Short Summary
Hi! I'm John Muirhead, an indie-folk artist based in Toronto, Canada.
• Over the past four years, I've played my music across the country and have self released three EPs.
• I've shared the stage with some of Canada's best musicians, including Craig Cardiff, Joel Plaskett, Arkells, and many, many more.
• My music has been featured across the country on CBC, SiriusXM, community radio, and television networks like Global and CTV.
• I've played 200+ shows on moving trains, at folk festivals, in backyards, coffee houses, bars, and living rooms.
• I've worked with some of the best songwriting, performance, and music business mentors in Canada, including John K Samson, Christine Fellows, Graydon James, Lorraine Lawson, Jadea Kelly, and more.
•In 2017, I was nominated Canadian Folk Music Award for Young Performer of the Year.
• All the while, I've been writing some of the best songs I've ever written and slowly compiling them into my first full-length album!
Along with Toronto-based producer Taylor Lucas, I've been hard at work editing, arranging, and recording these songs to make them as amazing as possible for you. As you know, recording and releasing an album is an expensive investment, and I'd love to have you join in on the process!
Budget and Financial Goals
The total budget of this album release is approximately $7500. This includes tracking, mixing, mastering, content creation, and marketing. I plan to raise $2500 from this campaign - the rest will be self-funded, along with pending grant funding.
The funds raised from this campaign will help to pay some of the up-front costs associated with the early stages of the recording process - production costs, session musicians, and album-related merchandise.
Here are some of the costs that independent musicians must consider in the making of a full-length album:
- Mixing - the time-consuming process of blending the sounds together cohesively.
- Mastering - the final "cherry on top" to make the final track sound amazing.
- Production - a producer is kind of like an editor - making sure the songs are as strong as possible and the parts within it fit into the bigger picture. These costs also include time at the studio.
- Collaborators - paying fair wages to everyone involved (producers, engineers, musicians)
- Marketing - Large, yet crucial cost to getting our music to new ears (hiring radio trackers and publishers, digital advertising, showcasing, etc)
The Impact
It's clear to me that the time is now to release a full-length album. After self-releasing three EPs, I'm hungry to create a full-length statement - a project that shows the world who I am as a musician and as a songwriter.
The release of this album will be the backbone of my marketing, content creation, and touring for the next year. It will allow me to share more music with the world, play on bigger stages, and connect with more amazing people, just like you!
This campaign gives you the unique opportunity to be a part of the creation of an album that has potential to leave a lasting impression in the music community across Canada and beyond - and I'd love to have you as part of my team.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you don't have the means to donate now, don't worry! There are many ways to support my journey:
-Share this campaign on social media
-Request my songs on your local CBC station
-Stream my music for free on Spotify or Apple Music
-Encourage friends and family to attend a concert