Crowd Sourcing Is Not Begging!!

Crowd Sourcing Is Not Begging!!

CROWD SOURCING has become an important component to my (and a lot of indie artists) model of getting my new album made. It's taken me a while to understand that I have friends, family, and fans that are down to be part of growing the Dana Jean Phoenix brand of NuFunk! You see learning to fight is somewhat a state of mind. You have to psyche yourself up and go take the world on by yourself! Or so I'd lead myself to believe...

...You see as an independent artist I've found that I've had to really rely on self preservation to get things done. I can't depend on the music fairy (I grew up believing in) to come and magically make my music dreams come true. That was the rigid mind state I'd worked myself into a year ago. I was so caught up in doing everything myself with the release of my first EP 'Learning To Fight' that I started to burn out fast. But even as I started dropping the ball left, right, and center due to fatigue I refused to seek help! "If you want something done right you've got to do it yourself!!" I mantra'd myself every night. Then one day a friend cheerily asked me how everything was going, and before I could think I said "lousy, I'm so tired all of the time and I'm thinking of quitting this whole fuckin' thing!' - WOW, did I just blurt that out? - I thought to myself! But what was funny was that my friend just stared at me. When I apologized for ranting he just stared at me. I was apologizing a second time, due to the uncomfortable silence, when he asked me what I needed him to do! "Oh, nothing" I said sheepishly. But the amazing thing is he wouldn't take no for an answer and he proceeded to ask me to tell him about all of the work I had to do to promote, sell, distribute, and tour in support of my music. He then TOLD me that I was crazy to not ask for help from the people who enjoyed my work, and that as one of my fans (God bless him eh;) he was more than willing to help me get my stuff out there, all I had to do was ask. And that's what I did. I asked him to help me hang posters for my show at the Rivoli, and he came out with me on four nights and helped me blanket the city for the show.

I had gotten into such a do-it-yourself state that I had forgotten that as a wholly independent artist I didn't have to rig up a bullshit major label facade. I could ask for help when I needed it and it wasn't weak or stupid or charity. It's real and I sincerley appreciate every iota of help in bringing the NuFunk to you all, with what has become to be known as Crowd Sourcing!