As Occupy Wall Street prepares for a warm-weather remobilization, three producers are putting the finishing touches on the movement’s first artistic endeavor. Occupy This Album, out this spring, includes tracks from nearly 50 artists and will use its proceeds to sustain the Occupy protests. Though the album was able to make headlines by securing stars like Yoko Ono, Tom Morello, and Crosby & Nash, the idea was inspired by the acoustic music protestors played in Zuccotti Park. “There are far more unknown artists on this album than there are known,” explains executive producer Jason Samel. “The original idea was simply to shine the light that so many big name artists already had in the palm of their hands on unknown, unbelievable artists.”

It seems natural for a grassroots social movement to seek support in the music world, but the landscape has changed since “For What It’s Worth” reached the Billboard Top Ten. “Most pop artists these days adamantly refuse to take a stand on real issues, because they are so deathly afraid that anything controversial will effect their income,” Samel notes. He and his co-producers, Maegan Hayward and Alex Emanuel, still worked hard to include a huge range of backgrounds and styles, from acclaimed veterans to international niche artists.