The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
This campaign is closed
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
The WOW Project
Music is a universal language. Music unifies, provides comfort, makes us
feel good, highlights moments, makes us all feel alive and it can take us into the
depths of our imagination or pull us strongly into the present moment. It's this power and potential of music that drives me to write songs and share them with the world.
I’ve spent years growing as a songwriter, recording artist and live entertainer. It is one of the best feelings in the world to impact other people with melodies, stories and connection; to use music to help people feel happy and free – and it’s time to do this on a much bigger scale. Over the past 5 years I’ve written more than an album full of songs. Myself, people on my team, trusted ears in the industry and fans at shows over the past 2+ years feel that these songs and this album will fulfill on that purpose. We just need to come together to enable top-notch production of the music and to get these melodies/messages/songs out in as big a way as possible.
Check out everything on the page to learn more about how we can help people feel happy and free with The Wow Project. Contribute and let’s bring this mission to the world :)
These are HUGE ways to help out.
A personal email and outreach to your network with a heartfelt message is a great way to help this campaign. This link makes it easy to do both:
See the section below this one or the column on the right for details on all the Perks, then contribute today. Thank you!
If you know others that would be inspired to contribute to this campaign and/or help get the word out, ask them to take a look (the video is 3.5 minutes). Speaking in person, phone calls and direct text messages feel the most personal and would show how important this is to look at and be a part of.
If you know of business owners / executives that could be inspired by this campaign and be in a position to make a larger contribution, please connect us with them at hello@johntayles.com
Contribute today to help make this dream a reality.
Pay-It-Forward Rewards
Rewards $45 and above come with a gift-able “Pay-It-Forward-Reward” to share with someone you
love. For example the Physical
Pay-It-Forward gives you 2 CDs and 2 digital download one week before the album
release - and that is included for the other perks from that point on.
For the second digital download: I’ll send you an email form once the project is complete, just reply with the email and first name of the recipient. We will automatically send them your Pay-It-Forward-Gift!
The whole point is it makes this project a reality, you get to enjoy contributing and we get to give someone else a gift … Awesome x3!
Album Credits:
Put your name on the Wow Album forever by having your name in the CD booklet artwork. We're building this together and this is a HUGE way to impact this campaign.
Acoustic House Concert:
Something you can do with your friends and family, that would be different than a party and most things experienced the rest of the year. An intimate setting with 20+ people in a living room, common room, backyard, etc. I'll play music off the new album and other releases, tell stories, and create moments of laughter, excitement and being moved. I promise a Wow Experience for your friends and family.
Company / Client Appreciation Concert:
If your organization's value line up with being happy and free, then it's time to create that experience for your teams or for your clients. This is NOT background cover music at a Christmas party, where's the Wow in that? I have experience in boardrooms helping groups in a company come together with music. We will create an event that truly unites a team. And we can also share this same vibe with the customers that make your work possible.
Your Very Own Wedding Song:
Want to do something crazy unique for your / your friend's wedding? How about I write you a song, professionally record it and come to your wedding to play it live! Here's a custom wedding song, unveiled for the first time on their big day...
Single from 'Thoughts Out Loud', Get It Right - filmed in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico:
We Are Ready - this whole recording, done in Nashville, and the video filmed over 2 days were created by several passionate people on a slim budget. Imagine what we'll be able to do with The Wow Project videos and release...
Professionally recording an album is expensive. Professionally releasing an album is VERY expensive. I’ve invested $5000 of my own savings so far and will invest at least double that over the course of the project. This has allowed for the recording of the first single, Wow, and the putting together of the production team, creating the project plan, and the initial development of an industry-standard promotional plan. I will cover all travel costs associated with creating this album. Now we need to raise the rest of the funds to create an amazing album and give it wings around the world.
We are starting by raising $33,300, which is the minimum needed to achieve world-class sound quality. To begin meaningfully promoting the project nationally would entail a total budget of $50,000+. And to really achieve the dream and promote the album INTERNATIONALLY we would need upwards of $70,000.
When we surpass the first goal, I’ll share with you more about how the extra funds above that will be distributed in spreading the word Nationally, and then Internationally :)
Darren Grahn (Vancouver - Production / Mixing):
Based in Vancouver with over 20 years of experience in the recording studio, Darren has worked on over 175 albums as either an engineer or producer. These include popular major artists such as Metallica (4 albums), Elvis Costello, Bryan Adams, The Cult, Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Blask Eyed Peas, Nickelback, Sarah McLaughlin, Michelle Branch, Christina Aguilera, Hedley and Cher. Darren produced John’s first full length, Thoughts Out Loud and in regards to this project he remarks, “life changing success for John is just a matter of the right team behind him with great sounding recordings. It’s very achievable with focused work.”
Marcus Bell (LA - Production / Mixing):
Artist, producer and entrepreneur; Marcus causes people to fulfill their dreams. He has marketed, produced, mentored and developed some of the world’s biggest superstars including Usher, Britney Spears and the Black Eyed Peas. Bell has written and produced hits in Turkey, Lebanon, Asia and Europe. He is developing unique projects with NASA, Toyota and Virgin Galactic to engage youth in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM). His promise is, “A world happy, healthy and creatively self-expressed.”
Johnny Simmen (Toronto - Production / Mixing):
As owner/producer at A Stare Away Studios, and as a songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist and recording artist in his own right, Johnny
Simmen brings a unique set of talents to every project he takes on.
Simmen’s natural instincts in the studio and his ability to draw out the
best possible performance he can from the artists he works with are a
product of his intimate understanding of the dynamic between producer
and artist.
