We live in an incredible age for songwriters, bands, and artists of all disciplines. Quite possibly for the first time in history, recording artists now experience unprecedented interactions with, and access to, people who love music—and love supporting the people who make it.
The art that is getting funded today is of the folk variety—not the “high art” which has received patron support in the past. And what’s more, this folk art is now being elevated, receiving, in some cases, the same consideration as the “classical” music of history.
When you pre-order our record and other merchandise, what you are effectively saying is this:
“Whatever you put out, whatever music you create, we know that it will be great, and I want to own it, listen to it, and make it a part of the soundtrack of my life. I want to support you because I trust you to write and release good music, and I want you to be able to focus on doing that—without the distraction of the money side of things. Record this album the best way you can. Don’t cut corners.”
So yeah… Why pre-orders help more than post-release sales can be summed up in the following categories:
1. Privilege, Responsibility, Community. When you pre-order, we feel the weight of the privilege and responsibility you have placed in our hands. We want you to love what we create, and we will do everything in our power to make that happen. All of this creates a real community. We are in your debt. You have gone out on a limb to demonstrate your trust in us.
2. Freedom from Financial Distractions. By guaranteeing a certain number of sales, there is no longer any guess-work when it comes to deciding how many copies of CD’s or other merchandise to manufacture. It minimizes waste, maximizes cash flow, and allows us to make sure that we’re putting as much money as we can into what really matters most: the recording process. With solid pre-orders, we can set a budget and stick to it, using actual dollars and cents.
3. Sustainability. Every band needs money up front to create the next “thing” which will help them bring in cash, which will fund the next project, which will generate cash to be used for the next project, which will sell well, funding the consequent record… But many groups, including ours, seem to be in a perpetual state of self-preservation. After paying for production costs and releasing a record, sales aren’t nearly enough to generate all the cash necessary for the next album. Money usually gets pitched in by band members—making the whole “band thing” a losing business proposition. With your help, we’re breaking the cycle with Firm Foundation.
