Have you ever wanted to executive produce an album? Like, your name in the liner notes and everything? Sure, you could spend years building a career in the music industry, learn the tools of the trade and so on. Or …
… There’s the 30-second option.
This efficient path comes from Milwaukee musician Ellie Jackson, who you may have heard on 88Nine’s airwaves. Or on stage in our performance space. Or live at one of the many other wonderful venues around town. Or stepping back from the microphone to play a supporting role for one of Milwaukee’s other fine musicians.
If you’ve encountered Jackson in any of those ways, you know she’s a legit talent who is probably overdue to release a full-length album. That’s a situation she’s well on her way to remedying — with a little help from anyone who loves local music (or just plain good music).
This week, Jackson launched a crowdfunding campaign to help make her debut studio LP a reality. She’s already got a name for the album (stay soft). She has the songs (“too many songs for one album,” she reports). She has the musicians and engineers and videographers. She even has dates and a location booked.
What she could use at this point is financial support. So, before Jackson and her team head up to the Parlor Hotel in lovely Princeton early next month for a week of music-making, she set up a series of perks on Indiegogo related to the album’s development:
- $10 — A postcard from the Parlor Hotel handwritten by Jackson
- $25 — A poetry zine featuring some of Jackson’s various written pursuits (songs, poems, stories)
- $30 — A pre-order of the album
- $30 — A stay soft t-shirt inspired by the vintage Steve’s Ice Cream shirt Jackson is sporting in that photo at the top of the page
- $50 — A pre-order of the album and the t-shirt
- $100 — Your likeness on the t-shirt
- $500 — Everything above
- $1,000 — An executive producer credit
As Jackson shared with us, “This is my first intentional curation of music. Honestly, it's the first time I've tried or risked anything with my music, and I'm really excited for it.” If you’re similarly excited to help this project along, visit the Indiegogo page for all the details and to make a contribution.
