Kickstarter

Hello everyone!

I hope by now you have received your copy of the CD. I've spent the last few months building a dedicated website for It Takes A Village To Make Records, which we will be launching at the end of this month. Right now, there is a newsfeed in place at http://itavrecords.blogspot.com that I started about two weeks ago. It contains links to all kinds of music and music-related art and design that I've been staying very, very busy with!

One exciting development that is happening is we are launching a digital singles club, like those "single of the month" clubs where you'd get a 45 RPM 7-inch in the mail every month, only digital instead! The unique feature of this is that each single will be 3 songs from 3 different artists: a triple A-side. I already have the first few installments lined up, the fun will begin in May with a 3-song mini-tribute to slow-core band extraordinaire Low, containing 3 brand new interpretations of Low songs (none of which will appear on the full-length Low tribute we're releasing this summer) by Double Saginaw Familiarity, Joshua & Mary Jane, and Stargrazer.

"In The Orchard Of Osiris" has been very well received. It is now for sale at all Schuler Books locations in Michigan, as well as via credit card at http://intheorchardofosiris.bandcamp.com

Also, if you are near Kalamazoo, MI, you can request songs from ITOoO on WIDR 89.1 FM. If you are in the Traverse City area, you can request songs on WNMC 90.7 FM. In the Lansing/East Lansing area, you can request songs on WDBM 88.9 FM. I'm working on getting copies out to other radio stations, especially freeform and college stations -- if you have any suggestions please let me know their call letters (and address if possible) and we'll get a copy out to them.

Thanks again! Now that the CD is manufactured and the money spent, it's that hard part where there's lots of waiting and promoting as steam builds up behind In The Orchard Of Osiris. None of this could have happened without all of you, and the mystical powers of the internet. Somehow, word got out in the Netherlands -- I've sold a couple copies to people in Holland over the last month!

If you have a moment, check out the links -- I'd love to hear your thoughts on the blog!

From snowy Michigan,

Peter

"In The Orchard Of Osiris" will have it's public release tonight at 8:00 PM at Gone Wired Cafe in Lansing Michigan. If you are a backer from the Lansing area and would like to pick up your free copy, I'll have the donor list with me! After tonight a small army of padded envelopes will be mailed out, for those of you in other states and other countries.

Tonight there will be performances by three of the compilation artists, Steven Leaf, Alex Hug, and James Collin. CDs will be for sale to the public tonight only for $5 -- as many copies as they want! The kitchen at Gone Wired has also generously offered a package deal, a special stir fry meal with CD for a total of $10.

After tonight, they can be purchased for $8 at Schuler Books in Lansing / Okemos / Grand Rapids, Flat Black And Circular, Elderly Instruments, The Record Lounge, and Replay Entertainment Exchange, or they'll be available for $10 post-paid via PayPal... stay tuned for more details about that, the ITAV website is under construction but should be up and running by February. Until then, copies can be purchased online at http://intheorchardofosiris.bandcamp.com

If you wanted copies in time for the holidays, there are still about 2 days to get your orders in (backers, remember you are entitled to a special discount price!). Please let me know by December 10 how many copies you would like and I will arrange payment and shipping with you. You can e-mail orders to itavrecords (at) gmail (dot) com.

"In The Orchard Of Osiris" came out beautifully, I'm excited to share this with you! My hope is that proceeds from the sales of I.T.O.o.O. will fund future ITAV projects, like our forthcoming Low tribute album and our series of digital 3-way split singles. I'm very grateful to everyone for your generosity in helping launch this project -- a more elaborate one than our normal fare -- and for your patience while I get the various parts manufactured, packaged, and shipped out. In the interim, I.T.O.o.O. has been featured in a book, an art exhibit, and had a few newspaper articles and online reviews. If you discover any reviews of it while exploring the web, please let me know!

Hope to see you tonight, and if I don't, have a Happy Holiday season and a pleasantly fulfilling New Year!

-- Peter

Look for this loveliness in your post box soon! And don't forget, as a backer of this project, you are entitled to additional copies at $5 apiece -- just e-mail itavrecords@gmail.com to arrange things. If you wanted some as stocking stuffers/holiday gifts for the independent music lovers (or young and impressionable) in your life, please make sure I have your payment and address information by December 10.

Proceeds from all sales will fund future ITAV projects -- next up on the horizon is a tribute to the band Low. We hope to have our website up at itavrecords.com by February 2011.

And finally, the official CD Release Party will be held at Gone Wired Cafe (2120 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing MI 48912) next Wednesday, December 8 at 8 PM, featuring live performances by James Collin, Alex Hug, and Steven Leaf. If you just want to pick up your free copy of the CD at the event, please let me know as soon as possible so I don't drop your in the mail.

Now I'm off to buy some padded envelopes!

Thank you,

Peter

I thought you might like to know how the funds are being spent! The pressing of the digipack for the CD, with shipping, is $1,610. I overnighted the master to the pressing plant so they could complete the manufacturing by November 29 and get the CDs to me in time for our December 8 CD Release show! That's been the only other expense so far ($36), so that leaves about $334 dollars to mail CDs out with and buy some advertising! I've got my sights set on TapeOp magazine, which is a well respected home-recording/independent music publication with an international following -- even a little ad in there (and a review copy sent to them) could do great things! I also registered an internet domain for the next 3 years, itavrecords.com, which will go live sometime after the New Year.

The CD Release show will be Wednesday, December 8 at Gone Wired, 2120 East Michigan Ave., Lansing MI 48912, and will feature live performances by three artists off of In The Orchard Of Osiris: James Collin, Alex Hug, and Steven Leaf. The event will be free and open to all ages, and the CDs will be for sale for a special one-night-only price of $5.

After December 8, I will be distributing copies to as many stores and bands as I can, with an SRP of $8. My plans for any profits from CD sales is to roll them into It Takes A Village To Make Records' next project, a multi-artist tribute to the band Low that is already recorded and is stunningly beautiful.

I plan to provide the bands who contributed songs to ITOoO with as many copies of the CD as they want, at cost, and any backers of the Kickstarter may also receive additional CDs (over and above the free copy you're entitled to) at the $5 price while supplies last. I can get them to you in time for the Holidays if you let me know as soon as you can.

There is a dedicated e-mail for ITAV Records now, itavrecords@gmail.com -- please direct any inquiries there.

So I thank you once again for helping projects like this come into being. If all goes as planned, the seeds we sowed with this Kickstarter campaign will continue to finance projects as long as we can keep making them. Thank you for your belief in me, and I will be assembling your reward packages over the next month -- though you'll receive your copies of the CD ASAP! A few of the items (like the limited edition prints) will take a bit longer than others.

In personally exciting news, I've released Stargrazer's first official EP, "Trieste" digitally at http://stargrazer.bandcamp.com, and many of you will be receiving physical copies of the limited pressing of 100 CDs of that as well.

I hope you can join us for the CD Release on December 8!

-- Peter