In the seven and a half years I’ve been running Peoria Music Live, I’ve done it mostly for love.

Love of music.
Love of making a difference.
Love of the people whose lives are affected.
And love of Peoria.

I’ve poured everything I have into building this platform, brick by brick, event by event, post by post. As we cross over 23,000 followers on Facebook in the coming week, I want to take a moment to acknowledge both how far we’ve come - and how far we still have to go.

I think there’s a lot of important information here, but just in case, here’s a shortened version.

The bulk of both Peoria Music Live and Harmonize Peoria are still being funded out of my own pocket. I’ve mentioned that before, but it’s important to make it known - because it’s not sustainable. But I also am not ready to listen to the people who tell me to give up, those who say “If it’s not paying for itself yet, it’s not going to.”

Last summer, I found myself completely overwhelmed running Peoria Music Live, Harmonize Peoria, and still holding down the cleaning business I built from the ground up, Hire A Housewife. That business began in 2012, when I was a single, homeless mom of four just trying to survive. It eventually became successful enough to support my family and help launch everything I do now.

If you haven’t seen the video of how Hire A Housewife started, you can find it here. I’m proud of all we did over the course of nearly 13 years.

But in August 2024, I knew I had to choose, deciding to let go of my HAH employees and shift my focus entirely to Peoria’s live music scene. I believed if I could just focus there and tell people what I need, this community that I’ve loved and supported for years would step up.

Many have. There is a small but mighty group of members of our Green Room who contribute monthly, others who subscribe via Facebook, and we have one venue paying for promotional services every month. (Special thank you to Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino and Tin Lizard! You ROCK!)

But truthfully, even when that income is pulled together, it isn’t enough to create sustainability.

To stay afloat, I’ve been taking side jobs, cutting into the time I have for PML: The weekend list goes out later. Show coverage gets lighter. Less content is edited to share. I’m unable to pursue the new ideas and community-building projects that could bring lasting change - because I’m scrambling to pay the bills.

When some unexpected expenses popped up recently, I sat down to crunch numbers. Between now and the end of the year, I need to bridge a $40,000 gap. That number includes my personal expenses, those of running PML, and the major support I provide to Harmonize Peoria.

Honestly, even if I hadn’t had a few recent surprise expenses pop up, I wasn’t going to make it at my current income level.

When I shared all of this with a friend this week, she looked me in the eye and said exactly what I’d tell a friend in my position, “You can do that. But you have to commit to doing it. Think about what do you need to do differently. Make one of those little tracker things. Get to work. And keep me updated. That’ll get you a lot farther than just talking to me about it.”

She was right. I always tell people: if you want things to change, you have to be the one to change them. So, I’m doing just that.

From here on out, I’ll be publicly tracking progress - whether it comes from unexpected side jobs that I know I need to continue to take for now, or any of the ways people can help that are listed below. The goal: pay off this gap before the end of the year so I can stop treading water and start pushing forward.

Some people have told me I should give up on Peoria Music Live, that I’ve given it enough time. But while the platform has been around for 7.5 years, I’ve only had my full attention to give for the last six months. I’m not done yet. In some ways I feel like I’m just getting started.

Will $40,000 get me out of debt?
Good question. No.

I’m not asking people to get me out of debt. I’m asking for financial support of Peoria Music Live to help keep me from ending 2025 further in debt than I did in 2024, while keeping Peoria Music Live running and getting us on solid ground for the coming years.

In addition to those who tell me this is a lost cause, there are some out there who are not fans of what I do and want me to fail. In the last few years, I’ve been told I ruined Peoria’s music scene, If I really loved music I would do it for free, and Peoria isn’t worth my time, among other things. I’ve also had several people say they were going to work with PML and then stand me up or ghost me.

Obviously, the positive interactions far outweigh the negative ones. But I would love to show those people that I can do this even without their support.

Here’s the first tracker - starting at zero. I’ll share an update in a couple weeks. In the meantime, here are some of the many available ways you can help:

**WAYS TO SUPPORT PEORIA MUSIC LIVE:**

✅ Become a Green Room member ($5/mo) - It would take ~1300 members to get there if this was the only path there. CLICK HERE to learn more and/or join. Next Green Room Giveaway is 5/27/2025 for a $25 gift card to Kenny’s Westside.
✅ Subscribe on Facebook ($1/mo) - It would take ~6400 subscribers. (CLICK HERE and then click “Subscribe” - blue button near top right of page.)
✅ Venues, businesses, and others can pay for ad space or featured event promotion - CLICK HERE to see great packages meant to keep you top of mind with your current fans and patrons while helping new fans find you! You can also send me your ad budget, and I’ll make a customized plan for you.
✅ Make your small business or venue a monthly supporter - Our plans start at $99/mo! SEE SOME OPTIONS HERE
✅ Create content to attract more Green Room members - I’ve had such high hopes and dreams for our online Green Room. One of those includes employing local artists by paying them to create exclusive original content for the platform. If you’re interested in doing that for free or at a very low rate, reach out and we’ll discuss possibilities.
✅ Make a direct donation to Harmonize Peoria - a 501C3 Non-Profit Organization -
To clarify: Monetary donations to Harmonize Peoria do not benefit my personal finances directly. However, because I am personally paying HP’s rent, utilities, and insurance out of my pocket ($1200/mo), some donations to HP would impact this project. SEE WAYS TO DONATE HERE
✅ Get involved in the 2nd Annual PML Takeover happening October 19, 2025. Takeover proceeds will be split between Harmonize Peoria and Peoria Music Live and are to help cover expenses for the coming year, but a portion may affect the funds I’m raising with this post.
More info on the PML Takeover coming soon!
✅ Share this post and tell people why PML matters to you - it encourages others to help as well!

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If you believe in what Peoria Music Live does - if you’ve discovered a new band, made it to a show because of the weekend list, felt seen, heard, supported, or inspired - I hope you’ll stick with me through the next seven months and celebrate where this is going.

If I can live in a world where I can help others access music without worrying about how I’m going to cover my bills every month - there will be no stopping me and no limits on what PML & HP can do for the area.

Let’s prove them wrong together.
Let’s show what community support really looks like.
Let’s keep our music community thriving.

Thank you.

❤️
Kindall