Jane McArthur

Hey there, it's been a while! Art takes time. Life happens (which is good, as that's what art eats). 

So, I have a new band. I have a bunch of killer tunes that have made their way from the depths of my sub-conscious to my hands on my guitar and into my live sets over the last few years. I'd love to record them, so they can travel further out of my mind and into your homes and hearts. 

As mentioned in the campaign video (LINK) we are returning to the south island New Zealand on tour in January. Sam and I were there last summer and had a great time with the gigs and welcoming people and breathtaking wilderness. The pressure of playing gigs almost every night does great things for your playing and live performance. So it made sense to us that it would be the perfect time to record an album after we return home from the tour, match-ready.

We have just recorded out first SINGLE! It's called Old Soul Stuff and it's a perfect tune for the summer time vibes. Those who pledge will receive a free download of the single at the end of the campaign (early December). You'll be the first to own it before we release it for our NZ tour!

For those not familiar with crowdfunding, the idea is that the audience (the fans!) get on board from the beginning of the process, instead of the end. In other words, you would be pre-purchasing the album. We will give you exclusive updates along the way on the progress of the album, and you'll be the first to know about single releases and events. There are different ways to be involved, either simply pre-purchase a digital album or a physical CD, or partake in a bunch of other rewards (you've always wanted to try tai chi, right?).

I have always believed in not asking artists to do things for free and paying the talented musicians and technicians I work with.  As a result, I find more often than not (and I am certainly not alone), I will pay money out of my own pocket to play live gigs, or go in to debt to fund a recording (or choose not to play at all).  That's where the idea of a crowd-source campaign to fund the album made sense to me. 

Like any venture in life, most of the real rewards come from fostering long-term, slow-burn relationships. Connections that give both ways. For those people who already have a relationship with my music (and ask me when the next album is coming), and know that they'd probably like to buy it when it's ready, it would be incredible to do the money bit the reverse way around, and so help fund the albums creation. It would be such an incredible gesture. 

So thanks for even getting this far. Have a look around, check out the campaign and see what you think of the sneak peak of the new single. There are also a bunch of other cool things on offer to tickle your fancy. We can't wait to get started!

Much love, Jane.xx.

P.S if you haven't heard my music before (hi, hello it's so nice to meet you!), you can find me on Spotify and Soundcloud and Youtube. :)

Below I have given an indication of the costs to produce the album. The costs are rounded estimates at standard rates.

For a 10-12 song album, I have budgeted approximately:

Studio Recording and mixing:

$1,200 per song for studio recording and mixing hours 

(roughly 1 day in the studio per song), 

Musicians Wages:

$400-600 per song for musicians wages 

(for 1 day in the studio for 2-3 musos) NB: this does not include any wages for myself.

Mastering:

$150 per song for mastering. 

Approximate Total Costs:

~ $20K, depending on the variables. 

Pozible pledge:

I thought $15,000 was a more realistic target for a 6 week campaign.

Should we end up coming under our $$/song estimate, funds will be used to pay for additional costs such as: CD pressing (~$2K), vinyl pressing (~$3K), wages for guest producers, Pozible fees (5% = $750), graphic design, promotion for launch events, etc.