Play Me Again Pianos

What Play Me Again Pianos does

Play Me Again Pianos is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2016 by Jason and Kelly Brett, that places artist-painted public pianos throughout Metropolitan Atlanta for free community use. As of 2025 the organization has installed 31 named pianos across venues such as Woodruff Arts Center, Atlantic Station, Ponce City Market, Alpharetta Recreation parks, Chamblee Rail Trail, and the Dunwoody Nature Center, with 14 currently active and a stated goal of 88 (matching the number of piano keys) across the region. The core 'product' is a pipeline: intake of donated studio-size vertical pianos (45–48 inches), matching each to a volunteer artist who paints a unique design at their studio, and installation at a sheltered high-foot-traffic host location followed by quarterly tuning and weekly volunteer Steward check-ins. Each installation carries a fundraising target of approximately $2,100 with $1,000 per year in ongoing maintenance; upcoming pianos (Atlanta Chinatown, Terminal South Peoplestown) and a teased Steinway Grand indicate continued buildout.

Revenue mechanics rely entirely on charitable giving: individual donations (channeled through Aplos), dedicated crowdfunding campaigns on GoFundMe and 'pianothon' microsites, in-kind piano donations, corporate and private sponsorships (including a flagship 'Prestige Level' sponsorship from Benjamin Barnes covering full lifecycle costs), and artist-sponsor partnerships via groups like Roswell Arts Fund. Distribution is direct, partnership-based — the organization negotiates host venues (municipalities, parks departments, arts centers, and mixed-use retail developers such as Jamestown) and supplies full project management from donor coordination to artist matching to installation and stewardship. Customer segments are non-paying in the conventional sense: municipalities and cultural institutions host pianos to enhance public spaces; volunteer artists contribute labor for public recognition; general public consumes the experience free of charge; Piano Donors supply in-kind assets; and volunteer Piano Stewards provide ongoing maintenance labor. Headcount is 1–10, revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization operates with thin paid staff supplemented by an extensive volunteer ecosystem.

Name

Play Me Again Pianos

Legal name

Play Me Again Pianos, Inc.

Website

https://playmeagainpianos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Play Me Again Pianos is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that places artist-painted, freely accessible public pianos throughout Metropolitan Atlanta, operating 14 active installations and a network of volunteer artists, hosts, and Piano Stewards supported by donations and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Program

NAICS

Reupholstery and Furniture Repair (81142)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares) (MPAIAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Piano Moving Services (HSAKAEAA)

Keywords

• Public art installations
• Community piano program
• Nonprofit arts charity
• Piano donation program
• Volunteer stewardship program

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute funds to support piano installation and maintenance. The organization emphasizes that while pianos are free to the public, they are not free to install and maintain, costing approximately $2100 per piano for installation plus $1000 per piano per year for tuning and minor repairs.
2. Corporate/Private Sponsorships: Prestige Level sponsorships from individuals like Benjamin Barnes cover moving and installation costs, tuning and maintenance for over a year, and decommission costs when the piano is no longer repairable. Some organizations sponsor specific pianos.
3. Piano Donations (In-Kind): Individuals and families donate pianos in good condition. The organization accepts studio size vertical pianos (45-48 inches in height). The piano is the primary asset being placed, donated rather than purchased.
4. Crowdfunding Campaigns: The organization runs specific crowdfunding campaigns for new piano installations, with each campaign funding installation of a new piano and first 5 quarterly tunings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Play Me Again Pianos is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that repurposes donated pianos (primarily studio and console size vertical pianos) by having volunteer artists paint them with unique designs. The pianos are installed in sheltered public locations with high foot traffic throughout Metropolitan Atlanta for free community use, with ongoing maintenance provided through volunteer Piano Stewards and quarterly professional tuning.

