Buy great work back for everyone.
Collective Media is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We pool the public's donations to pay creators a fair lump sum for their work — and release it free into the public domain, for good.
For most of history, patrons funded great art: someone who believed in an artist said "make the thing," and the world got the work.
We handed that job to publishers, labels, and studios. They answer to a market, and the market rewards what sells, not what lasts. The internet democratized distribution — anyone can reach the whole world — but it never democratized funding. An artist can publish to everyone and still have no one paying them to create. That gap is what we exist to close.
A growing commons no one can own
- 01
Culture belongs to the public
A work locked behind copyright for a lifetime plus seventy years is rented, not shared. The public domain is the highest aspiration for a piece of culture — free to read, perform, translate, adapt, and build on, by anyone, forever.
- 02
Creators deserve to be paid
Going public domain used to mean giving up everything for nothing. We pay the creator a fair lump sum up front. They get a living; the public gets a permanent gift. No one has to choose.
- 03
The commons is a charitable good
Every freed work enriches every future creator who builds on it. That is a public benefit, not a product — which is exactly why this is organized as a charity, not a company.
A charity, because the commons is charitable
Accountable to the public
As a 501(c)(3), we answer to the mission and the public — not to shareholders. There is no obligation to maximize profit or return capital to investors. The mission is the product.
Giving is tax-deductible
Contributions are deductible as charitable gifts to the extent the law allows, which makes a larger gift more affordable for the donor.
Commissioning is the charitable purpose
Promoting art and culture by commissioning works for the public good is a recognized charitable mission. The nonprofit structure isn't branding — it's the foundation of the model.
Collective Media, Inc. is organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.