On June 20, Award-winning singer and songwriter Melissa Etheridge returned to the “stage”, this time by-way-of her newly launched independent channel, Etheridge TV – built on the Maestro platform. The singer, who had been performing for fans daily via her Facebook page for a total of 58 shows, took some much needed time off and returned with her Heal M.E. concert, her first one for Etheridge TV.
Etheridge will now go live five days a week for her fans, each day offering something different. On Tuesday, she’s covering her favorite songs. On Wednesday, her wife, Linda Wallem, joins her for a chat and Q&A. Thursday is Mama’s Choice with Etheridge going deep into her lengthy catalog of music and jamming out via added loops, layers of percussion, keyboard and more. Friday she will share some never-before-seen video footage from rehearsals and early concerts, as well as behind the scenes clips. To wrap up the weekly performance schedule, she’ll give fans a one-hour concert special on Saturday. Every performance begins at 6pm EDT/3pm PDT. Fans are able to create a full profile on Etheridge TV and can log in anytime they choose to, as each show will be saved into the archives. Each program is just $10, but viewers can subscribe for $50 per month.Since launching in June, Etheridge has sold nearly 3,000 single show tickets, has over 800 subscribers, and has had nearly 10,000 user profiles created.
She is also selling merchandise through the site including t-shirts, mugs, bags, and more, including her “Choose Only Love” facemasks.On the day of her Heal M.E. event, Melissa also announced the launch of The Etheridge Foundation. Through the foundation, the singer hopes to raise money to support healthy new research into the causes and effects of opioid addiction. She wants to partner with and support organizations that delve into new ways of understanding and treating underlying mental health issues in conjunction with drug addiction. She hopes to find ways for people to seek treatment outside of pharmaceutical norms and find new answers and relief for those suffering from the devastating effects of addiction. “Staying close and engaged with my community of fans through live streaming has been an amazing experience for me, allowing me to create music and heal while helping to grow my foundation. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I would like to thank Maestro and my manager for the vision and the platform to make this a reality,” said Melissa.
“Having initially streamed on Facebook it became obvious that this wouldn’t cut it for us as we had an ambitious vision for Melissa and how we saw her digital offering evolving. We needed a sophisticated platform that was quick and easy to set up, yet powerful enough to enable us to collect payments and donations for the foundation, promote content and above all engage with Melissa’s fans. With Maestro, we’re in complete control of the show,” said Deb Klein, Artist Manager and JV Partner, Primary Wave Music.”We are thrilled to have Melissa as part of the Maestro family. We are proud to enable artists like Melissa with the ability to easily deliver high-quality live streaming performances to their loyal fans. Maestro creates a flexible, intuitive and easy to build interactive platform that allows the artist to control and own the complete streaming experience from engagement to monetization. Deb has set the bar for other managers to follow in her footsteps by bringing fans closer to artists they love,” said Ari Evans, Founder and CEO of Maestro. Melissa Etheridge is one of rock music’s great female icons. Her critically acclaimed eponymous debut album was certified double platinum. Etheridge’s popularity built around such memorable songs as “Bring Me Some Water,” “No Souvenirs” and “Ain’t It Heavy” for which she won her first Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal. Etheridge hit her commercial and artistic stride with her fourth album, Yes I Am, featuring the massive hits “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” a searing song of longing that brought her a second Grammy.
The six times platinum album spent more than two and a half years on the album chart. Etheridge is also an Oscar winner for Best Original Song in 2007. In 2011 Melissa made her Broadway debut as St. Jimmy in Green Day’s rock opera, American Idiot, where she replaced Billie Joe Armstrong for one week, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In fall of 2016, Etheridge released MEmphis Rock & Soul, her first album since 2014. She followed that up with the release of The Medicine Show in April, 2019. For The Medicine Show, Melissa reunited with celebrated producer John Shanks and sounds as rousing as ever, bringing a new level of artistry to her 15th studio recording. The Medicine Show deals with universal themes of renewal, reconciliation, reckoning, compassion and, most profoundly, healing.
