i am setting up a compilation, with all proceeds going to a local nonprofit organization, and i need your help! specifically, i need your songs. i know that’s a lot to ask for, but hear me out, and then if you are interested, we can work together. i am aiming for an early 2020 release, and i am accepting covers of songs from the 1990s.
The Bridge House is a nonprofit located in Bridgeport, and if you are not familiar with it, they empower adults living with persistent mental illness. they help with education, employment, and housing. you can learn more about their programs here: https://www.bridgehousect.org/programs/. their work is felt immediately and deeply by its members and by the community. the compilation will be available at a pay-what-you-can rate, and all proceeds will go directly to The Bridge House. any cut or percentage that Bandcamp and/or Paypal takes, i will reimburse myself.
please direct questions and submissions to ctversesmusic@gmail.com .
the deadline for all submissions is January 15th (2020) before midnight.
why The Bridge House?
most of you will not be from Bridgeport. and most of you will probably not know anyone directly affected by the work The Bridge House does. but i chose a local charity rather than a larger, more national charity because (1) a poll i posted on instagram favored a more locally-focused nonprofit, and (2) the money we raise will be felt more acutely by a smaller organization. Connecticut is perpetually worried about its budget, so funds that are normally directed at nonprofit organizations like The Bridge House are frequently in risk of drying up.
why ’90s covers?
compilations that feature non-original songs tend to reach bigger (and more diverse) audiences. my hope is that people outside of the indie-DIY sphere will see the compilation and be interested in listening/donating. a casual audience will want to know what you’ve done with Garth Brooks’ song (for example). i chose the 1990s because it’s an easy unifying theme, and the ’90s are like, so hot right now.
does it have to be a faithful cover?
absolutely not! i would prefer you to have fun with it! take a song and make it sound like one of your originals! or be super-faithful with it, or do a mash-up, or cross-genres, whatever you want.
why not a benefit show instead?
yeah, that’s a great point — benefit shows are a great way to raise funds for things like this. however, my hopes are that a compilation might reach a bigger audience (whereas a benefit show is a one-time event whose audience is limited by accessibility, geography, time-of-day, and too many other factors). the benefit show would last an evening; the compilation will last for the foreseeable future.
why are you doing this?
a growing sense that i could be doing more to give back. i have no idea if this whole thing will work, but if i have a platform, i want to use it to make the world (or Connecticut) a better place.
what do i get out of it?
if i am being completely realistic, i don’t know. if we are being optimistic, people that have not heard your music (or maybe even your name) may want to check you out! if we are being pessimistic, then you gain no new listeners or fans, and the time and energy that you put into your submitted track is solely for the benefit of The Bridge House.
does it need to sound professional?
no, and i would not want you to spend your own money recording something new in a studio environment.
my band is not from Connecticut… can i submit something?
because i am trying to signal-boost Connecticut artists and bands, i am hoping to keep the roster mostly CT-based. if your band has one member that lives in Connecticut, you’re eligible! if you don’t, that’s ok — i would love to work with you in some other capacity for now.
how can i submit my track?
you can send files (or links to files) to ctversesmusic@gmail.com . Bandcamp will want a .wav file, if you can!
how long will submissions be open?
the deadline for all submissions is January 15th, 2020 before midnight.
