CROWDFUNDING RADAR: Album fundraising campaigns from England, Scotland, and Germany

“Everybody’s got roots” as the saying goes, and that’s especially true for roots music. While much of the press is focused on American roots music, artists from all over the globe are producing quality music, either in the style of American roots music, or exploring the roots of their own countries and cultures. These artists face the same funding challenges any musicians do, so many turn to crowdfunding sites to launch their albums. This week, I’ve got a globetrotting trio of campaigns from England, Scotland, and Germany.

True Strays- Second Album (click here to view campaign)
The Bristol, UK-based duo of Joseph James and James Cameron, collectively known as True Strays, have spent the last seven years building an impressive following for their hard-driving blues rock, leading to coverage on the BBC, slots at festivals like Glastonbury and Black Deer, an opportunity to perform on Joe Bonamassa’s Blues Alive Cruise, and a recent opening slot for Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, a band you can tell they take a good deal of influence from. So it’s no surprise that when they first tried their hand at crowdfunding in 2021, they more than doubled their goal. Now they’re running another $9000 campaign to fund their second album and offering a host of backer perks to get them there. The album is available in digital, CD, and vinyl versions, the latter two signed. They’re also offering an album preview party, the chance to sing in the chorus on one of the album’s songs, and an “adopt a track” pledge which will get you exclusive access to demos and other peeks at the creative process.

Kent Nielsen- Too Many Train Rides (click here to view campaign)
Kent Nielsen is a Dutch-born musician currently living in Luebeck, Germany. His ukulele-based mix of roots rock and folk-punk is a unique one to say the least, but Nielsen makes it work. He’s also known for his cover band Ukes of Tomorrow, who have taken on everyone from Temple of the Dog to Joy Division to Black Flag. Now Nielsen is working with longtime collaborator Stefan Kletetzka as well as some other songwriting friends to bring his new album Too Many Train Rides to life. The album’s already been recorded, so Nielsen’s $7,500 flexible goal Indiegogo campaign is aimed at mixing, mastering, artwork, and production. As backer perks, he has the album available for pre-order in digital and CD formats. He also has t-shirts, stickers, handwritten lyric sheets, and an acoustic house concert on offer.

Tern- Debut Album (click here to view campaign)
Instrumental quintet Tern hail from Glasgow, Scotland, but makes not only songs of their native region, but that of Scandanavia as well. They are especially interested in the interchange between the two cultures; the places where the two styles meet and complement each other, and where their differences can be celebrated. Their debut album, which they’re running a $2,300 Kickstarter campaign to fund, is a mixture of traditional songs and original compositions. Their backer perks are heavily focused on learning. You can get the album in digital and CD formats, but you can also get a pre-recorded video lesson on how to play one of their songs, or a personalized lessons in piano, bodhran, or fiddle from band members, which can be either online or in person for those local to Glasgow.