Los Angeles, CA – April 26, 2025 – A new app, Instrumental Giving, connects donors with fire-affected Southern California musicians and music enthusiasts who lost instruments, recording equipment, and vinyl records in the recent devastating wildfires.

Instrumental Giving aims to streamline the process of replacing these essential items, which hold both professional and sentimental value. The app provides a direct platform for fire victims to list their specific needs, while donors can easily browse requests and contribute items or funds.

“The loss of these items is particularly devastating for musicians and those who cherish music. It’s not just about replacing things; it’s about restoring a means of expression, a source of income, and a connection to the music community. We created Instrumental Giving to provide a direct and efficient way for the community to help those affected get back on their feet.”

~De Ivett, Advisor to Instrumental Giving

Key features of Instrumental Giving

For Fire Victims:

• Create a profile and get verified to connect to donor offers and make requests.
• List specific items lost (instruments, recording gear, LPs, etc.).
• Provide details about the item’s significance (e.g., professional tool, family heirloom).
• Chat to connect with donors and other fire-affected users.

For Donors:

• Browse listings of needed items posted by verified users.
• Search and Filter by Musical Instrument, Vinyl, or user profile. 
• Chat to connect directly with verified victims to arrange donations or offer financial assistance.

When 5D Spectrum founder De Ivett saw so many people struggling after the fires, including many of her closest friends and clients, she wanted to do something about it. Supporting GoFundMe campaigns was just the tip of the iceberg…

Working with long-time friend and client Brandon Jay, 5D launched the Altadena Musicians website in preparation for the NaMM 2025 show and an opportunity to connect with the music industry as a whole. Meetings with Reberb.com, members of the NAMM Foundation and many manufacturers of musical instruments paved the path to developing a solution.

Jay’s desire to create an online registry to allow musicians to list their lost items led 5D Spectrum to look for a viable solution that could be deployed relatively fast. Working with development partner BOSC Tech Labs, the 5D team came up with an idea for the app. The BOSC team ramped up for a 600-hour project to deploy the first phase of the new app. In just 6 short weeks, the app was ready for launch. With a soft launch of onboarding donors first, the app was released to the community at its official launch party on April 26th, 2025.

Musician Bro Morgan had some kind words to share regarding Instrumental Giving:

“I love it. The app is very intuitive – it’s very helpful to us in dealing with this crisis and special shout out to the team and everyone who’s given and the donors – you know we really appreciate you and I give you a special thank you from the bottom of my  heart.”

Instrumental Giving is committed to ensuring that donations go directly to those affected. The app includes a verification process for fire victims and encourages transparent communication between donors and recipients.

“We believe in the power of music to heal and unite,” adds De Ivett. “Our goal is to help the Southern California music community recover and rebuild, one instrument, one record, one piece of equipment at a time.”

Download the app to get started!

About Altadena Musicians:

Altadena Musicians is a fiscally sponsored non-profit organization dedicated to connecting donors with musicians and music lovers who have lost their instruments, recording equipment, and music collections due to natural disasters. The organization strives to facilitate a direct and efficient recovery process, ensuring that those affected receive the support they need to restore their lives and their music.

Writing assisted by Gemini