Communist Daughter has spanned a decade. We’ve lived through 10 years of tours, playing shows with Jason Isbell to Billie Eillish, Temples to Sturgill Simpson. Now we are reaching out all the way from the Arctic Circle, with our latest album "Unknown Caller." The only way we can continue to make music from so far north is with your direct support.
Our latest journey to the edge of the world took us off the road just as we garnered our most national acclaim. Johnny and Molly bowed out of the relentless touring schedule and moved first to San Diego to care for aging family, and then to their new home above the Arctic Circle. Now making their home in a remote village in the Alaskan tundra they’re reaching out with Communist Daughter once more, to fans across the world. Just as the first album was born out of a “goodbye” to a life lived with drugs and deteriorating mental health, their latest album comes full circle as they once again say goodbye. This time Johnny walks away from touring and the industry model, again for mental health and a shot at a new musical life.
And just like the first time, Communist Daughter chooses to say goodbye in song. They return to the things that made them break out artists in 2010, private songs that speak to letting go and moving on, and a bittersweet longing for the life they couldn’t live anymore. "Unknown Caller" is the bookend to their 2010 debut "Soundtrack to the End." The new Communist Daughter album takes their songs out of the basement recordings where it all started, to fully orchestrated productions featuring strings from the Laurel String Quartet (Father John Misty, Dessa,) & Andy Thompson (Belle & Sebastian, Jeremy Messersmith) as well as horn arrangements from Stephen Chen (San Fermin.) Once again they collaborated with Kevin Bowe (Replacements, Porcupine) while remembering where they started by pulling tracks from the intimate recording sessions in Johnny & Molly's own bedroom.
It's true, the magic of the internet gives us unlimited music and unprecedented access to artists, all it requires is for musicians to appear live on stage night after night to fund their art. Unfortunately, some musicians have to choose between their mental health and their musical career. So here we are, after turning down labels and tours at the height of our career, we send you a direct love letter, and ask for you to be a part of making Communist Daughter stretch into a new decade. With your help, we can give you our third album “Unknown Caller,” on our 10th anniversary. - CD
What We Need & What You Get
Let’s get transparent. Putting out an album takes quite a bit of seed money, even at a very scaled back level. We’ve put together a basic budget, with two funding tracks, one on the national stage, and one at a much more private level, that show you exactly where the money will go:
Fixed costs:
$8,500 : Remaining recording costs paying studios and producers and engineers
$3,500 : Vinyl Manufacturing cost (Noiseland Industries)
$1000 : Tshirt / merchandise production cost (Fledgling Press design, Afternoon Printing)
$500 : Shipping costs (material/postage) for backers
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Variable costs:
$500 : FB/Insta promotions for campaign visibility
$5000 : PR costs:
- $500 : Press photos, (Photographer cost, production cost)
- $3000 PR company for single / video releases, marketing,
- $1500 Digital PR (ad’s, website updates, digital marketing)
$4000 : Video production (2-3 videos created at bare minimum costs…)
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20% of total for operating costs (platform fees, management and legal costs, licensing costs)
Total = $28,000
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Track 2 -
Our Initial Goal = $10,000
At $10,000 we can pay:
$4,000 - almost ½ the recording cost invoices
$3500 - Vinyl Manufacturing cost
$1000 - Merchandise manufacturing cost
$500 - Shipping costs for all backer orders
$500 - FB/Insta Ad cost for promotion of Indiegogo campaing
$500 - 5% Indiegogo platform fee
Any music videos, PR, and management/legal fees will be paid after we reach the first 10k funding goal or paid out of our pockets.
What You Get
This is a very limited release. This LP will only be physically released on a colored short run Vinyl. People always ask if we will ever have the white vinyl version of "Soundtrack to the End" again, and the answer is always no. Just like that, this is your only chance to own the first press colored Vinyl.
Besides this exclusive vinyl, we have equally exclusive merchandise only available through this campaign.
Including:
- The Unknown Caller T Shirts designed from woodblock carving artist Melissa Schlobohm of Fledgling Press
- Access to the last remaining classic t shirts, because when they sell they are gone.
- Your chance to pick a song recorded live on video just for you.
- Merchandise bundles of previous vinyl and CD’s no longer available in stores (or on the internet.)
- And personal gifts from the band, like handwritten lyrics, original copies of test presses, video messages and more.
With each target, Communist Daughter will release new videos of Johnny & Molly all the way from Alaska, and exclusive B-sides and demos spanning the last 10 years.
The most important part of this campaign is the impact you can have on our future:
The reality is that the only way that Communist Daughter can continue to make music now that Johnny and Molly have stopped touring is with your direct support.
Step outside the new music model and let your values match your spending so that Communist Daughter’s music moves into the next decade.
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can't contribute, and we totally understand, but that doesn't mean you can't help:
- Share the campaign on your social media so that others can learn about us
- Click like, comment, subscribe and interact with us to let us know how important Communist Daughter’s music is in your life.
Thank you, from Johnny, Molly, Adam, Al, Steve, Dillon and all of the rest of the Communist Daughter team.