AUSTIN, Texas -- You can never be too busy to pay it forward.
Rock band Portugal The Man, amid hustling to complete its eighth studio album, has found time to help a new generation of students potentially transform into musicians by joining StubHub at SXSW to infuse schools with $1 million of musical instruments.
“Growing up in Alaska we did not have many opportunities to play music, let alone get exposed to it," bassist Zack Carothers told Mashable. "We were lucky enough to have parents who supported our passions but we know without them we would have never had the opportunity and who knows what I would be doing now. ... Music and arts education is very important to us and we are stoked to be part of this program.”
Rather than roping in artists just to perform, like many brands at SXSW are doing, online ticket reseller StubHub added a social good twist to their musical lineup with major assists from Portugal The Man and Dr. Marten's.
Together within the next 12 months, they will donate instruments throughout the U.S. with a focus on aiding low-income communities. The first batch of donations, worth more than $80,000, will go to two schools in Austin -- the home of South by Southwest -- via the StubHub Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit aiming to support music education.
"As we look to shine a positive spotlight on cities and schools that are prioritizing music education, the city of Austin is an outstanding model StubHub is happy to recognize with our first donation," StubHub's Emma Leggat told Mashable.
More bands will join the effort within the next year in various cities.
Portugal The Man previously participated in StubHub's Next Stage Concert Series, which has already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for instruments. Walk The Moon, Trombone Shorty, Grouplove and Lykke Li were among the other artists in the series.
Future contributors may emerge from StubHub's pool of SXSW performers, who will perform at Clive Bar on March 17-19.
Tuesday, March 17: Irontom, The Lonely Wild, The Delta Riggs, Cathedrals, Surfer Blood, The Mowgli's, Charles Bradley, Future Islands, Portugal The Man
Wednesday, March 18: Max Jury, Hamish Anderson, VÉRITÉ, Kopecky, The Dodos, Elliphant, The Cribs, MS MR, The Vaccines
Thursday, March 19: Dorothy, The Family Crest, Jared & The Mill, Beat Connection, San Fermin, BØRNS, Mew