Friday 8 May 2009

Linda Thompson and The Hector Fund

I've admired Linda Thompson since the mid-'70s when I first heard her voice on the 'First Light' album with her then husband, Richard Thompson. Linda made a few solo albums in the decades since then but very sporadically, so it was great to hear her last album, 'Versatile Heart' a couple of years ago after years of silence. It's a solid album with some beautiful songs and it didn't play it safe at all - who would have thought of using a brass band on the title track?

It was good to hear this evening that Linda has a new album in the pipeline and a new project - she needs to raise $50,000 to record and release the record. And that's where the Hector Fund comes into play. Linda posted a personal message:

My name is Linda Thompson. When I was twelve years old, a career counselor visited my class in Scotland and asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I told her I wanted to be a folk singer, she told me not to be stupid!

It’s many years later. I still want to sing songs and it’s even harder to make a living as a folk singer! Since I returned to making music, the business has gone through a lot of changes. I’d like to make another record, and I think I can make a really good one (famous last words!).

I’d like your help. I’m trying to raise money so I can record the music, and be able to pay the excellent musicians, engineers and studios a fair wage and release the album to the public. So I am asking for financing -not charity (please save that for a more worthy cause) - but a business transaction. You, the audience, put up some money and I return the favor by sending you the music and much, much more!

I’m trying to raise $50,000 to cover ALL of the costs associated with independently producing, manufacturing and marketing an album in today’s marketplace.

When I started playing music in the sixties and seventies, we shared everything– perhaps some things we shouldn’t have. I’d like to return to a little bit of that spirit now. You the audience can share in the experience of making my record with me and be the first to hear it when its done - and I get to stick it to “the man” (whoever passes for the ‘man’ these days) by working outside of the system.

Download A Very New And Very Unreleased Song Right Now For Free

As a special offering to all of her fans - and hopefully potential donors to her Artistfunding Campaign - Linda is giving away the recently recorded track, “Never The Bride” and releasing it here at The Hector Fund exclusively as a first taste of what her forthcoming album will sound like. The song features a stellar cast of musicians (click here for full credits) and was co-written with her very talented and very handsome son, Teddy Thompson. Click below to get hooked up and read on to find out how you can help Linda finance her new studio album and get hooked up with cool stuff direct from Linda herself.


Click on the link and take a look at what it's all about. If you donate you can choose the level of support and get name-checked in the album artwork, be named as an executive producer or even have your very own Christmas song by the Thompson Family.

So go on, take a look at the site, buy a part of the record by making an investment, support independent music and have some fun.

2 comments:

Gins said...

Hey Owen, thanks for the great write-up! We do appreciate your help in spreading the word on Linda's campaign and Hector's artistfunding initiative. Rock on.
Sincerely, David Ginsburg
The Hector Fund

stackswim said...

Hey David,

Been a while since you commented on the progress of Linda T's new album.
Don't know about all the other folks who invested in her record in '09, but I'd like to know if we're ever going to see that effort?

Thanks
Brian (busker level subscriber)