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2nd Album Project Update!

dramadirect



Dear All,


I wanted to update you as to our progress. We are getting close to starting our next Kickstarter Campaign. I have spoken with the studio engineer and various players and formulated a plan that has helped me to draw up a provisional budget to cost the realisation. I wanted to contact you before designing and advertising the KS campaign to ask you if there were any particular rewards that you feel might serve as realistic and enticing incentives to get people to come on board with us for this third collaborative creative escapade? Bear in mind that the technological landscape and commercial expectations within the music industry have changed since our last album with CDs now having become all but obsolete. Therefore consideration will be given to how you receive your personal download copies as well as any merchandise i.e. signed manuscripts, photos, artwork, posters etc, etc as incentives or rewards. Additionally, I think there is real scope for a really special concert event to launch the album. Something at least as effective as our Cavern launch last time. I also want to keep a diary and post daily live feeds so that people can keep abreast of the recording process remotely. We will send personalised video messages too, as these were very popular with all our team members. Also, I think I would like you to name the Album this time or at least collectively decide from your various suggestions a most appropriate name. Let me know your thoughts.


Here is a reminder of the 11 new songs and their current suggested genres, though these genre definitions may change once musicians start to explore them as wide creative freedom and flexibility are key to our uniquely collaborative projects. I want to involve you all as much as you wish to be involved in this process, perhaps even asking you to vote for the best final mixes before release. Here they are again::


1. Without You (Pop)

2. (We're only) Plastic Soldiers (Rock)

3. Please Stay (Acoustic Folk Ballad)

4. I Promise You This (Pop)

5. I'm Thinkin’ About You (Ballad/Pop)

6. Funk Transfusion (Funk/Soul/Dance)

7. We Can Turn This World Around (Acoustic Rock/Pop)

8. I’m Always Here (Pop)

9. I Like It (Rhythm & Blues/Rock)

10. The Caged Bird Sings (Country Rock)

11. Shared Not Owned (Gospel/Soul)


Having explored two different plans for realising this album i.e. a) use a house band to create the basic tracks and then have various guest vocalists and instrumentalists record parts as overdubs on these, or b) offer different musicians an opportunity to explore a song each separately and record them as unique projects - I think it's going to make more sense to pursue the first option.


While such an ambitious project will obviously not be achievable on the cheap, this option is definitely the most cost effective and practical to coordinate, and so I'm very happy to announce that I have approached Jesse Eigen and Steph Grace Kennedy's band to be our housebound once again for this second music project, and I believe they are very happy about the prospect too. 🙂


Because we are recording in Frome and not Liverpool, extra provision needs to be made for bringing them all to Frome for the first week of recording (five days). The idea being that they will record all backing tracks during their stay, and then in the second week I can work with individual guest artists on each track. It'll be genuinely lovely to see everyone in the band again. I enjoyed our time together immensely on the Perplexed Music and I must admit, this new project wouldn't have felt the same without them. I hope you agree!


Let me know your thoughts and I'll get going on putting a Kickstarter Campaign together.


Love and light,


Mark xxx




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20 Comments


Hayley Peachey
Nov 05, 2022
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I wanted to write something after coming down from cloud 9, but I’ll be there for a while. I like physical CDs, as they are easier to sign and give as gifts - plus CDs are cool. I’m trying to think of other things, but I don’t think they’ll be the greatest of ideas, so I’m a little shy to say anything. Though downloads would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly, it just doesn’t give that very personal vibe in my opinion. But I know that I and those that helped towards Perplexed Music, will support and get behind whatever decision that you make 💜.

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dramadirect
Nov 05, 2022
Replying to

And to know that you can be a part of it and you continue to believe in our collaborative relationship means more to me than you can imagine Hayley. Thank you so much. Mark xx

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Fay Gosling
Nov 04, 2022
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I'm onboard with the majority of what you have said Mark 😊 I like albums though especially visual ones like PM was, there is something novel and exclusive about our albums too even if they are not LOL

I've got a few ideas for those in your attic depending on how many you have we could do all or a combo of the following.

1) Organise a handover of sorts to those of us willing to help out in distributing them (perhaps slip something about the new album kickstarter in the albums?)

We can donate some to our local charity shops, get them to jumble sales, and possibly have a chat to our local libraries?

2) Reuse and Recycle, I'm…

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Fay Gosling
Nov 04, 2022
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Replying to

I'm glad I've given you something to think about 😊 x

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Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas
Nov 04, 2022
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Thanks Mark. Hopefully you will be able to come up with more news about possible rewards for the project. Off the top of my head, I was wondering If someone were to pledge £500, what reward could be expected?

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dramadirect1
dramadirect1
Nov 04, 2022
Replying to

Hi Peter,


Of course. That will be determined as I put together the KS campaign hopefully next week. My own early thoughts on rewards are that the upper end donations should come with a production credit, V.I.P. backstage passes to the concert and visits to the studio, to possibly even include some participation on a track e.g. claps etc. as well as the merchandise and rewards due to the lower scale of donations but I am currently completely open to suggestions about this as I want everyone to get what they would like from the project where possible, so please don't hesitate to make any suggestions regarding these rewards. Basically, I will make provision for what people want as long…

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esther_bloom
esther_bloom
Nov 04, 2022
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I'm glad you will be working with Steph and co again, Mark xx

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Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas
Nov 03, 2022
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Mark. I also agree with the PM Member who suggested We Can Turn This World Around for the title

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