The YouChoose Music Story

YouChoose Music is Live Karaoke.  

YouChoose Music is an awesome way to fundraise.

YouChoose Music is emotion and fun and all sorts of happy things.

What Is YouChoose Music?

YouChoose Music is changing the world one song request at a time by raising funds for non-profit causes that are looking for a unique fundraising tool.  We put on live music events, built around one particular decade or artist, and YOU request the songs that are played.  You can even sing and/or play along with your YouChoose Band!  Money is raised from your song requests, ticket sales, dinner, merchandise and sponsorship integration.

Death.  It always starts with death, huh?

After the unexpected passing of his father, Perry Philp, YouChoose founder Dave Philp  (who refers to himself as Chief Organizer Guy) was searching for a deeper meaning to his life.  Sure, he was (and still is) a father himself to two great girls and one darling wife.  But there was a void. 

Dave played drums and was one of the leaders of Parish Drive, the house band of the Wayne (NJ) United Methodist Church.  He thought about using the band to raise money for a cause, like helping the church pay its bills.  Dave realized that was noble, but not big enough. 

Then he thought about CUMAC (Center for United Methodist Aid to the Community), a Paterson, NJ-based food bank that always needed help.  Why not use the band, engage his church, and raise some money for CUMAC?  Not big enough.  Why not get a bunch of churches together to do it?  Now the size became more appealing; the impact had the potential to be great.

But where was the hook? 

Ahh, why not do what Parish Drive bassist Steve Stetler had suggested months before - become an '80s band.  Not bad, thought Dave.  Then he one-upped the idea:  We'll do songs from just one decade, in this case the 1980s, and every song we play will be requested in advance by the people who show up.  They'll pay for their requests and even, if they choose, sing and or play along with the band!  Convince some sponsors to jump on board by integrating them into the show and then the puzzle would be complete.

Eureka!

On April 2, 2011, Parish Drive, amped up with a handful of new musician friends, raised just under $15,000 for CUMAC.  Instant success!

It took another 4 months for what was becoming the YouChoose concept to round itself out: YouChoose, LLC would base itself on the idea of audience, cause and sponsor choice.  Only play the songs they want to hear.  If a person isn't interested in one event, they can choose to attend the next one.  If a sponsor doesn't feel the desire to support one cause, they can choose to support the next one. 

In terms of causes, YouChoose Music puts on specific "Decade Night" events for different local and regional non-profits that may not have the name-brand clout of national and international causes.  By focusing on the causes that need the most help from both a monetary and brand perspective, YouChoose Music makes a bigger impact and do what we want to do.  You choose the songs.  Together, we change the world.

The Future Of YouChoose Music

YouChoose Music is like community theatre (See how we put the R before the E there?  Yeah, snappy!), only the "script" is supplied by YOU with your song choices.  Every show is different.

The goal of YouChoose is to syndicate the idea nationally.  We envision having multiple YouChoose bands perform for multiple non-profit organizations on any given weekend in any state or city in America.  We believe there is a need for creative fundraising.  We also know that by aiming ticket, song request and dinner prices at families, we can expand non-profit organization donor bases with a fun, exciting and affordable evening out for the whole family.  Finally, YouChoose understands the needs of small and medium-size businesses.  If we can provide creative ways to integrate these businesses into YouChoose Music Decade Night events, they will receive tremendous marketing value, attain higher brand awareness, develop stonger ties to their community, and help benefit worthwhile causes.

Want To Volunteer Or Even Make A Few Bucks?

YouChoose Music is always looking for volunteers to help out with graphic design, social media marketing, video editing and spreading the word about our events.  Even better: We're hiring!  If you have a sales background, an upbeat personality, a desire to make a difference, and want to make a few extra dollars part-time selling sponsorships for our events, we'd love to speak with you.  Call or text Dave Philp at 917-204-1929.

That's our story so far.  Reach out to us at any time if you want to talk about where we believe we can go with the YouChoose Music concept.  If you are a non-profit, let's see how we can work together to maximize a Decade Night for you.  If you think you are a potential sponsor, let's talk.  We might not be the perfect fit for you, which is okay.  That happens.  But, on the other hand, we just might be exactly what you're looking for.  Who knows until we meet and discuss.  The ball's in your court. 

Our question for you: What song is it you wanna hear?

Dave Philp is Assistant Professor of Music Management at William Paterson University and Chief Organizer Guy of YouChoose, a live events music fundraising and social media company that has raised many, many thousands of dollars for non-profit causes. Join the good fight and help change your corner of the world by visiting YouChoose now: http://myyouchoose.com/. To sign up for our email newsletter, click HERE. Mmkay?