The Hamann Recording Initiative is building a sustainable engine for creativity in Northeast Ohio, honoring the legacy of the Hamann family, Cleveland Recording Company, and Suma Recording while directly funding new original music and empowering the artists who create it.
We are committed to preserving this historic lineage and expanding opportunities, education, and financial support for musicians, artists, and other creative projects throughout the region.
At the core of our mission is a goal to raise $200,000 annually, to be distributed as fully funded studio time for bands and artists from the Greater Cleveland area. This support covers the entire production process (recording, editing, mixing, and mastering) and enables the creation of more than 200 songs every year across singles, EPs, and LPs. In total, 54 artists and/or bands will receive support annually.
Your contribution ensures that a steady stream of professionally produced music continues to emerge from our region, strengthening our local music ecosystem, amplifying the voices of local artists, and reshaping how the world sees and hears the incredible talent rooted here in our area.
Why This Matters
Artists making original music face enormous challenges today. Streaming services pay historically low royalties (we’re looking at you, Spotify!), while AI-generated content continues to flood the market at an alarming rate. At the same time, listeners expect musicians to release new material constantly, despite the fact that it has never been harder for artists to recoup their costs through sales and streaming.
DIY recording has opened doors for many, but countless musicians lack the time, resources, or engineering skills necessary to capture their music at the level they envision. Many artists still prefer to focus on songwriting and performance while leaving the technical end to dedicated engineers and producers when given the choice, as evidenced by the large number of crowdfunding endeavors undertaken by bands and artists every year.
We believe that music written, performed, produced, and recorded by real people in real spaces (specifically designed for recording music) is more essential now than ever. Genres such as classical and jazz have long benefited from abundant philanthropic support. We believe the time has come to extend those same opportunities to a broader community of artists working in many styles. If human-made music is to remain, we must build systems that support the artists creating it and we must act NOW!
Our Partnership
We are proud to partner with Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future, a local nonprofit organization aligned with our mission. Their mission is to support and preserve Cleveland’s popular music culture and enrich local social welfare and economic growth by stimulating music-centered initiatives.
Join us in championing Cleveland’s creative community and sustaining human-made music. Your tax-deductible charitable donation directly fuels the creation of new original music, new opportunities, and a stronger artistic ecosystem.
Make a tax deductible donation to the Hamann Recording Initiative via our fiscal partner, Cleveland Rocks:PPF.
