Jonah Smith Turns To His Fans
To Help Keep The “Lights On”
AP: What is the significance of naming your upcoming release
‘Lights On’?
JS: I like titles that can mean different things depending on your outlook but it comes from the lyric, “You’d better hold/what your heart knows/and don’t let go/until someone here turns the lights on” – which is about placing hope in a political leader.
AP: Will we be treated to more of your jazzy, soulful style – or are you heading in a different direction?
JS: This new record builds on what I did on my last one by really expanding the sonic palate. I initially brought the producer Malcolm [Burn] around thirty songs I’d written to consider for the album. My main problem with them was I couldn’t see a way for them to thematically work together. They were all pretty different. Malcolm just threw that out the window and said, ‘let’s make a record where every song is different from the last one’. So that’s what we set out to do.
Of course, I hope there’s always the element of soul in my music. My favorite singers are soul singers (Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, etc.) but I think the jazzy element has taken a backseat on this record.
AP: Is there a theme that runs through the record or some kind of connective tissue?
JS: There are definite themes on the record, war being one of them, man vs. nature being another. But the connective tissue in the writing for me is perspective. Writing from different perspectives is something that I’ve done a little bit in the past but not to this extent. For example, there’s a song written from the point of view of a wounded soldier returning home and also a suburban couple’s take on the war in Iraq. There’s also a song about a father in dust bowl era Kansas taking his daughter to California to seek a new life.
AP: What led you to choose Crowdfunding to support your release?
JS: Well, to be honest it was Jill Sobule’s incredible success with it. When I read about what she was doing it just seemed to make so much sense. I found myself in a pretty unique position with this album. I am not indebted to a record company financially but I was lucky to have the advantage of Relix Records helping me to lay the groundwork with the last record and help me build up my fan base. I think that, in part, is making what I’m doing now possible.
AP: Had you considered using established fan support systems like Sellaband, Artist Share or Slice The Pie?
JS: I did look a little bit at Artist Share, which I think is a really cool and unique way to sell your music (and to find it as a fan). But I decided to open up this process to my fans sort of late in the game. The album was already complete and from what I know about Artist Share I think it’s better to get people involved very early on in the process – even before recording the first note.
When I started talking about the idea of letting fans contribute with my Webmaster, he just jumped on it and said let’s do it and see what happens. It all came together rather quickly but it became apparent right from the beginning that this was something that could work. I’m not sure it would work for everyone and I’m still really unsure of when or if I will reach my goals but having toured pretty consistently the last few years has helped get my name out there.
AP: Did you write a business plan?
JS: I didn’t write a specific business plan, at least not yet. If I don’t reach my goal in a certain amount of time I will reassess and try to figure out how to make the most of what I do have.
AP: Do contributors sign a contract or agreement?
JS: No, there is no contracts but there is an agreement which is explained on the website. If for example, you donate $5000, you are entitled to a private house concert (which you could then charge admission to, if you chose) and a bunch of other stuff like a signed CD and a limited edition T-shirt. But fans aren’t investing looking for a financial return, they are contributing to art that they believe in.
AP: The $50,000 that you’re seeking from fans is earmarked for promotion – how did you arrive at the amount & how will that money be used (radio promotion, street teams, swag, etc)?
JS: I arrived at that amount by talking to people in the industry to get a sense of where the money should be focused. I also based it on my experiences with the last record that I did with Relix. Since they paid for all promo services a la carte, I got a bird’s eye view of where the money goes.
A major chunk of the budget would be spent on publicity. There would also be a budget for independent radio promotion, ad buys, swag, Internet marketing and lastly tour support.
I don’t generally wish to spend money on tour support however if there is an opportunity to play an important radio conference, for example, and it’s not going to work with routing then I’d like to be able to make that happen. I think it’s important to say that every dime that comes in will be used and used well. I’ve already spent my savings on making this album. I have a lot of faith that if it gets a chance to be heard, people will like it.
AP: Since you’re self-releasing this title – how did you cover the production costs?
JS: I spent my entire savings on it and borrowed the rest from family and friends.
AP: Who’s doing your national distribution?
JS: There isn’t a deal inked yet, but I’m talking to a couple of different distributors.
AP: With retailers going under, how important do you think brick and mortar is to the success of an indie release?
JS: That’s a really good question and one that I wish I knew the answer to. I can say that not all distribution is the same. If you can find a distributor that cares about you and has the will to work on your project then I think it can make a difference. At least on the touring end, I think it’s important when you come to a town where you’ve never been or maybe only been once or twice to have your record in the cool indie record store and maybe have your poster up somewhere and be in a listening station. Of course, all that takes money.
