Jesse von Doom (CASH Music) joins DIY DAYS

// July 24th, 2009 // news

Jesse von Doom, in addition to having an awesome surname, also runs CASH Music in Newport, RI, a nonprofit dedicated to building open tools and services to help artists find their own road to sustainability.

Running a nonprofit is schedule-intensive — “In the last week I’ve worked on things for eight different artists, and that’s a healthy average,” says Jesse.  ”Luckily that involves creative and varied artist projects, plenty of interesting general thinking about the platform, and organization stuff as well.”

DIY DAYS is happy to welcome Jesse as a featured speaker next weekend, as we riff on the intersections of art, design, and web technology.  He’s even leaving “the island” for the occasion, i.e. Narragansett Bay, RI, where he lives with his wife, dog, and one-and-a-half daughters.

Content is just content, music just is.

Read a few words of wisdom from Jesse, including some advice on riding fixed-gear bicycles, and plan on seeing him speak at DIY DAYS Philly next Saturday 8/1!

What excites you about the future?

Besides the jetpacks? My daughters. That’s a serious answer. I was talking to my two-and-a-half year old daughter last week and she picked up a CD. Asked me what it was. So I tell her it’s music and she looks at me like the RCA dog and says “No Papa. It’s plastic. It’s not music.” How perfect is that? So what excites me is the perspective that kids are growing up with. Not only do they not care about the containers, they don’t even have a concept of a container. Content is just content. Music just is. And that’s our future, from music to games to movies. A whole generation of people who grew up without artificial limitations on how they consume culture. That excites me.

What a few things you found out the hard way?

1.  Finish college. Dropping out is fun, but you can sucker your way into a job a lot easier if you finish.

2.  Never lock your knees when you’re riding fixed. This can really fuck you up. I have pictures to prove it.

3.  Never compromise the bits that matter. But that is the hard way. The only way I know it’s right is because it’s been hard but it still feels right.

Current playlists?

Currently reading: Return of the King by JRR Tolkein
Movies: Don’t watch many. I work a lot of hours and I have a toddler. 2+ hours is too long. (Sorry! Nothing against the artform!)
Music: The Smiths, RENMINBI, Emilyn Brodsky, Dinosaur Jr., Lushlife, Xiu Xiu

Catch up with Jess online (at CASH Music, his blog, or design blog) and connect offline, when he speaks at DIY DAYS in Philadelphia on August 1. RSVP your free space today, as tickets are moving fast. (Link to register)