
プロジェクト概要

Black tape for a blue girl: To touch the milky way CD & LP
$12,278
255
From Black Tape For A Blue Girl's Sam Rosenthal: We made it! We reached the goal on the final day with about 6 hours to go. Your support made the crowdfunding campaign for To touch the milky way a success! 250+ amazing people said, "Yeah, I like the music BlackTape creates. I want to be one of the backers that makes this new album happen!" That's remarkable! I'm very grateful. Thank you for supporting the creation of my art.
If you missed pledging at this Kickstarter project, once the backers have their copies you'll be able to go to our Bandcamp page to purchase the CD or LP; or download the album and free Black Tape For A Blue Girl releases. Join the email list for updates on albums Sam is working on and special sales. Join my Bandcamp patron page for ongoing patronage.

Hi! This is Sam from Black Tape For A Blue Girl. I’m asking for your support on this Kickstarter for our 12th studio release. I’m excited for you to hear the new music on To touch the milky way and to take part in making the album a reality. The seven tracks span styles ranging from ethereal darkwave to dream-pop to austere textural ambient passages accompanied by wonderful vocals from Danielle and Michael.
The lyrical themes and stories emerge from the depths of the psyche, unflinchingly addressing a desire to feel truly alive by facing self-created boundaries. They are first-person narratives at the edge where something has to give, something has to change, as the characters strive to take hold of the life they have left unlived.

As an artist, I think an album is more than the audio you hear. It’s the entire piece encapsulating the words, the music and the visuals. To that end, this Kickstarter funds a deluxe 12-inch art-card-set held in an LP jacket along with your selection of the LP or CD edition of To touch the milky way. As usual, along with writing, producing and performing the music, I will shoot the photographs and design the artwork. Mercy & I are headed out to locations around Oregon to capture my vision (more about that & the art-cards below).
I appreciate your enthusiasm for the music I've created over the past 32 years. I want to remind you that Kickstarter only funds this campaign if we reach the $12,000 goal, so each pledge really counts! No matter what you can give, you help make To touch the milky way exist. I want to thank you for that! - Sam

Non-USA backers: Please read the IMPORTANT NOTE below. You will pay for overseas postage separately from this Kickstarter after the campaign has ended.

A BRIEF HISTORY (OF THE BAND)
Some of you reading this page are long-time Black Tape For A Blue Girl followers. Some are fans from the 90s only now discovering that the band is still creating music. Some are brand new visitors who find this project appealing.
Welcome all!
BlackTape is an American darkwave/goth/ambient band that I (Sam) started in 1986. We’ve released 11 studio albums over the last 32 years (listen at Bandcamp) and performed 149 shows (complete list)! I’ve lived & created in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Brooklyn, and now I’m based in Portland, Oregon where I focus on writing and releasing new music. Black Tape For A Blue Girl’s most recent album, These fleeting moments, came out on CD and double-LP in August of 2016. We followed that with the Blood on the snow ep in 2017 and then my Journey to Aktehi ethno-organic electronic collaboration. All of these were successful Kickstarter projects; now I’m asking for your help to realize To touch the milky way.

PRICE
Rather than charge $50+ for the deluxe edition (which seems pretty common on Kickstarter), I’ve chosen to make the price as low as possible, at $30 ($25 for Early-Bird backers) so people aren't priced out of the deluxe edition. It takes additional supporters to reach the goal at this price, so I'm hoping more of you will be inspired to back the project. Thanks.

EXPERIENCE THE CREATIVE PROCESS
During the month-long Kickstarter campaign, Mercy West (my partner and These fleeting moments’ cover-model) and I will travel to locations in Oregon to shoot images for the art-card-set and cover. Mercy and I will update you with stills from our trips. You’ll see our progress towards creating the images for the project.
As you know from past Black Tape For A Blue Girl releases, there will be some tasteful nudity involved.
Some of the premiums include one-of-a-kind polaroids from these photo shoots and also from the studio.
INSPIRATION FOR THE COVER
When I was conceiving the imagery for the cover and cards, I thought of the Buddhist idea of repetitive cycle of death & rebirth. We return in only slightly altered forms to experience similar conflicts, pain and love. I decided to photograph Mercy representing some of the incarnations of life on the cyclical wheel of the universe.
To me, the phrase “to touch the milky way” contains a feeling of longing and hopefulness, yet also recognition of the absurdity and impossibility of ever reaching the goal. Samsara seems to embody reaching for more, and yet feeling great sadness, loss and despair.
There is a longer update about the inspiration here.

