Our Music Is Free, But It Still Has Value
As a band we made the collective decision a while ago to release our music for donations rather than a set fee. Our motive at that point was as pure as possible - we simply wanted more people to hear our songs. We figured that giving the music away for free would make it accessible to everyone, regardless of their financial situation, or if they live in a foreign country and don’t possess a credit card. As we had predicted, downloadson our EPs increased rapidly as soon as the price was removed.
On Bandcamp, there is a great feature which allows you to give fans the option to pay as much as they see fit for your music. It’s pretty much the same principal as busking in the street; if someone walks past you and likes your music, they can either stand there and enjoy the experience for free or they can donate what they see fit for your performance.
Bandcamp is where we catalogue all of the releases from our independent label Glass Door Recordings. Incase you weren’t aware, we do absolutely everything ourselves - booking shows, releasing our EP’s, printing the artwork, burning the CDs then sending them all over the world, and all of our own promotion. This is where the donations really help us out.
In this day and age, it’s extremely unlikely that an independent act like us will sustain a living from the bands income anytime soon. Obviously that is an objective of ours, because it would give us much more time to focus all of our energies on music without the distractions of managing another job. But we’re fine with that. We are quite happy working unsociable hours and generally being skint, because it means we get to write, record and play music which is what we’re on this planet to do.
We’ve put your donations over the past couple of years towards a Transit Van which has become the fourth Blue Dawn with it’s 21-year old charm and pathetic acceleration skills, we’ve built a D.I.Y studio in our practice room where we recorded our first 2 EP’s, we’ve built a drum riser for Jordan and installed beds in the van. Without that money we wouldn’t have been able to record or tour anywhere near as frequently and efficiently as we have done. And for that we want to say a massive thank you!
Next time you hear a band who gives you something through their music - whether it be a message or hope or enjoyment or just that ineffable feeling that only music can provoke, make sure you give them something back. Buy a CD, a T-Shirt or anything else they’re selling. Send them a note or letter telling them how much you enjoy their work. Travel to see them play even if it means getting on a train or bus for a while. This will give them the fuel to keep on going, and after all, a few pounds/dollars/euros/hours is a small price to pay for that magical feeling that their music gives you.
titsay
turnnoffyourmind
2087
yousharknotpass
snowghoul
