Check in, Suggestions and A Please Help

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

I've been out of touch with a lot lately due to RL and extremely heavy and stressful workloads. I've got a 2 week vacation now and look forward to catching up on the reading I've missed out, as well as my own art.

It's frustrating when our own art suffers isn't it? For those of you who crowdfund actively (I'm mostly passive) and especially are trying to make something of a living from it I can imagine it's really frustrating.

One of the things that has been keeping me going in recent weeks is a newly discovered artist, SamRB. I caught her when she was busking on Queen Street. I stepped out to grab our mail and she was busking. I listened for a few brief minutes while waiting for the pedestrian light to change and really liked her sound. I looked for her online when I got home and have fallen in love with her tunes and voice. I've seen her a couple times busking since then and have subscribed to the feeds on her Busking Blog. There's something special about buying a cd straight from the artist's fingers while she's out playing!

Those of you who busk: 3 suggestions for you ---
(1) pick a location not only where there are a lot of people but ideally where you'll get a captive audience (if there are lines that form, people waiting for lights to cross an intersection, etc)

(2) make sure you've got a large card with your name and facebook/web address on it displayed in your case. If you have business cards, put some of them there too (maybe rig a clip on top so you don't have to worry about people reaching into your case where your money is). Even if someone doesn't have time to write down or remember your address, if you've got a unique enough name they can Google you and find you if they catch a bit of your music and enjoy it.

(3) have at least a couple different places online to point to your site, ideally with at least a sample of your music for people to listen to. Even if you don't upload every song and all of a song, put a couple quality demos up so if someone is debating getting your album then you've got something to persuade them.

And now, a request on behalf of a fellow Crowdfunder, the one I've just written about. She isn't on DW or LJ so I hope it's ok that I post on her behalf. SamRB plays at markets and busks in Auckland (New Zealand).

She could use our help. Please vote for her to win a scholarship to cut a second album. You can listen to some of her music at her Facebook or her Myspace.

I really like all her songs, but especially One Day, Book Covers and Seems I Might Be Human. Her songs have been helping me get through some of the really tough days I've had lately.

She's at 234 votes, where some people are over 2000. Voting goes until 17 July (one person, one vote). I've seen people come together to help strangers on the internet before so I know this isn't impossible. Please vote for her. If you have a few extra moments and are touched by her songs, please share the link on your Facebook pages, journals and ask friends & family to vote for her too.

You can find 2 demo songs that would be on the new album: here. Do yourself a favour, go listen to them. Especially "If I Could". You get a good idea of her voice on that one. Both songs were recorded on her laptop at home and the quality is amazing.

Her current album, Seems I Might Be Human, is available for download at her iTunes, her Amplifier if you really enjoy her music and want a copy.

I'm at DW and LJ, so I'll crosspost this to both of the communities. I know there's some overlap so I apologise if you see this twice.

Thank you!