In most Kickstarter campaigns, shipping is charged during the campaign and (as Kickstarter tells us), "Funds that backers pledge to account for shipping costs will count towards a project's funding goal."
This leads to two problems on export packages: (1) Kickstarter + processing fees take 10% of postage. It means I would have to charge 10% above the actual postage costs to cover the fees; that's a bad deal for you. (2) With postage counting towards achieving the funding goal, a project could fund without raising enough to cover costs. That is bad for me.
The solution is you pay me directly for the real cost of the postage.
Non-USA postage will be billed after the campaign funds, around the shipping date. I will message asking you to PayPal me directly for postage to your country.
How much additional will the postage cost?
Here is my estimate based on today's postage rates. Canada: Deluxe CD or LP = $16 postage. Rest of World: Deluxe CD or LP = $24 postage. Mexico = please read this Update. I know, I know. Postage is really expensive these days. But those are the actual rates, not something that earns "profit" for me. Prices could be higher if your premium weighs more than the Deluxe edition. You will be billed for the accurate weight at current USPS postal rates around the time the packages ship. Payment via PayPal.
USA SHIPPING:
Your postage is charged at the time the project funds. $3, $4 or $5 depending on your premium level.

Note 1 -- FORMAT: This release is an exclusive and collectible limited edition item. The art-card-sets will be limited to roughly 50 more than required to fulfill the campaign. The CD (in a 6-panel CD-sized digipak) is not a limited edition. The LP is limited based on minimum requirement at pressing plant. Copies for Kickstarter supporters will be signed on the back by Sam.
Note 2 — PROGRESS: The music is recorded, Dani’s vocals are finished, Michael has one more song to record. I work digitally, thus each piece is well on the way to the final mix, and some are already finished and ready for mastering. I'll shoot the photos this month and will be working on the design and mastering with a goal of everything into production by the end of June.
Check the updates for more of our progress.
Note 3 — To touch the milky way will be available to you as a Bandcamp download a few weeks before I put the CDs & LPs in the mail. Later, it will be downloadable for everyone on iTunes and Amazon and streaming at Spotify, etc.
Note 4 — In the past, I've read, "I need to wait two weeks 'til I get paid, before I can pledge!" Actually, no, you don’t need to wait. Credit cards aren't charged until after the campaign ends! You can pledge now.
Note 5 -- MEXICO POSTAGE & MEXICO KICKSTARTER. Read this update for Mexico information.
Note 6 -- International postage will be charged as a separate PayPal payment after the campaign funds. It is NOT part of the pledge you are making today. See important note above.
THANKS SO MUCH!
Recording and production costs were mostly covered by my incredibly supportive Patrons. However, as you know, making art is time-consuming and time is money (that is not being earned). Your pledges go towards mastering and manufacturing the CD & LP plus an artist royalty to cover some of the time I spent creating this album.
Thank you very much for contributing.
Sam
リスクと課題
I've run nine Kickstarters; all successfully funded with all premiums fulfilled. I've run the Projekt label and webstore for 35 years; I'm experienced at following through on projects, boxing things up and getting the boxes into the mail. I have a 35-year history meeting budgets on over 350 releases including complex limited editions.
I foresee no delays in meeting the fulfillment deadline.
I appreciate your enthusiasm for the music I've created over the past 32 years. I want to remind you that Kickstarter only funds this campaign if we reach the $12,000 goal, so each pledge really counts! No matter what you can give, you help make To touch the milky way exist. I want to thank you for that! - Sam
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