This is one of the better ideas thrown up by the internet – smaller label-less acts can afford to record a new album and get it to market by their fans paying up-front. I’m not too sure who it was who started it, maybe Aimee Mann. Marillion have been doing it for year, with great success.
The latest artist to have a crack at it is Lloyd Cole. Many people are slightly surprised that he is still going, more to the point he hasn’t ever really stopped.
Since leaving the Commotions, he’s released loads – off the top of my head I could name 9, not including the Commotions stuff – and it’s all good stuff. I went with a couple of my friends to see him play – just him and his acoustic – about 6 months ago.
He’s trying to scrape together about $60,000 and he’s about a quarter of the way there. It’s early days yet. Come next payday, I think I’ll be pre-ordering. This time he’s going for a ‘band’ sound, more like the Negatives album, hopefully. That’ll be nice.
What? Why Bother? 
It’s a great idea, and one that I’d love to try. However, there’s one small drawback, in that I’d have to have some fans to start with.
( I have one, but it wouldn’t be fair on mum to pay for all of it !!! LOL )
That is the one major drawback – you need a fanbase to start with. Radiohead’s ‘pay what you like’ stunt wouldn’t work if they didn’t have such a rabid (and large) fanbase.
I have just re-read the post, and not all of it makes any sense. I will re-edit.
I have just re-read the re-edit, and it still doesn’t quite make sense. Bugger!
Thanks Andrew for using your very interesting blog to give this project a plug. Its nearly sold out now of the limited editions, and its thanks to you and many other bloggers putting the idea out there for others to read. Should be a great album and thanks for getting the news of it out there.
I’m enjoying pondering Star Wars on this site by the way.