Vulfpeck, the minimalist funk group, or self-described “half-Jewish post-geographic rhythm section,” is stepping into new territory with their upcoming tour. In fact, "new territory" undersells what they plan to do for their fans. Before diving into exactly what that means though, it is important to understand just exactly what it is Vulfpeck does so well.

For those who are unaware of this talented group, Vulfpeck is made up of Jack Stratton, Theo Katzman, Woody Goss & Joe Dart with occasional guest appearances. The group started as studio musicians, or session musicians, playing for Vulf Records. Session musician are essentially talent for hire; have a song that could really use a crazy saxophone solo? Hire a session saxophonist to come lay down some tracks. Need someone to play bass in the background at a concert? Call up a session bassist. The job can often be tiring and rather thankless, so after the members of Vulfpeck grew tired of it, they came together to create something special. Luckily, all of this music is available through almost any outlet one could ask for.

With services like Pandora and Spotify on the market, fans of almost any artist have grown accustomed to paying little to nothing to hear their favorite songs. Really, even the artists who refuse to stream their music through services like this still have to deal with torrenting, as society is becoming less and less okay with paying for its music. As a whole, it seems that the music industry is compensating for this loss by trending towards having bigger, bolder, more expensive concerts.

What does a small funk group like Vulfpeck think about this new approach to concerts? How does Vulfpeck feel about this approach to live music becoming more and more costly? Well, for their 2016 tour, showcasing their newest album “Thrill of the Arts,” they will be paying their audience. Yes, Vulfpeck is actually going to pay each and every concert goer on their upcoming tour. This is not a gimmick; they are not paying with coupons, IOU’s, or stopping at free entry. “For Vulfpeck to hit the road again, every audience member must get paid,” Vulfpeck said in a video released on their Facebook page on April 27th.

Seriously though, Vulfpeck is actually paying people to come to their concerts. This is huge. When was the last time a band gave this much back to their fans? The same video goes on to describe just how audience members will be paid:

Jack partnered with some of the biggest, and smallest, services in streaming digital music today, Spotify, Google Play, Deezer, kkbox, to bring you "Flow State". ...The math is simple. For every 1 million streams of "Flow State," an audience members will receive $1 upon entry to the venue. for every 5 million, $5. And let me add, in the payment platform of your choice: square cash, Venmo, PayPal, perhaps even Chase QuickPay.

For someone who is used to paying at least $20 to see a band play live, this is a tour that simply cannot be missed.

If you would like to check out Vulfpeck, here is a link to their upcoming shows.

I'm looking forward to rocking out with you all there!