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About

A platform for Reggae worldwide. Founded in Charlottesville, VA, with partner offices in Oakland, CA. Our mission is to empower artists and nurture the community who supports them. We are committed to being an active, long term ally to the oppressed, practicing anti-racism, and supporting artists to do the same.

OUR MISSION

Create a sustainable financial model that provides artists with the funding they need to record and release their music and to build successful businesses around their art.

Curate authentic content that represents the voice of the community, telling stories of those who paved the way before us and amplifying under-represented voices in the music industry.

Convene communities to raise support for artists and connect with each other through media, music, and lifestyle experiences.

WHAT WE DO

Rootfire Cooperative | Provide interest free loans and label services to artists allowing them maintain 100% ownership and control of their music throughout the entire process.

Rootfire.net | Amplify the work of the Cooperative through editorial content, curated playlists, and a comprehensive events calendar.

Festivals and Events | Create opportunities for artists to engage directly with primed audiences and give fans opportunities to support the artists they love.

TEAM

Rootfire is made possible by a team of dedicated volunteers who are passionate about supporting independent artists. Most of us are also musicians.
 
Reid Foster
Director
Dave Shiffman
Editor
Kayla Kush
Top Selector / Writer
Sheryl Dunlap
General Manager, Rootfire Collective
Braden Beck
Assistant
Glen Allan
Community Manager, Rootfire Collective
Devin Morrison
Writer / Co-Host of The Reggae Podclash
Semaj Surreal
Writer
Brian Nelson
Writer
Jackie Pasqua
Writer
Ryan Thaxter
Writer
Arik Solberg
Photographer
Brooke Ashley
Writer
Dylan Anderson
Writer
Brendan McGinley
Writer
Eddie Ha'Angana
Writer
Suzanne Sanchez
Writer
Stefanie Sanchez
Writer
Monique Demopoulos
Writer
Tim Azzarano
Writer

HISTORY

Founded in 2010, Rootfire began as an artist manager’s forum and a series of mixtapes hosted on Soundcloud.com. The mixtapes attracted more than 2.8 million followers, establishing Rootfire as a key tastemaker of the international reggae community. In 2015, Rootfire formed a strategic partnership with Ineffable Music Group to begin providing interest-free loans to independent artists, helping them sidestep traditional record labels to put full control of the music (and revenue) in the artist’s own hands. Rootfire Cooperative has released 12 albums to date — one has been nominated for a GRAMMY and six have reached #1 on the Billboard Reggae chart.

Read about the change from artist management company to lifestyle focus.
 

FAQ

What does the name mean?

The name Rootfire tells the story of a fire that starts underground, deep in the roots of a tree. The tree burns unnoticed until the center of its trunk catches and fire opens it up in a blaze. At the center of Rootfire’s RF logo is a very small bird nestled between the two letters. The bird is flying forward with an egg in its mouth while looking backwards over its shoulder, a Ghanaian Sankofa symbol. It reminds us to acknowledge the progress that came before (look back over your shoulder), to take what’s good from where we came from (the egg), and to keep moving forward to create the future.

How do I get involved?

We work together as a community to support artists and there are a number of ways you can help…

1. Become a supporter. Rootfire’s community works hard to help artists build sustainable businesses and maintain 100% ownership and control of their music. Your support help us keep the engine running and the community thriving.

2. Follow our Progressive Roots Playlist and Reggae Release Radar Playlist (updated weekly) on Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud, and Youtube

3. Follow us on social media and share the articles we post (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify)

4. Donate to artists live streaming on RootfireTV.

5. Tell us about artists you think we’ll love.

Contact:

For All Inquiries email: rootfire [at] rootfire.net

Connect:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
SoundCloud

Mailing:

Rootfire
PO Box 5272
Englewood, CO 80155

Keep In Touch!

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