Product overview

Play Me Again Pianos is a Georgia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a public piano installation program. The core service involves placing 88 beautifully painted, freely accessible public pianos throughout Metropolitan Atlanta. The organization manages the complete lifecycle of each piano including piano donation acceptance, artist matching for painting, professional installation, and ongoing maintenance through the Piano Steward volunteer program. Partner locations host the pianos while the organization covers moving costs, tuning, and repairs. Individual named pianos (such as Janssen, Carly, Waverly, Lin, Georgia, Max, Ms. Jean, Elmer, Claude) represent the installed public art pieces, each with unique artistic designs created by volunteer artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Piano Installation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 14 currently installed pianos accessible to the public across the Atlanta metro area
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Atlantic StationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlantic Station hosts multiple pianos at their retail and restaurant district, providing sheltered locations with high foot traffic. The partnership has hosted Dottie (retired 2024) and Waverly (installed 2025), with property management actively participating in unveiling events and promoting the pianos to visitors.
• Woodruff Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Woodruff Arts Center hosts two pianos (Carly and Liam) at their campus locations. As a world-class arts venue serving nearly one million patrons annually, the Woodruff provides prime locations and integration with their cultural programming.
• Ponce City MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPonce City Market hosts pianos at their third-level location near the BeltLine. The mixed-use community hub developed by Jamestown provides visibility to thousands of daily visitors and integrates the pianos into their public art programming.
• Chastain Arts CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chastain Arts Center (operated by City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs) hosts Elmer on their front porch, with over 2,500 students enrolled annually in their programs who interact with the piano.
• Alpharetta Recreation, Parks & Cultural ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Alpharetta has hosted six public pianos across multiple parks including Cogburn Road Park, Rock Mill Park, Wills Park Equestrian Center, Webb Bridge Park, and Alpharetta Arts Center. The city is committed to having pianos in all their public parks.
• Chamblee Parks and RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Chamblee partners to host pianos at the Chamblee Rail Trail (Irving/Max) and at Plaza Fiesta (Iris), with the city providing public spaces and the organization managing installation and maintenance.
• Dunwoody Nature CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dunwoody Nature Center hosts Claude (and previously Bennett) under the pavilion along Wildcat Creek, with over 20,000 annual visitors benefiting from the piano installation.
• Plaza FiestacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaza Fiesta, a 350,000 square-foot retail center drawing 4.4 million visitors annually, hosts Iris in their main hallway, providing an indoor location with consistent foot traffic.
• Midtown International SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents and faculty from Midtown International School have contributed artwork to multiple pianos including Aragon and Melody, integrating the piano program into their arts curriculum.
• JamestowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJamestown is the real estate investment and management firm that developed and manages Ponce City Market, providing the venue and ongoing partnership for piano installations at that location.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• KultureCity: Nonprofit focused on accessibility and inclusion in cultural/arts venues. Comparable as a nonprofit serving Atlanta cultural institutions (Woodruff, etc.) and overlapping host ecosystem, but not a piano program.
• Midori & Friends: National nonprofit providing free music education programs to schools. Thematically aligned through music access and education partnerships, but does not place public instruments.
• The NAMM Foundation: Nonprofit arm of NAMM focused on advancing active music-making. Related as a funder/advocate in the music access space that PMA's mission intersects with, particularly around declining home piano ownership.

Regional players

• Boulder Pianos About Town: Boulder, CO public piano program placing decorated instruments downtown. Operates with a comparable artist-painted, free-public-access model but in a different geographic market.
• Atlanta Music Project: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing music education to underserved youth. Operates in the same metro Atlanta nonprofit/music ecosystem and shares potential partnership and donor overlap with PMA.
• Healdsburg Public Piano: Healdsburg, CA community piano initiative placing a single artist-painted public piano as a downtown attraction. Comparable concept at a much smaller, single-installation scale.

Direct peers

• Play Me, I'm Yours (Luke Jerram): The original touring public piano art installation by artist Luke Jerram, which has placed over 2,000 decorated pianos in cities worldwide. Same core product (community-painted street pianos) but driven by an individual artist rather than a hosted nonprofit program.
• Sing for Hope: Nonprofit that places artist-designed pianos in public spaces across NYC and other cities, with a volunteer-driven stewardship model. Operates the most direct analog to Play Me Again Pianos at a national scale.
• Piano Push Play: Denver-area nonprofit placing interactive public pianos, including adaptive instruments for accessibility. Similar community-piano mission with an additional focus on inclusive design.
• Street Pianos Charlotte: Charlotte, NC nonprofit placing public pianos for community play. Closest Southeast geographic analog with a similar volunteer-stewarded, city-focused operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/PMAPianos
• Facebookfacebook.com/PlayMeAgainPianos
• Instagraminstagram.com/playmeagainpianos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playmeagainpianos

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Play Me Again Pianos