When it’s time to make a big decision about something important, for example what takeaway to order, my friend Alex has an excellent solution – The Make-A-Face Game. It’s very simple – someone gives you each option one by one and you let your face react naturally to each in turn. When it’s apparent you’ve grinned much wider for curry than pizza, you’re ready to order.
I was trying this for a question that’s been on my mind:
“What page should open if you click on a link to pre-order this album?”
It went something like this:
Make a face for Amazon
Make a face for iTunes
Make a face for Pledge Music
Wow looks like I’m pretty happy with that. The record will be available on all retailers, including Spotify which I love, but first up is Pledge.
In the past, Pledge was sometimes a bit “Please help me. I need money to do a thing, give me all the money! Otherwise the thing will never happen and I will be sad and oh no it’s all your fault.”
But now it’s more like “I’ve made a thing. Pre-ordering it early will allow me to better release and market the thing. Plus if you’d like something extra like a concert in your living room, or handwritten lyrics or we could go out shopping together OMG I know this amaaaazing vintage place on the upper east side or whatever, we can do that too.”
Here’s why it’s so good:
– It gives everyone the opportunity to pay fairly for the music, if they want to, and in a way that massively and directly supports the artist.
– For those who find that being closer makes the experience of music better, we strengthen the bond. There’ll be blogs, videos from the studio, social bits, Q&As… that kind of thing…. all there if you want them, or not if you don’t.
– Having extra things on sale as well as the album makes it way more interesting. Maybe suggest an idea for one – thanks to everyone who already has. We’re not going shopping by the way. I fucking hate shopping.
– It all massively helps to bring the record to a wider audience, both by using the money raised to help promote it and by us just talking about it like this.
It won’t kick off for a couple months, so in the meantime if you have suggestions for offers, add them below or email me at the address at the top. Let me know what you’d like to see and we’ll try and make it happen. So far we’ve got signed CDs, exclusive T-shirts, handwritten lyrics, house concerts, plus others I can’t announce yet. Any more?
11 Comments on “Why I’m Choosing Pledge For Album Pre-Orders”
How about an online auction? Some money going to a favourite charity like Macmillan nurses or another chosen charity and the rest going towards promoting your music? I’d give a framed print…
x
Just a promise that a better version of the album with more stuff won’t be released later would do me! Loved the live cd on the last one, a really good booklet for those of us who still like our music round and shiny, guitar lesson would be great or a hand-written personalised note in the cd booklet. Hmm.. rambling. Better stop now.
The house concerts sound fab as it would mean my 13 year old son Jonny may finally see and hear you live rather then relying on the CDs with lovely personalised dedications on the sleeve. Will the song about the fear of freezer drawers be on the album?
I’ve been considering that too Becca – we’ll have a couple of spare tracks that won’t make the album, plus maybe re-mixes / live versions… but not sure yet. It might happen… or might not. Will keep thinking :)
I’ve been considering that too Becca – we’ll have a couple of spare tracks that won’t make the album, plus maybe re-mixes / live versions… but not sure yet. It might happen… or might not. Will keep thinking. Thanks!
Nice one Al. Think house concerts would have to be on sale this time – as the idea is to raise money to help promote the album. We’ll try to set the bar at the right level.
I loved the EP you released a few years ago in one-off illustrated sleeves – something like that would be amazing! X
Pledge sounds like a great choice for sure.. Hmm house concerts sound like a good idea whether they’re on sale or as a competition like last time.. Guitar lessons and tutorials also sounds great
larger than life-size cardboard cut out.
Thanks Alex – yes I’d definitely like to include something like that… although tabs for my first album don’t exist yet – and they’d be quite a big job to create in full…. maybe something like a guitar lesson? Or a personalised tutorial for a song of your choice?
Brilluant idea to use pledge. I suggest you give away a complete set of Tabs for your first album for those who’d like to strut our stuff (quietly when the baby is in bed. ..!) Like an up and coming Jake Morley :-)
Love and peace,
Alex