Richard Yagutilov (Music Photographer & Video Director):
Having worked with Lady Gaga Directing her Video Tour Diaries and being her Toronto music tour photographer for a week, Richard has also worked with Kardinal Offishall as his personal photographer, album cover designer, music video director on several hit videos under Kon Live and Universal’s label. Hailed at Toronto’s leading music photographer and music video director, Richard brings incredible experience and originality to the Wow Project.
TV/Film/Commercial Song Placement (Syncing): Bellringer Music Library
PR & Radio: As the recordings progress and we are ready to begin this phase of the project (3-4 months from funding), we will announce the full team we’ve partnered with to enhance and carry out our plan to spread the music around the world.
My team and I have put together a detailed concrete plan and budget for creating full-length album that is high quality and a true expression of the word ‘Wow’. Here are the components of the recording / creation process in order of size.
Production & Mixing – This is where it all starts, with a great song being turned into a great recording. Two-thirds of what is raised in our initial $33,300 goal goes directly to making that happen. There’s studio time and compensating our amazing, experienced producers / mixers.
Music Video – As our budget grows, more will be allocated to the music video. Furthermore, we will be applying for every grant possible in Ontario and Canada to create a budget above and beyond what we raise here so that we can add more impact to those melodies and lyrics in a world class music video.
Behind-the-Scenes & Exclusive Videos – We will document this process, the highs, lows, the interesting, special and funny moments. Some of the videos will be released first or even exclusively to those who contribute to the The Wow Package. But everyone will definitely be updated and sharing in this process every step of the way.
Mastering – This is what takes great recordings and makes them sound loud, pleasant and oh so sweet on any type of speaker (iPod, car, radio, ghetto blaster, phone, laptop, etc).
Duplication – Gotta press those album copies. An initial 1000-CD run will allow us to fulfill your Indiegogo Perks in exchange for your Contributions.
Artwork & Design – Making the CD, insert booklet, digital image and other materials look pretty.
Guest Musicians – We may need violin, string players or other talented musicians to help bring these songs to life in the studio.
Equipment Rental – We demand perfection of our sound vision! There will likely be an exotic amp, synth keyboard or other piece of audio gear for us to rent that will be the icing on the cake for a song or two.
As we surpass $33,300 and I add more of my own savings, we’ll be able to implement the Wow Release Plan. Depending on what is raised will determine how big we can go, and for how long. Regardless of what that is, the Wow Project will be the biggest event I have been apart of as a recording artist – and it’s exciting to be creating it together.
Publicity – A great music PR firm is essential for a release. They get high priority editorial features in magazines, blogs and newspapers. They get you on television shows, web concert series, radio performances. Essentially they build awareness of an artist & their music by taking them EVERYWHERE around the media landscape.
Radio – Yes, it ain’t what it used to be when radio, TV and the newspapers were the unchallenged mass marketing pillars for label releases. BUT it’s still one of the popular ways for people to find music. We’re fortunate to be connected with major radio promoters in the US and Canada who are able to push the music to their contacts and get it on college and mainstream radio. This is easily the most expensive thing to do in a campaign, and we will scale up as we raise funds.
Videos – The first music video, behind-the-scenes and exclusive video content is included in the Creation Plan, and there are subsequent videos we envision creating. We’ve created a catalogue of ideas for cover videos, funny clips, live videos and more sweet music videos of songs from the album.
Advertising – There’s a way to use online advertising most effectively, and we’ve gotten incredible insight and planning advice from some of the world’s best internet marketers … which is just someone that knows how to reach the right person, with the right message (or song ;) at the right time. We have some best in class ideas to implement here on Facebook and online/offline magazines.
Mailings – Licensing songs from the album helps build awareness and our ability to re-invest in amplifying our efforts. Getting songs in film/television/commercials will be a focus of the release and we will be mailing out the music and press kits to influencers and decision-makers in those fields.
Tour – This will be the final stage of the entire process … there will be shows throughout, but an organized, expertly crafted and smoothly run tour is vital to actually creating those moments that make people say ‘Wow’, in person. Booking the dates and generating local press for each show and appearance will be vital to this fully involved campaign.
I
feel so confident about making this a success. I've had lots of experience executing a big projects.
Read below to see how these experiences will make this project the biggest of all, and how we will help people around the world feel happy and free with music.
So
what happens if we don’t raise well above $33,300 to implement the widespread
release plan? Regardless, everyone that
contributes will be getting an amazing album and the totally awesome experiences
associated with the perk you generously contributed to. Mark my words, this is happening, 100% ... the idea is to raise as much as possible with this Indiegogo campaign, then build further support, expand our resources and implement from there.
In 2009 I released my first full length record, Thoughts Out Loud – it was recorded with $30,000 won in an online songwriting contest for singer songwriters at SliceThePie.com (the site is very different now than it was in 2008). People loved the sound and the songs, and it turned out great – I was (and still am) so proud of it. BUT I had no idea what to do to get the music out on a wider scale. Last year into this one I completed an intense 8-month program called Starbootcamp, which has filled in all the blanks. With clarity in the formerly ‘muddy’ aspects of successfully releasing new music, I am so excited as I work with great people to implement what I now know.
We have a concrete plan and I’m very confident that it will create more waves than anything I’ve ever done and it will result in a successful album release. Now, we all know that this is show biz … nothing is fully guaranteed. Should we not get the initial results we’re looking for in our release plans, we will be agile and make adjustments along the way (yep, the big record labels do that too). There will be course corrections no doubt. The important thing is, we’re working with experienced professionals that are enthusiastically committed to the Wow Project, every step of the way. Our intention and resolve is to use our creativity, our positive attitudes and the wisdom of our experiences to overcome any challenge and treat every step as an opportunity.
Let's use music to help people feel happy and free.
Much love and gratitude,
- John Tayles