During a particular
convention last year, John had been asked if he was going to make another
album. When the fans were told that this
was highly unlikely due to the cost, the fans offered to fund it.
So last year, the wheels
were set in motion and in collaboration with PledgeMusic, a ‘Direct-to-Fan
music platform’, the new album project began.
PledgeMusic is different
to crowd funding in general, as it is solely based on raising funds for the
musician. PledgeMusic launched in 2009. It
enables the artist to reach out to its fanbase, or Pledgers as they’re known
as, in order to help raise the funds.
There were plenty of
incentives to tempt the fans, such as;
Signed CD’s of the
album,
Signed photos of John,
Plus photos of the
studio shoot,
Champagne lunches,
Visits to studios,
T-shirts,
Personal messages,
Personal photos with
John that wouldn’t appear on the album,
Signed sheet music from
songs sung during the sessions,
Right down to his Lucky
Jeans that he offered for £207.
All incentives and
exclusive content were SOLD.
Barrowman fans are no
different to the any other fans of actors and singers alike. Yet not all celebrities will welcome the fans
into their lives the way John Barrowman does.
With Live Tweets and interaction with the fans, Barrowman literally
gives as good as he gets.
And it has to be said,
that he earns the respect of his fans and those around him tenfold.
On the 30th
June this year, ‘You Raise Me Up’ was launched.
Fans were able to buy it online as well as in high street shops varying
in price from £5.99 upwards.
The album itself has old
and familiar songs that everyone will know, from the grannies to the
youngsters. Many of the songs evoke a
memory, they certainly did for Barrowman who posted links for the fans to learn
a little more about the reason for that particular song being added to the
album. When I’ve personally listened to many of the songs, I’ve felt inspired
to write, after an image awakens in my mind, especially during the song ‘A
Thousand Years.’
Tracks
1.
A Thousand Years
2.
Listen to the Music
3.
You Raise Me Up
4.
Skyscraper
5.
Mandy
6.
That’s the Way It Is
7.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
8.
Goodbye My Friend
9.
This is the Moment
10.
Hollywood
11.
Loch Lomond
Last week ‘You Raise Me
Up’ was Number 3 in the Indie album charts, this was awesome news. In the UK album charts ‘You Raise Me Up’ was
outside the Top 20. This week as of 27th
July his Indie climb dropped by four places but still keeps him in the Top
10.
The UK Album Charts is a
hard task master and given that the album really hasn’t had much air time, I’m
wondering if this is a reason for the drop in the charts.
The music industry is indeed
a hard one to crack and it would be fantastic to see John’s album reach the
Number One spot on Indie or even the UK Album Charts.
So in the words of the song – Listen to the
Music – and Buy the Album!
Music always helps to
stimulate the mind, if you’ve already bought the album, what memories do those
songs evoke for you? Let us know and they could feature in the next Issue.
Resources
I love this album so much. It's a great mixture of songs for every mood. It really inspires me and brightens my mood. I have things in my head listening to every song, thoughts, memories, ideas. It's great. And John's voice is so fantastic.
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