produce Metallica shirts and try and sell them. Maybe if it was a joke or a parody, then MAYBE… but just lifting another bands logo, and selling it on merchandise is not cool. It’s not what we are about. That’s not what fans do, and that’s not what music lovers do.

So we want to make it clear that it’s absolutely not ok with anyone on this team to make/produce/sell Bassnectar merchandise or art which includes Bassnectar logos, symbols, or imagery – if you want to make art and sell it, that’s great, but leave our logo, symbols, and imagery off of it.

But we don’t just want to shut down piracy & wackness without offering a positive alternative : )

TBAE will be kicking off this summer, and in the meantime we want to call out to artists and creators: if you have stuff you want to share with the community, hit us up via tbae@bassnectar[dot]net, and let us help you build out your own customized exhibit so it’s ready for launch!
: )

THANK YOU

-L