Tcha Limberger Kickstarter - Les Violons de Bruxelles

billyshakes

Some of you may already be on the lejazzetal mailing list. I got an e-mail today from Dave Kelbie pointing towards this Kickstarter to fund a live album by the band. Here's the link in case any are interested in backing it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/violonsdebruxelles/new-live-album-by-les-violons-de-bruxelles/

BillDaCostaWilliams

Really enjoyed their previous rwo albums so I'm happy to support the project.

ChrisMartin

Just not sure how that works?

The blurb says it has already been recorded and they need more money for post-production etc, etc yet we have seen in recent years how many 'special interest' groups and artists (ie not Billboard chart-toppers) manage to get their music out there, either by mail order CD or digital downloads.

As a self-published author myself I am well aware of what it takes to generate publicity to make the public aware of my work, but with a bit of imagination and a lot of hard work it can be done and two months on and I am $2k ahead already. Not a fortune I know and I certainly am not going to trouble Harry Potter sales, but neither can Les Violons de.... expect to match Kanye and the like.

I could sympathise where a starving artist needs X hours of studio time at $X an hour to get started which would normally be the major expense, but this is a live recording already done, (and presumably ticket sales for that show may have helped offset some costs) so the remaining investment in studio time should be minimal. They are after all a very experienced live act and as the blurb says, the venue had perfect acoustics, so there should be little need for remixing and hours correcting EQs. So asking for money up front or we will not put this product out at all seems like a new approach, like asking for guaranteed sales of something that so far is unheard and speculative.

Is this the future of recorded music sales?

billyshakes

Is this the future of recorded music sales?

Chris, I really think it is trending that way for certain things. So much of music these days is digital downloads. Producing physical CDs are a bit of a gamble. They might sell out. They might end up being 5 boxes full in your garage. So I think this campaign isn't as much to produce the show for the digital realm, which as you indicate, is relatively easy these days. I think this is to gauge demand for the physical product and produce the right amount.

I look at Patreon in a similar way. There are many folks out there (artists, youtube content creators, etc) who have regular fans who like what they do. They agree to support said artist every month for a low fee. In return, that artist has a rough idea of a budget for what they can expect to earn each month. That can then be used to bring more content without risk of them being massively out of pocket. Not sure if your book is published on demand or if you've had to create a certain physical print run. The print industry has been pretty good about that, but I think it is harder to produce the packaging, etc. for a physical CD.

Anyway, thems my thoughts on that.

BillDaCostaWilliams

New Live Album by "Les Violons de Bruxelles" has reached its funding goal.

billyshakes

https://djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/112892#Comment_112892

I think what is the coolest about that are the folks that pledged enough for a private concert. Wish I were able to do that (and i think coming to the US would add on a lot of extra expense), but it is great to see folks supporting them at that level. World-class musicians.