Announcing ACorp

UPDATED: Nov 3/25

The Problem

Not enough creators, such as musicians, earn a sustainable living. Money is being made in the music industry though. Yet, value leaks at every step—platforms, labels, ticketing, middlemen, venues—leaving artists with a fraction of what their music, time and hard word generates.

Some artists lack clear, practical pathways to capture value (make enough money) quickly and directly.

Can talented, hard working and committed musicians convert their love of creating and performing into tangible economic value for them, their crews and their families?

What does it take today, and in the future, to be a full time successful musician or band? What's the underlying business model that will make that happen? That's the focus of the AREA 81 ACorp project.

The Opportunity

Grey Bruce has the right scale and community to explore new business models. To incubate new ideas and innovations with entrepreneurs for their ventures and the industries they serve.

By aligning entrepreneurs, musicians, fans, and supporters, we can run lightweight experiments and test structures—like an Artist Corporation (ACorp)—that keep more value with creators while growing the pie.

What ACorp Is (Now)

ACorp is a shared inquiry, not a pre-baked solution. We will test, document, and share what works (and what doesn’t), then decide whether to formalize an Artist Corp venture.

Who It’s For

• Musicians/Creators – working and aspiring artists looking for clearer, faster value paths

• Entrepreneurs/Operators – people who can help design and run ventures

• Fans/Supporters – participants who want their time, money, and energy to benefit artists directly

What Success Looks Like

Creators capture a larger share of the value they generate—sooner. Locally, that means more full-time artists and healthier music businesses rooted in Grey Bruce.

First Projects

1. Explore the Artist Corp concept: Test governance, participation, member benefits, funding mechanisms, and value flows.

2. Study a working icon (Alice Cooper): Analyze how Alice Cooper generates, delivers, and captures value in 2025—especially through digital platforms—and how his model has evolved. His new album and tour provide live data to work with.

3. Accelerate local creators: Apply insights to Grey Bruce musicians: smarter release tactics, premium formats, direct-to-fan strategies, touring/merch plans—aiming to build the next Alice Cooper–level success here.

How We’ll Work

• The Squad: We're forming a cross-functional working group of musicians, entrepreneurs/operators, fans, and supporters in Grey Bruce and beyond.

• Leadership: Led by Andrew Hill, Powerlink; Ryan Harris, Artie Music, and Terry Marsh, Boiler Beach, with additional project leads joining as tracks spin up.

• Structure

  • Small pods own each track (Artist Corp · Alice Cooper study · Creator acceleration)

  • Pods meet/checkin weekly; squad syncs bi-weekly

  • Monthly synthesis shared openly with the public

    
    

Guiding Principles

• Collaborate. Create. Innovate. Build what doesn’t exist yet.

• Artist-first acceleration. Everything ladders to stronger careers for independent artists.

• Evidence over opinion. Publish numbers, methods, sources; adjust when the data changes.

• Open by default. Share learnings and templates unless there’s a clear reason not to.

• Respect & ethics. Fairness to artists, fans, venues, and partners; protect privacy.

• Local-first, globally relevant. Solve for Grey Bruce in ways that scale outward.

• Cross-functional squads. Musicians, entrepreneurs, fans, and supporters co-own outcomes.

• Bias to shipping. Small bets, quick feedback, iterate.

• Sustainability. Build durable artist equity, not just short-term spikes.

Get Update. Get Involved.

We're inviting and looking for:

• Entrepreneurs, Musicians and Creators: creators of value, innovators and music makers and performers (new, old and everything in between).

• Music Lovers and Fans: real lovers of music and fans of those that make it.

• Partners: funders, supporters and connectors.

Here's how you can get updates and get involved.

You can start by subscribing to our mailing list for ACorp updates and we'll keep you in the loop. But, if you want to get more involved you can check out our Facebook page, you can book some time with Chris Herbert or contact us and tells us how you'd like to contribute. Lot's of options! Pick the one that works best for you. You can also dig in now by giving our Opportunity Brief a read below! Download it, print it, mark it up and share it around.

AREA 81 Opportunity Brief: Exploring the Artist Corporation (A Corp) Model in Grey Bruce