Patreon

Join us in supporting Lost 40's monthly financial needs.

Like many other festivals, Lost 40 has faced its fair share of challenges and learned from them. Organizing such events involves renting a venue, insuring the event, the venue, and the performers, and protecting art from potential weather damage. If there's a fire performance, the costs rise even more. Before we even book an artist, we've already accumulated expenses in the thousands. Unfortunately, our goal of compensating artists generously while keeping ticket prices low has become a high-risk investment.

It wouldn't be hard to generate a list of one-time festivals or local festivals that have come and gone due to financial difficulties. All this being considered, it's a bit of a miracle that Lost 40 is moving into its 9th session. There are a few reasons for the 40's longevity.

For the first 5 years, the festival was a free event held on public land. This circumvented the need for permits and commercial liability insurance, thereby reducing financial risk. The free aspect meant that all the artists and kitchen staff were on a volunteer basis, cultivating the concept of mutual reciprocity. The Lost 40 relied on a lot of sweat, blood, and tears from many people but never lost money like other festivals. Clarke, Devin, Pat, and John, the original core organizing team, sunk countless hours into the event with no incentive for financial reward. It was a labor of love for everyone.

From there, the Derecho made the wildlife area very dangerous, as many widow makers rendered the area unsafe for camping. Additionally, a new DNR officer was assigned to the area, prompting the 40 to move to Troy's farm and charge $15 per ticket for the first time to support the farm. The following year, Linn County demanded we obtain an event permit and event insurance, leading to an increase in the charge to $35. However, artists still essentially volunteered, with their gas money being covered.

Notably, The Lost 40 has toped 150 ticket sales at two events. First at Troy's Farm and then at Whiterock Conservancy.

Speaking of Lost 40, we can't overlook Clarke's role, his strengths, and his weaknesses. Clarke is homeless and frequently travels around the country with just a backpack. His lack of responsibilities like kids, a house, or a job makes him highly available. He's built our kitchen and even procured a free school bus. At one point or another, he has done every job the Lost 40 needs. Often, he becomes stressed out and overwhelmed. Many years, he's been the only person cleaning up after the party is over. He fills in gaps and takes on tasks others avoid. His income comes from busking and panhandling, and he's often used this money to support the festival, even asking strangers for gas money at the pump to get festival gear to the event. That the trust about how Lost 40 is essentially funded. Clarke's currently trying to get off the road and get a place to live.

We believe Clarke shouldn't have to panhandle to fund Lost 40. His resources should help him get back on his feet, not solely fuel our party.

Lost 40 has recently established an LLC and its own bank account to separate Clarke's finances from the festival's. This ensures clear and transparent accounting for the group. Kate, Star and Clarke will be generating the reports and public statements. Star is serving as the festival manager and Clarke and Kate as creative directors. We still plain to run the festival as a non- profit.

There are ongoing expenses necessary to keep the festival operational.

Monthly Expenses:

• Shopify: $60

• Simple Texting: $30

• Adobe Cloud Studio: $60

• Jot Forums: $40

• Total: $190 

Unfortunately, these expenses sometimes go unpaid, resulting in our store being shut down and creating a stack of bills to pay before we can host another festival.

The reality is, Lost 40 has consistently faced challenges in compensating artists as they deserve, let alone covering headlining act fees. Although we always strive to pay fairly, the financial burden often falls on the shoulders of Clarke, Kate, Star, Matt, and Tanner, who frequently dip into their personal finances to support the artists.

For instance, if we manage to sell 150 tickets for an upcoming festival, we'd have a $3000 art budget. However, if our annual festival has to allocate $2280 for a year's worth of on-line subscription, it leaves a mere $720 for art, rendering the current approach unsustainable. Recognizing the need for change, we brainstormed a few ideas.

Introducing the Lost 40 Zine Club—an innovative take on a patreon program. The Zine, a mini magazine, encompasses an art and music bulletin, an events schedule, a mini art gallery, interactive games, educational content, and schwag—all conveniently mailed directly to you. Subscription options include $15 per month or $120 for a year. Clarke and Kate are thrilled about this concept and eagerly anticipate sending out art in the mail. For further details on this exciting program, delve into the information provided in the links below.