In Thea's own words: "So here goes...I hope you all know how valuable you are to me. Obviously, your financial support has been a significant part of my income for the last few years, but AITA has been so much more than that. A connection, a community, a discipline.. Its yielded songs that would never otherwise have been written, and given me a focus and a drive that I don't want to do without."
"I want to GIVE you Angels In The Abattoir free for a while. Instead of a business deal, let's be friends. I still get the fun of writing for you directly, having direct communication and most importantly (for me) I don't feel guilty that I'm letting you down when I'm juggling albums, kids and the nasty side of the business I'm in, and can't dedicate the time AITA deserves."
This didn't come as a massive surprise, as Thea has not given enough time to the supporting website and the attention it deserves, but it's a wonderful gesture to loyal fans. All existing Angels' subscriptions are suspended but memberships are not. This means that new fans cannot start joining for free but existing fans get to remain part of this great fan base and continue to get exclusive songs, at no cost - at least until the programme is updated.
Two key questions from a short FAQ included in the email...
Q. I don't understand why you'd do it?
Because I think you lot are amazing. Because your support means the world to me and because I don't feel I'm offering you value for money right now. So while I get the nuts and bolts of Angels In The Abattoir sorted, I want to give you something back. Plus, if one of my kids gets chicken pox and I can't make it into the studio to record a monthly track one month, I'm not breaking a contract. I like to think I'm pretty honourable and unlike a lot of the music business, this matters to me.
Q. So is this the end of Angels In The Abattoir?
Nope. But it will change. It needs to be better organised, better value and better run and all of this takes time. I want to offer monthly subscriptions, different musical avenues, perhaps introduce new artists through it as well.. But to do it, I need the cogs of the operation to run smoothly so my little one girl band can concentrate on what's important.
And so to July's song: Just Because. This is another wonderful vocal arrangement with Thea in great voice and accompanied by acoustic guitar. Some great lyrics including "There's not a rumour I haven't laid to waste; No sense of humour that I cannot disgrace..." and a rising high-pitched chorus that echoes the sentiment of the current situation and Thea's response to a great idea that desperately needs an update.
Here's to the future and the continuation of Angels In The Abattoir.
No comments:
Post a Comment