Is It OK to Ask?
Photo by Pixabay
When I started my career in the mid 80’s things were a lot simpler. I released my first album “Make A Change” on cassette and sold them everywhere I went. People bought music. First it was cassettes, then I added CDs. This is how I largely made my living for close to 30 years. I played gigs and sold music plus the occasional t-shirts to go along with a tour. I certainly wasn’t getting rich, but I supported my kids and was able to pay my bills.
Here I am 30 plus years into a music career and things have changed. People don’t buy CDs as readily. Some still do, but in the old days I had a 40% sales rate. (40% of the audience at a show would buy a tape or CD.) The percentages have gone way down. Vinyl has made a bit of a comeback but the price of making them means it takes a long time to break even. Unless you are on tour constantly it’s almost not worth making product anymore. Why spend money on recording, mixing, mastering, and paying musicians to play on albums so that they can be streamed on spotify and other streaming services with little to none of the proceeds coming in to help pay for the album?
Photo by Jace-Afsoon
Enter crowdfunding. In 2012 I had my first crowdfunding campaign for a children’s album I had always wanted to do. Funny how I couldn’t get to it until my kids were grown. It was a smashing success. I raised $13,000 on Kickstarter for the project. Then in 2014 I switched to Indiegogo and raised $30k to fund my next studio album “Swim.” And then I raised $35k for the 2018 release “One With the Tide.” The cool thing is that people can choose what they want be it CD, vinyl, or download. Some folks just want to support the project and get one song. It all adds up to make the budget happen. Easy, right?
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon
Not so fast! Crowdfunding is awesome, but I would not call it easy. It means asking everyone you know--everyone who has ever heard your music and some strangers to support you. It is an extremely challenging process. The first obstacle is that age-old question “Is it OK to ask for help?” Well, is it? That’s a very personal question. Some folks have an extreme “NO” response. I admit that I did. I have spent my career doing benefits and helping folks out and “back in the day” I didn’t need to ask for help. My old model for making records was: I borrowed money, sold CDs and paid it back and then started to make a profit. It was easy. Everybody needs music and the only way they could get it was to buy it. Now that the paradigm has shifted, I’ve had to shift with it. I had to really dig deep and deal with some old negative thoughts around giving and receiving. I had to look at my work ethic and start to value myself and my time in ways that I hadn’t had to acknowledge before. I am really comfortable with giving. I am really comfortable with asking for help for others. It was a big stretch for me to extend that to myself.
Then there is the work involved with crowdfunding. You don’t just put a campaign up and watch it magically reach its goal. It’s a painstakingly laborious process. For each campaign I spent over a month writing letters, Facebook messages and posts, and took time to reach out to literally everyone I knew or who showed any interest in my music to ask, will you support my project? Most people ignored me. Some people responded angrily. Just enough folks jumped on the bandwagon because they wanted the music and wanted to help make it happen! But if I hadn’t asked, they would not have helped.
Photo by Tirachard Kumtano
Now I have a Patreon page and am excited about the possibility of having an actual steady monthly income for the first time in my life. I’m slowly building my network and I’m learning about the process. I like that it means connecting with fans on a regular basis and sharing content that they appreciate monthly rather than having to wait for the next big album. It gives me the opportunity to give back to the folks who support me the most. I’ve put my entire catalog of music including out of print and never released titles on a private streaming channel for my patrons and I just released a live album as a gift to them. I’m constantly looking for ways to create content that enriches the lives of my patrons. It’s a nice balance of giving and receiving.
We shall see what the future holds, but for now, I’m grateful that I chose to be vulnerable and to ask for help. Music is all about community and I’m grateful for mine. ❤︎
Photo by Debra Thornton
Alice DiMicele is a singer/songwriter who was born and raised in New Jersey and has called Southern Oregon home since 1986. She has released 15 albums on her label Alice Otter Music. DiMicele helped raise 2 boys who enjoyed selling CD’s and tapes at her shows. She currently lives with her husband Jeff, dog Roxy Ann, and cat Grace. Alice still tours often as a solo artist, with bassist Rob Kohler, or her band “Force of Nature” and her side-gig, “Petty Thievery,” a Tom Petty Tribute Band.
http://www.facebook.com/alicedimicele