Tiny Telephone Robbery

Hello!!!! It's John Vanderslice. Early on the morning of April 15, we experienced every recording studio’s worst nightmare - a crew forced their way through two reinforced doors, broke into Tiny Telephone and stole a number of items from the studio: all of our electric guitars & basses, and some very valuable microphones (including our 1961 Telefunken U47). We are all devastated. These are things we use daily to make music, beloved by the engineers and artists that record at Tiny Telephone. If you’ve ever played the Nash Telecaster or heard that U47, you know what I’m talking about!

Thankfully, nobody was hurt but the damage to the studio and the loss of equipment is incredibly painful - we’re a small arts organization in Oakland, without any kind of corporate backing or tech money behind us. At our current rates, it would take years of booked studio time to pay for everything. The value of our single U47 microphone was $38,000. The cost of fixing and reinforcing all three points of entry alone to prevent future break-ins is around $15,000.

Tiny Telephone's day rate has stayed the same for 10 years: $400 a day. We want to remain affordable for new artists and foster a democratic and accessible culture for bands of all levels to make masterpieces here. (And they do!)

Because of this, we’re raising money to offset these costs: help replace some of what was lost, repair the damage, and upgrade security in and around the studio.

WE LOVE YOU!!!!!

Thank you!!!!