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Raising funds for a charity CD
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Raising funds for a charity CD |
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Subject: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Lizzie Cornish Date: 30 Jun 06 - 12:19 PM I've got an idea in my head and it just won't go away. So....I thought I'd ask in here for some help. I've heard this incredible song!! And all the time there is this idea floating around in my mind, which is driving me mad! This song should be out there raising huge amounts of money for Oxfam, Save The Children, UNICEF, The Red Cross etc. etc.... I've phoned all these charities up and they're all interested....BUT they all say the same thing..."You need to fund it all yourself, get a record company interested" I'm thinking BIG/MAJOR here....not just one charity and a few CDs, but all of them linking up together, getting equal benefit...because this song is, imo, so powerful. Has anyone else had any experience of doing something like this? Are there pitfalls to look out for etc.? Are some record companies more open than others, or are they all closed minds? Any positive ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.... Lizzie :0) |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: wysiwyg Date: 30 Jun 06 - 12:25 PM Producing a whole CD based on loving one paricular song is the long and hard way to go on this one, I think. A simpler approach might be to offer the song to a website as a pay-for-download fundraiser. Of coursde, that's assuming you have the rights to the song. If it's an existing recording, you might pitch the idea to the band/artist instead, or try to hook the artist and a charity for a concert fundraiser. Also, an already-existing song could become some charity's theme song that they might use in advertising/public service announcements. ~Susan |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Lizzie Cornish Date: 30 Jun 06 - 12:30 PM Thanks Susan, I've spoken to the artist and he's happy for me to go ahead, sorry, I should have said that earlier...That last idea is good, but how do you get it to raise money as well? He's actually got quite a few on one CD that would make a superb EP, all strong songs with the same thoughtful message. I've got visions of it being a bit like the Red Nose Day, where people specificallly go to the charities to buy the CD, although Virgin and HMV said they might help, promotion wise, but that's a long way down the road yet...... |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Stewart Date: 30 Jun 06 - 04:57 PM Having self-produced and promoted two CDs myself, I have some thoughts on this. In my case the total costs were just under $2,000 USD for each CD (500 pressed copies, printing and packaging, etc.). I underwrote the costs myself, although for the second one I received a few hundred $ in grant money. The first one took about a year and a half to break even, and the second one broke even in about 9 months. For me it was a labor of love (for the musicians involved) and an act of faith that I would get the money back. It was also a great learning experience. That's all I was interested in, and any profit will go towards the next CD project. I would stay away from any record companies - you want to be in control. With yourself and any volunteer help you can get you should be able to produce and promote it for not much more than the cost of getting the CDs pressed and packaged. You should try to get small grants and advanced purchases to pay for as much of the up-front costs as possible. You can then work with the charities for promotion. And plan a gala CD release concert(s) to start off the promotion phase. That should generate a lot of sales. After that, the other big sales events should be festivals, gigs, and other events that the charities organize. If this really goes BIG, then people will be after you to get involved - you can then have more copies pressed (at a lower cost than initially) and you can be more in control. So, if you really believe in this, then go for it. Good luck. Cheers, S. in Seattle |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Lizzie Cornish Date: 30 Jun 06 - 06:25 PM Thanks very much Stewart, much appreciate all that info...very kind of you. I'll print it all off to keep...and Susan's as well. Lizzie :0) |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Pat Cooksey Date: 30 Jun 06 - 08:32 PM Allways a good idea to look for ways for our kind of music to help others, for my part I have just recorded a new song of mine on a C.D. to be released by Sony on 21st of September in Germany,for UNICEF, the C.D. has enough big sposors to put it in the pop charts here. Beware however who you deal with, a good song is worth a lot, not only to those whose cause you support. Best wishes, Pat Cooksey. |
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Subject: RE: Raising funds for a charity CD From: Pete_Standing Date: 05 Jul 06 - 07:59 AM Some thoughts Lizzie. The first one is possibly a bit on the negative side but it is important otherwise you might find yourself out of pocket. Try and identify the likely size of the market for the CD. The folk market does not have the huge sales potential of the popular music industry and you need to know if the costs involved will make the venture worthwhile. People might be more inclined to buy the CD if the material is not available elsewhere. Some of the artists in mind might have some out-takes or tracks which didn't find their way on to an album; the quality of these tracks need not be sub-satandard and might still be worth a listen (like Poor Will and the Hangman which did not find its way onto Fairports Full House but has since been put on various compilations). Another idea is to get some sponsors who will pay for the artists and studio time to record some new material - this would have the added value of top class recordings and material that would be sought after because it is not available elsewhere. This sort of thing worked very well for the Song Links albums produced by Martyn Wyndham-Read, but for the sort of money you might be looking for, some corporate sponsors would be worth pursuing. If the costs involved relative to the profits make the project uncertain, there is nothing wrong with abandoning the idea and put on some benefit concerts instead. Indeed, with an offcial presence by the supported charities, the concerts could be well supported. There are some mini-festivals which have become well established from the original idea (ie Folk for MS). With the artists consent, it might even be possible to produce a live CD. Whatever you decide to do, good luck with the venture. |
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