Supporting the Arts
Making a contribution using the above button is a great way to support what I do. Here are some other ideas:
Spreading the word
Now, if I put up all my music up for free download (in the form of
high-quality MP3's, not just streaming, I might add) and my serious
fans could just download everything instead of buying my CDs, this
would definitely not pay the bills. What makes the difference is if
those fans are big enough fans to enthusiastically tell other people
(LOTS of other people) to listen to these songs. The pragmatic aspect
to this is my theory that for every 1,000 people who become fans of my
music ONE of them is going to organize a well-attended, paying gig for
me somewhere in the world. I'm absolutely convinced that this theory
works and is the main reason I'm making a living off of music.
However, it requires a lot of people doing a lot of well-targeted
networking for it to really work.
There are lots of ways to do this which just require a little of your
time. There are other ways that require more time, and still others
that require money. Whether you have a little time, a lot of time, no
money or a lot of money, there are very useful things you can do, and
I'll lay out some of them below.
Tweets and updates
Here's a real easy one. Do what I did this morning and do a status
update on your Facebook page or blog or anything else like that you
might have and tell folks to check out my new songs on SoundClick.
Write a little review of the songs on your blog.
More targeted networking
If you go to
soundclick.com/davidrovics
and click on music you'll find all the new songs and poems right
there. If you click on full song info for any of the songs you'll
get to a screen that has the various ways you can download or stream
the song and you'll also see a URL that, when pasted into your web
browser, will bring you directly to that page just for that song. So
are you involved with or interested in a specific issue that I may
have written a song about? You know other people with those
interests? Consider sending a link just to the song about that issue
or putting a link up on your website if you've got one.
More specific ideas along those lines:
Do you know anyone with a particular interest in US, Canadian or
Australian labor history? Send them a link to Berkshire Hills,
Song for Ginger Goodwin, or Song for the Eureka Stockade. Tell
them to feel free to spread the song around wherever they see fit or
to put the song up on their websites -- or to hire me to do a show at
their union halls or universities! Know anyone involved with
pro-choice activism? Send them a link to In the Name of God. Got
any friends who are way into pirates? Send them a link to Pirates of
Somalia. Know anyone who was a friend or a fan of slain Indymedia
journalist Brad Will? Send them Brad. Know anyone in Lebanon? Send
them Lebanon (2006). Know any history buffs who are way into the
American Civil War? Send them John Brown. Know any militant
environmentalists? They might like Free or East Tennessee. Anyone
involved with immigrant rights? Send them Guanajuato. Anyone
involved with gay rights? Send them I Know A Man. Know any
Chileans? Send them Santiago. Anyone who is a fan of the music of
the late Al Grierson? Send then Song for Al Grierson. Anyone who
spends a lot of time alone in cheap hotel rooms? They might like
Travelodge. Anyone who just got dumped? Now That You're Gone
might allow them to have a good cry. Etc.
Radio and other media
Do you know anyone with an acoustic music or politically-oriented
radio show of any kind? Let them know they can download MP3's for
free and if they like them they can email me and I'll send them a
free CD. Call in and request that they play a track of mine. If they
do it once they might do it again without prompting next time... Know
anyone who does music reviews or some other kind of journalism? Ask
them to consider reviewing my new recording or otherwise doing a
story on me and my music. Perhaps they'd find the free download angle
interesting, since it's not how most musicians do things. Ever wonder
why I've never been interviewed on the Daily Show, the Colbert
Report, or Fresh Air? Don't ask me ask them!
Where money comes in
Help me get to the next protest and find more time to write... You can make a donation with the following link:
Every little bit counts, but if you're in a position to make a $500
contribution you get a free house concert next time I'm in your area
(if you want). And don't worry about any larger contributions being
wasted for time and materials it will cost me $5,000 to hire a
publicist for three months. If contributions end up being greater
than that sum, no problem a full-page ad in a music or political
magazine costs anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several
thousand dollars per ad. If you might like to sponsor an ad in a
particular publication and help promote the good things you do in the
process, this is also most welcome!
Buy a CD or three
Recordings are sold through my estore via the "buy stuff" link. Most of the money goes to me, so it's a great way to support me. They make great stocking stuffers!
Organize a show
Organizing a show is both a
great way to get my music out to a wider audience as well as to allow
me to make a living. If you're reading this message it is very likely
that I'll be touring in your area again in the next year or so. If
you have the time and energy, that and a little know-how is all
that's required to organize a show for me next time I'm in your area.
If you haven't done this before, not to worry! Just go to the "how to
organize a show" section of
davidrovics.com
and follow the recipe. Do that and it'll work fine!
Come to a show and bring your friends
If a show is listed on my website then it is open to the public,
and you don't need anyone's permission to spread the word about the
show. Without even asking anyone you can print out a tour poster from
my website, fill it in with the relevant info up on my website about
the show, make copies and put them up all over town. Without anyone's
permission you are hereby most welcome to tell all your friends about
the show and bring them along. If there's a website, calendar,
publication or anything else that should have info about the show but
doesn't, there's no need to wait and see if the organizer of the show
gets the info to them you can just do it yourself! If the folks
that run that calendar hear about the show twice that's OK. In fact
it's even better...
OK, I'll stop there! Thanks in advance for any and all efforts you
might make!
David