About Us - Minnesota Music Archive

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Our Story

DEMO and the Minnesota Music Archive

Preserving the Past. Amplifying the Present. Inspiring the Future.

The Diverse Emerging Music Organization (DEMO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 by legendary First Avenue manager Steve McClellan. DEMO is focused on promoting and preserving Minnesota’s independent music legacy while also championing its future.

At the heart of our mission is the Minnesota Music Archive (MMA), a shared cultural memory in the form of a digital repository that celebrates the full spectrum of Minnesota’s musical heritage.

The archive includes recordings by Minnesota musicians across all genres, generations, and geographies. The MMA follows professional standards for documentation, cataloging, and preservation.

A growing network of volunteers, artists, archivists, and cultural partners fuel the archive. To ensure cultural and geographic diversity, we work with historians, educators, and community organizations across the state. Through collaboration, innovation, and community engagement, the archive will help to ensure that Minnesota’s vibrant musical story will continue to thrive, evolve, and inspire.

Mission & Vision

Our Signature Initiative

Our Mission: To preserve and promote Minnesota’s independent music legacy and future.
Our Vision: To serve as a permanent home for Minnesota’s performing artists and their recorded music while advocating, celebrating, and promoting the variety and depth of Minnesota’s music legacy.
Our Signature Initiative: The Minnesota Music Archive, a digital home for all Minnesota music.

meet the board of directors

Mitch-Thompson

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Executive Director

Mitch Thompson, a Minnesota native from Albert Lea, spent the first three...

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Ted-Martin

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President & Board Chair

Ted Martin started as a DEMO volunteer in 2005 before joining the...

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Willie-McManus

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Vice Chair

Willie McManus has been a DEMO board member since 2010. He founded...

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Thomas-Maruska

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Treasurer

Thomas Maruska is an experienced Audit Manager at CBIZ, where he specializes...

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Mary-Kuennen

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Secretary

Mary Kuennen joined the DEMO Board in 2019 and has long been...

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Mike-Deeney

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Board Member

Mike Deeney joined the DEMO Board in June 2019 and served as...

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Seth-Peter

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Board Member

Seth Peter joined the DEMO board in 2020 as a lifelong fan...

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Marty-Bragg

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Board Member

Marty Bragg joined the board of DEMO in Nov. 2024. She is...

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Neva-Fuller

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Board Member

Neva Fuller is an archivist and librarian with a passion for the...

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Peter-Rudrud

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Board Member

Peter Rudrud joined the DEMO Board of Directors in 2024. Before...

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Terrell-X-Avion

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Board Member

Carnage The Executioner A.K.A. TERRELL X started his musical journey in 1984...

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Christine-Bartyzal

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Board Member

Christine joined the DEMO Board of Directors in 2024 and leads the...

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Shelley-Pierce

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Board Member

Shelley Pierce joined the DEMO Board in January of 2025. Shelley is...

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Kevin-Yang

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Board Member

Kevin Yang’s first experience with DEMO started in Summer 2025 where he...

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Stacy-Schwartz

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Board Member

Stacy Schwartz started working in the Twin Cities music scene photographing local...

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Stephen T. McClellan

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Board Member

Stephen T. McClellan is an American concert promoter and educator. For 30...

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Krista Wax

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Board Member

Krista Wax joined the DEMO Board in July of 2026. Krista is...

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Why Do We Archive?

Music is memory. It tells the story of who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going. We archive the artifacts of Minnesota’s diverse musical heritage to give artists, fans, and researchers access to the full story of Minnesota’s sound. We are stewards and promise that Minnesota’s music will not be forgotten.

Who Is Behind This?

The MMA is a project of DEMO, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Minnesota’s independent music community. DEMO envisions Minnesota as a bedrock of independent music and serves as a perpetual home and advocate for the state’s musical creativity.

The archive is powered by a growing network of volunteers, artists, archivists, and cultural partners. We also collaborate with historians, educators, and community organizations across the state to ensure the archive reflects Minnesota’s cultural and geographic diversity.

How Can You Help?

You don’t need to be a musician or archivist to contribute. MMA is a community-driven effort, and there are many ways to get involved:

Contribute music to the archive.
Review the archive and tell us about necessary corrections.
If you wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, produced, or published music in the archive, tell us your story.
Join us as a volunteer archivist, researcher, or community liaison.
Spread the word. Help us to connect with every corner of Minnesota’s music scene.
Partner with us. We seek to collaborate with schools, libraries, record labels, and cultural organizations.

Do You Have a Collection Management Policy?

Collection Management Policy
We are developing a formal collection management policy that outlines how materials are selected, preserved, described, and made accessible. This policy will reflect our commitment to transparency, equity, and archival best practices.

Our Collection Management Policy is a living document that continues to evolve as we refine our digital‑and‑analog mission and deepen our understanding of what our community wants represented in the Archive; please reach out to us for the most current version.
Info@MinnesotaMusicArchive.org

Do You Have a Physical Space for the Archive?

We seek to establish a physical space where you can engage with Minnesota’s music history.

We envision the physical space should be:

A listening and research center for students, scholars, and fans
A community hub for events, workshops, and artist talks and performances
A preservation lab for our archivists to digitize and care for physical media
A cultural archive that reflects the diversity and depth of music in Minnesota

Your support, through donations, partnerships, and participation, will help to move us closer to making this vision a reality.

DEMO Is Committed to a Thriving Music Ecosystem

We Believe That

We Should Create Music

DEMO is dedicated to supporting a vibrant, sustainable music ecosystem that enriches lives and communities through engagement, artist development, education, advocacy, and cultural preservation.

We Should Perform Music

DEMO offers performance opportunities for both established and upcoming artists through DEMO-sponsored events and collaboration with existing venues.

We Should Hear Music

DEMO and its signature initiative, the Minnesota Music Archive, serves diverse stakeholders, including musicians, fans, media personnel, researchers, writers, booking agencies, record labels, arts organizations, politicians, and other key players who collectively create Minnesota’s music culture. These entities can depend on DEMO as a central hub, advocate, collaborative partner, and repository for all things related to Minnesota music.

We Should Share Music

The Minnesota music ecosystem forms a symbiotic relationship between the audience and artists that creates a unique universal language that bridges cultures, distance and eras.

We Should Preserve Music

Market success and popularity can be fleeting, often short-sighted, and may lack cultural inclusivity. By focusing on preservation as a critical piece of the musical ecosystem, DEMO creates a lasting legacy that honors artist’s output, preserves cultural heritage, and INSPIRES future generations.

Contact & Media

Partnerships & Supporters

DEMO Sponsors

DEMO Partnerships

Art-A-Whirl Sponsors 2025

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