Since my last column, the initial lineup for AmericanaFest was released and, as I have done every time I’ve previewed the festival for various outlets since 2010, I emphasize just how international AmericanaFest, and Americana itself, really is. While […]
If you’ve ever been to a leadership or marketing class or training, you’ve probably heard of the “elevator pitch.” It’s sales-speak for a quick pitch to pique interest, in these scenarios the length of an elevator ride. Artists considering […]
A lot of people, including the Americana Music Association themselves, have poked fun at the impossible to define “Americana” genre label that puts X and Willie Watson together under one umbrella. But since I read Brandi Carlile’s Broken Horses […]
Every generation has those moments that bind us, those near universal experiences that define an era. Sometimes they’re significant historical moments: “Where were you when Challenger exploded?” Sometimes, they’re more cultural: “What were you doing when you found out […]
Every week, dozens of artists launch crowdfunding campaigns. Even within a specific genre, you’re competing with a large number of people in search of help from a finite pot of money. While the majority of campaign pledges come from […]
Internet crowdfunding was born when British prog-rockers Marillion found their label unwilling to fund a tour of the United States. Their solution was to cut the label out of the process and go directly to their fans to fund […]
In my previous column, I wrote that one of the things that drew me to crowdfunding was its inherent optimism. But I also love the stories of inspiration behind the songs. For those of us old fogies who remember […]
These past two weeks, I found it difficult to make my usual trips into the crowdfunding world to look for campaigns to feature. Instead, I found myself drawn to NPR, keeping tabs on the Derek Chauvin trial, what seemed […]
The road to becoming a professional musician takes some leaps of faith. For many, one is crowdfunding their first album. It’s a daunting prospect to put yourself out with hat in hand, and a true test of whether your fanbase […]
A friend recently shared a photo on social media that I, unfortunately, have seen before. It was a screenshot of the last Americana Airplay Chart, with enough Y chromosomes to fill an all-adverb Scrabble board. Despite the fact that […]
