Co-op provides resources to musicians, filmmakers

• By JASON BROWN
• Acadiana Bureau
• Published: Jan 12, 2009 - Page: 2B - UPDATED: 12:05 am

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LAFAYETTE — From Final Cut Pro to Pro Tools, professional and aspiring musicians and filmmakers in Lafayette now have access to a world of programs at bargain rates thanks to a local music co-op set for its grand opening this week.

Tipitina’s Music Office Co-Op is a New Orleans-based non-profit that aims to enrich creative communities by offering them access to work space, equipment and programs for a $10-per-month membership fee.

The co-op is managed by Rachel Nederveld, a Lafayette native who recently returned to the city after working in the music industry.

Nederveld described the co-op as “the kind of resource that musicians and artists in Lafayette can really use and take advantage of.”

Located downtown at 510 Johnston St., Tipitina’s features various rooms complete with office equipment, some music equipment and computers brimming with an assortment of programs on both Windows and Mac-based operating systems.

Among the software offerings are: Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, GarageBand and Reason, along with printers, phones, faxes and scanners. There also is a mixer, and the co-op is expecting both drums and a piano to be donated soon. Access to all is included with the membership fee.

Nederveld said Tipitina’s also will offer various workshops at no additional cost.

The idea is for co-op members to share and explore their knowledge and skills while learning new ones through fellow members.

Cheap access to software, work space and the opportunity to learn and network is what drove friends Allison Bohl and Jaimie Heiges to the co-op.

Both friends began playing and experimenting with music in high school, continuing their love for it through college.

Before Tipitina’s, Bohl, a documentary filmmaker who co-directed “I Always Do My Collars First,” lacked access to the equipment, programs and space she needed to further explore music as a side project.

The two friends often worked on their music within their home, experimenting and recording within the confines of a bathroom.

Now, they’re moving to a studio-style setting, equipped with mixers, programs and a lot more space.