Liz Longley never intended to crowdfund her sixth studio album Funeral For My Past, but when the ... [+]
Liz Longley never intended to crowdfund her sixth studio album, but when the Nashville-based singer-songwriter learned it would cost more than she could afford to buy back the masters from her record label she looked to Kickstarter and her fans for help.
On Sept. 24, 2019, Longley launched a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of $45,000 to pay her label Concord back and raise enough money to release Funeral For My Past independently. Much to her surprise she raised $150,000, ranking her as the fourth most funded solo female musician on the crowdfunding platform behind Chely Wright, Nita Strauss and Kate Nash. Nearly a year later, that project is now available.
“Before we launched, I reached out to some of my hardcore fans that have been supportive over the years and asked them if they'd be willing to share it on launch day and not only did they share it, but they all participated day one,” Longley, who previously used the crowdfunding platform in 2012 to release an album that subsequently got her a record deal with Sugar Hill Records, tells me. “Day one was huge. It was funded in the first day. To have people talking about that success only then spurred on more participation. It was incredible to raise three times the goal and it made me the fourth most funded female musician in Kickstarter history.”
Longley says she spent months planning her Kickstarter campaign, which included house concerts, writing songs with donors and penning songs when requested. She treated the crowdfunding as her full-time job and says the most important thing before launching a Kickstarter is having a connection with fans. Although she was initially hesitant to launch a second Kickstarter campaign, the outpouring of support from her fan base solidified her decision and her ability to connect with fans over the years.
“As an independent artist, I feel really encouraged about the future and I think that the future is in the hands of independent artists,” she says. “There's a new path ahead for independent artists and I'm excited to be venturing down it and to be encouraging other artists to go that way too.”
Funeral For My Past was recorded in 2018 with producer Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, Caitlyn Smith). While the 11-track project is now seeing the light of day, Longley’s Kickstarter supporters have had the album since January. She says the pandemic didn’t halt her plans for the September release since the record has been in the making for so long. “So many people supported it and made it happen and they already have it. Delaying the release into the real world any longer didn’t seem to be a good idea,” she says.
Longley penned every song on Funeral For My Past. She says tracks like the haunting “Torture” and sultry “Send Me My Love” have changed in meaning in the midst of the pandemic while being quarantined and away from loved ones.
“‘Send Me My Love’ is about being away from someone you love and wanting to feel connected and I certainly am trying to stay connected to what I do and the people who support what I do in the music world,” she says. “Without playing shows live in person, that sense of connection feels even more important and trying to find ways to maintain that. That's something I've been craving for a while.”
Meanwhile, the triumphant title track “Funeral For My Past” provides light in urging listeners to move on from their past. “Whatever kills you slowly/ Don’t give it one more breath/ Let it go, let it be, let it rest here in peace,” Longley sings.
“What I'm focusing on right now is putting out positivity and sending people love in this time that is so challenging for people,” she says. “There's just so much negativity. Right now what I want to be doing is spreading a little bit of love, hope, and light.”
In spreading that light, Longley has embraced online shows as well as her Patreon community who are getting a first look at the recording process of an upcoming holiday EP due out later this year. While the novel coronavirus pandemic has put an indefinite halt on the music and touring industry, it has also served as a major learning experience for Longley.
“The pandemic has made me realize that as artists, we're often looking for validation in the music business side of who wants to sign you to their label, or who wants to manage you, or who in the industry is saying, ‘Hey, you're good enough,’ but what truly matters the most are the people out there that connect with your music,” she says. “Those are the people that we should care the most about. Now that I'm running my own business and not looking at someone else [asking], ‘Hey, can you decide all of these things for me?’ I’ve realized that the power is always in the musician’s hands. We’re making the music.”
