The music of Brad Skistimas has been a part of my life for a good long while now – I can’t actually remember how I stumbled upon him. Whatever, he’s a wholly independent artist who releases his own albums from the money in his pocket.
Over the next month (until August 16th) he is partnering with the website KickStarter.com and is attempting to raise $20,000. But he needs your help.
Your support will enable me to release Five Times August‘s next album “Life As A Song” with enough financial backing to make it the success it deserves to be. I know it sounds like a lot of money in a short amount of time, but I wouldn’t take on a project of this magnitude if I didn’t think we could do it together! I just need EVERYONE’S participation, otherwise my next album might not come out for a while.
Being an unsigned artist has its pros and cons. I have always found more pros, which is why I have yet to sign with any kind of record label. I get to spend more time connecting with the fans, I get to write the music I want to write, and I get to be who I want to be without some corporate fat cat telling me how I need to change. All in all there is simply a lot more artistic freedom. The one major speed bump is that the cost of every album I release comes out of my own pocket. I am by no means a rich man, especially in a day where most people opt not to buy music.
It can be a major struggle making an album a success without the proper funding. Besides the standard costs of recording, mixing, and mastering a CD, more money actually goes into the promotion and publicity of an album than making it. That’s what this money will be used for. With your help we can get this album to people that may have never heard of Five Times August before. We will be able to afford a publicist to help spread the story of Five Times August, and also do major promotion so we can bring a lot more awareness to this album. Your pledge will also help us while on the road this fall, enabling us to promote our upcoming tour better than we have ever done before, while still keeping gas in our tank, food in our bellies, and not so many nights sleeping in our van, hotel rooms are nice every once and a while! The great thing about your donation is that you will be rewarded tenfold!
With every donation there is a prize in return. This can range from signed advanced copies of the album (so you can hear it before anyone else does!) to a full on weekend camping trip with me, some friends, and our guitars around a campfire! There are different levels of pledges, a lot of really cool prizes, and the more you donate the more you will get in return! However, if we do not raise the full $20,000 by August 16th I will get nothing, you will not be charged and do not get your prize, and all will be lost! Without your help “Life As A Song” might not be released!
And, here is my own pledge to you… If we do reach the full $20,000 before August 16th I will donate HALF of all my album sales for the rest of the year to various charitable causes. Over the years I have been a part of some really cool organizations and I’ve always believed in giving back to the community when you can. So let’s do this together!
I believe in you! I wouldn’t have made it this far in my career without your help and now it’s time to take Five Times August to a whole new level. YOU are my record label and together we can change the music industry forever.Thank you so much for your support,
Brad w/ Five Times August
Go to KickStarter.com if you want to help.
Here’s his progress so far (this will automatically be updated):
