Short Summary
Hello. My name is Tom Shear and for the past 20 years, I’ve been releasing music under the name Assemblage 23.
It’s been well over 3 years since the previous Assemblage 23 album, “Endure” was released and many of you may be rightly wondering when there is going to be a new album. So, I am happy to announce that I’ve been working on new material since Spring of this year (you can hear one of the tracks in progress in the intro of the video) and am planning on releasing Assemblage 23’s 9th album, which will be called “Mourn”, in the first half of 2020.
I hadn’t originally planned on doing another crowd-funding campaign, but over the past year or so, I’ve gotten enough messages from fans asking when I was going to do another one, that it seemed like it might be worthwhile. A lot of you mentioned that you really liked the exclusive merch you could get, as well as some of the more “experience” based perks like Skype calls, guest vocals and the like. So I thought, “Hey, why not?”
What We Need & What You Get
I am setting the initial goal for $5,000, as I did last time. This helps cover mastering and artwork expenses as well as the cost of having the perk items made. There are a ton of great, totally-exclusive perks on offer that you won't be able to get anywhere else. I think you'll find that there's something for everyone and at every price point.
• Autographed copies of albums
• An exclusive, contributors-only t-shirt design
• An exclusive, contributors-only zip-up hoodie (first new hoodie in 10+ years!)
• One-on-one Skype conversations
• Have Assemblage 23 remix or produce your band's song
• Even have Assemblage 23 come play a private concert for you and your friends!
The Impact
Now, in the interest of total transparency, this album is going to come out whether or not the campaign reaches its goal. My aim in creating this campaign is less about raising a certain amount of money and more about connecting directly with the fans and offering special items and experiences above and beyond the typical band merch. That said, I can't tell you how much the overwhelming amount of support you guys have showed me in the past means to me. The music industry can be really discouraging at times, but there's nothing like the love you all have showed me to remind me why it is I keep doing this.
Risks & Challenges
This isn't the first crowd-funding campaign Assemblage 23 has done, and honestly, we hit a couple snags last time. We encountered some unexpected manufacturing delays that delayed shipment of some items, but I also made a few mistakes on my end. Firstly, I failed to anticipate the massive response the previous campaign would receive and hadn't arranged for additional help to assist me in getting everything out in a timely manner. This left me to fill nearly 800 orders on my own, which, as you can imagine, was a bit insane. I also made the mistake of scheduling the campaign fulfillment too close to the launch of our US tour, which meant I had to ship items from the road while we were on tour which was every bit as nightmarish as it sounds. However, each campaign is a learning experience and I definitely learned some valuable lessons with the previous one that has left me better informed of how to handle this one to avoid repeating those past mistakes.
• I've already arranged for additional help in packing and shipping out the perks.
• There will be a longer delay between the fulfillment period and when we start touring to support this album. That way, everything can be shipped well before we hit the road, and as a bonus, you all will have a chance to get to know the new material better before the shows!
Other Ways You Can Help
I realize that not everyone is in a position to contribute to this campaign, but there are plenty of other ways you can help out that don't cost a thing and are every bit as appreciated.
- Tell your friends about the campaign
- Share links to the campaign on your social media
- Use the Indiegogo Sharing Tools to spread the word
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Important!
A couple important points:
• The name you enter into the forms on Indiegogo when you contribute is the name that will appear in the liner notes, so make sure you use your preferred moniker.
• PLEASE use your real e-mail address. I understand privacy concerns and fear of spam, but I promise, your e-mail will not be shared outside this campaign, and you will not receive anything from me outside of a handful of campaign and album updates. It's important to use your real e-mail in case I need to reach you for some reason.