That was a major problem for me with my last release. I would be playing a show in a town for the first time. It would be a great exposure gig opening up for someone like Madeline Peyroux or Martin Sexton. I’d be getting some radio play but then at the music store right across the street from the venue there would either be zero copies of my CD or maybe one copy in the A-Z file.
I’ve read somewhere that a person needs to hear about an artist from two different sources for it to have an impact. I think being visible in a record store can help in that sense.
AP: What impact does radio deliver?
JS: If it’s the right market and the right station, I think radio can be a major help at least with getting people to the show. I noticed that in a big way with my last record. In towns where I was getting spins on a cool triple A station, I would definitely notice it at the shows.
The first time we ever played Bozeman, MT there was a crowd full of people singing along with “My Morning Scene”. That was a trip for sure.
For me getting people to the shows is the most important thing right now. Once people come and realize that they are onto something cool and there’s a community of people there with similar tastes then they want to be a part of that. That’s really what I’m interested in building.
AP: You have a spring drop date – when will you know that you can meet that obligation? Is there a cut-off date & minimum amount?
JS: I need a three-month grace period before the record comes out at a minimum in order for publicity and radio to get geared up. So for me, March is crucial.
AP: How much money have you raised so far?
JS: I had a fundraising concert that was staged in DC by a couple of fans. They organized the whole thing – rented the venue, contracted for sound and lights and sold the tickets. It’s been truly amazing. Tickets sold for $75 and we sold out. The concert raised $2500 plus I found another investor there. So as of now, I’ve raised over $11,000. By the way, I’m hoping to franchise that idea to other cities where I have fans willing to help out with organizing!
AP: What did you learn from the label (Relix) experience that will strengthen your self-released efforts?
JS: I learned a tremendous amount. Almost everything that Relix did for me promotions wise was outsourced to someone else. I had an A&R guy at Relix to oversee things but they didn’t do anything else in-house so I learned what publicists do, what radio promo people can do, the benefit of conferences and festivals. I also met a lot of people on my journey and those contacts are really important. In some instances, I also learned what not to do and what to try to avoid from mistakes we all made with the last release.
AP: What mistakes do you now know to avoid?
JS: Well for one, I learned that it’s crucial if you have outside people working on your project they need to be on the same page with each other – which is often harder than it sounds. That job would typically fall to a project manager at a label, but if there isn’t one in place you need to make sure that all the wheels are spinning at once. If your team can combine its efforts then when you show up in a town to play a show you’ll have a presence at radio and print, the street team will be active and putting up posters as will the club and the CD will be featured in a cool independent music shop. Touring can be a lot of fun but it’s also hard work and it can be disenchanting to drive ten hours to find that nothing is in place because someone dropped the ball. No one is going to care as much as you so it’s in your best interest to stay on top of things if you don’t have someone you trust doing that for you…and be nice – people don’t generally like having their flaws pointed out to them. Use positive reinforcement.
AP: When & where will you be touring to support the release?
JS: I’m just starting to gear up for touring. I’m going to be doing some shows in the Midwest this month. Once I’ve got things dialed in and I know when the record is released, how it will be released and who is going to be working on the project I will hit the road for real.
AP: How will you cover your touring costs?
JS: I was really lucky to have Relix give me tour support for the last record. That really helped me build a touring base. If I am smart and my agent can route things properly, I can at least break even on the road and in some cases maybe even make a little bit of money (depending on merch sales). I also tour in different configurations depending on what kind of budget I’m dealing with. If the money is really low then I just go out as a duo with my guitarist. We can put on a pretty kick ass show just the two of us. When I have a few anchor dates that pay though, I like being out with the band.
AP: On your site the donation & benefits span Intern level ($5.00 & name listed on page of benefactors) to Chairman of the Board ($10,000 & opportunity to collaborate with you on a composition, be included in the liner notes, etc) how did you arrive at these amounts & perks?
JS: The site was completely designed by my Webmaster, Dave Beattie. He’s been an incredible asset to me. A lot of it was based very directly on what Jill Sobule did with her website.
AP: Any takers yet for the Executive VP ($2500) Board Member ($5000) or Chairman of the Board?
JS: Some nibbles, but no takers yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Jonah Smith plays March 30th at the Blue Note in New York. You can find out more about Jonah at his website:
www.jonahsmith.com
