Jars of Clay front-man, Dan Haseltine, Conducts Video Conference with Music Business Students.

Dan Haseltine, front-man for the multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning musical group Jars of Clay, recently participated in a video-conference with our Music Business Entrepreneur class regarding non-profit start ups. Having co-founded Blood: Water in 2004 as an equipping agency that partners with African grassroots organizations to address the HIV/AIDS and water crisis, Dan shared stories about the how their early business plan was shaped through experience, the formation of structure and team building within the organization, and early funding. Since Dan's title includes Artist Relations, the class also explored the intersection of art and commerce, and how causes can tether and inform an artist. Students asked our speaker questions regarding competition in the non-profit arena, financial frameworks, and how the experience affected his music. The conversation was a powerful reminder of the artist as altruist, and offered an engaging snapshot into the formation and operation of a 501(c)(3) non-profits.