Help us publish Tone Madison and get our fifth anniversary sticker pack

We're looking for 50 readers to sign up as Tone Madison Sustainers.

We're looking for 50 readers to sign up as Tone Madison Sustainers.

Tone Madison is five years old this fall. That's five years of reporting on music, art, film, and many of the other threads that make up Madison's cultural fabric. Five years of opinions, like 'em or love ‘em! Five years of everyone messaging or tagging Chris Lay every time they encounter a pedal pub-related link (which you should absolutely continue to do, he loves it). Five years of not just surviving but growing in a landscape that's extremely harsh for small media outlets with a local focus. Five years feisty and independent.

We got through those five years because our readers supported us. Recurring donations from Tone Madison Sustainers are our biggest source of income. Where does that money go? Mostly towards paying our writers and editors, and covering basic costs like website hosting. Occasionally that money helps us put on an event or pick up some audio gear for podcasting. Every bit of it goes to something worthwhile and essential. We don't have a major philanthropist or a corporate backer propping us up. We're much happier building this thing with the people who know us and this city best. And in today's world, it's truly up to journalists and their audiences to work together to create the publications we need.

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, we've got a Madison-centric sticker pack featuring five new designs from some of our favorite artists and designers. Shelby Floyd created a variation on the Tone Madison logo he first whipped up for us five years ago. Maggie Denman pays tribute to the marauding turkeys of Madison. Lauden Nute offers a vivid rendering of the state bird. Rachal Duggan captures two icons of the East Side: unicyclists and Sid Boyum's beloved mushroom sculpture. The turkey and mosquito stickers are cutout-style; the other three are rectangular. They're already decorating my shitty Chromebook, as shown above, and can decorate any number of objects and surfaces in your life!

The only way to get your hands on these stickers is to become a Tone Madison Sustainer at a rate of $5 per month or more. If you're already a Sustainer, increase your pledge to the next level and we'll send the sticker pack your way. (If you would prefer one of the T-shirts we rolled out this past spring, let us know and we'll see what we can do, but remaining sizes and colors are limited.) 

Our goal is to convince 50 Tone Madison readers to sign on as Sustainers for the first time during this fifth anniversary fundraising drive. The more support Tone Madison has from you, the more energy we can pour into covering culture and politics in the city we love so much. I'm only asking because I know for a fact that our contributors are worth it, our readers are worth it, and Madison is worth it. To sign on, see the form below or visit tonemadison.com/donate.

If you'd like to put up a matching donation to encourage others to pitch in, there's still time to arrange that—just send me an email.

Thank you for supporting our work. Help us keep it going.

Membership levels
Cool Building Level : $3.00 USD - monthly
Madison Is Totally Comparable To Austin Level : $5.00 USD - monthly
Hey, Madison Sure Is Changing A Lot Level : $15.00 USD - monthly

Want a sticker pack?
Yes
No
I'd like a shirt instead, if possible