Who are you, and why do you want my money?

Here's a quick summary: i'm caleb mueller, a Canadian artist and musician, and i've been releasing music as Decomposure since 2002. In summer 2010, i embarked on a project creatively titled 'the podcast project', wherein i wrote and recorded a completely new song every week (or at least tried to) and posted it up as a podcast online. Now i'm over here in fall 2011, sitting on a stack of songs that i'm pretty pleased with, and i'd love to polish my favourites into a digestible album and release them into the great wide ocean out there.

But beyond that, i'm at the point right now where it isn't good enough to just put it up on iTunes, or have a pressing plant spit out a few shrinkwrapped plastic things. As a graphic artist by day, i send booklets and posters and brochures to printers all the time, and they handle it all perfectly, filling box after box with sharp, precise, color-matched copies. But i don't want that for my music. i don't want to stand off to the side while other people carry out my orders, i want to be in it, putting my imperfect self into each scrappy copy. Maybe i'm just in denial or deluded, but if i'm going to approach this album as a serious checkpoint, i want it to be handmade, tactile, personal, unique. And i want that DIY experience to be available to everyone, not just people who can afford the deluxe edition.

So, i have some big ideas for this album, and in order to make them work, i need your help.

Where does the money go?

First and foremost, your money will go directly toward paying down the album's engineering, pressing and packaging costs. That's the basic amount i need to fully develop the album as i envision it - if i reach that, i'll be ecstatic. Here's a rough estimate of the cost breakdown:

• $500.00 - Engineering and post-production
  
• $500.00 - Pressing the physical CDs
  
• $1500.00 - Materials for building the album art and packaging
  
• $3000.00 - Promotion
  
  

You'll notice that last number is bigger than the first three combined, and has nothing to do with the album itself. (Most labels spend a lot more.) This is one of those unavoidable realities about music, one i honestly hate thinking about. But for the vast overwhelming majority of us musicians, the 'viral hit' fairy doesn't swoop down and save us - the interweb is dense with forgotten albums played once for single-digit audiences. Practically speaking, in order to be heard, someone with smarts and connections and tenacity needs to get on the phone and tell people over and over and over that i exist and that i'm worth listening to. Some people are good at this. i'm not. Demonstrably so. i suck at it, frankly.

So, the inclusion of this (pretty minimal) amount of promotion is just me dreaming a little bigger, setting a good ambitious goal - having a finished album is great, but it'd also be nice if people, you know, wanted it. Sure, it's just icing, but then, not many people like cake without icing. Chances are, you heard about me through some radio station or reviewer (or a friend who heard it from them, etc.), and you would have missed out on this album if it weren't for that. Helping me tackle this means that you'll be one of those special seed-people responsible for a harvesting a brand new crop of Decomposure fans. And that would be pretty cool, right? Right?

What do i get for being awesome?

Details are a still a little sketchy at the moment, as some things are reliant on funding - i'll update as things progress. So, depending on your level of support, you can get:

1. Your name in the album's 'thank you' credits and listed on the Blank Squirrel website.
   
2. The album - As yet untitled (though i'm really really close to picking one), it will be 50-60 minutes of finely engineered music packaged in colorful handmade album art, complete with lyrics of course.
   
3. Digital copy - There's always a large gap between the date the album is engineered and the date it's actually released, but you'll get a secret link that lets you access a digital copy much sooner.
   
4. 'Complete' CD full of extra songs - Containing the remaining songs from the Podcast Project that didn't make it to the album for reasons of time and flow.
   
5. 'Special Features' bonus disc - A DVD-ROM loaded up with even more bonus stuff, including videos, sound sources, images, instrumentals and acappellas, all the original podcasts, and more!
   
6. Decomposure T-Shirt - Available exclusively to people who donate here. They'll be limited-run screenprints on shirts made in either Canada or the US.
   
7. Decomposure's discography - Everything Decomposure has ever released on one snappy little USB drive or memory stick, including bonus stuff!
   
8. A lyric book - Again, completely exclusive. Made and bound by hand, containing the words to every song Decomposure's released up 'til now. Limited quantities available.
   
9. One totally exclusive song - Donors who hit this level will get access to a completely new song that i will never release outside of this offer.
   
10. 'Producer' credit - in a giant font.
    

Above all that, you'll be investing in me - i can't tell you how wonderful it is to have the music i create actively supported by people. Most of the time, i am quite sure i'm all alone in this, dropping another stillborn into the vast silent pit of time. i'm getting better at being okay with that, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't well up with joy whenever i'm proven wrong, even slightly.

So prove me wrong, please! Thank you in advance.