Tuesday
Apr012008
Big News
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 03:25PM
I've been waiting to share this news with you guys for quite a while, but today just seems like the day to do it. As many of you know, I've been meeting for the last six months or so with different record companies here in Nashville, looking for someone to partner with my solo music.
After many, many coffees, lunches, and more recently, lawyer's office visits, I am glad to announce my renewed partnership with Forefront Records.
My original band, The Normals, released three albums on Forefront during the years 1998-2001. While critically acclaimed, those records failed to achieve the financial success Forefront deemed necessary and they pulled funding from the band's marketing budget. In the days before MySpace and facebook, this was a serious blow and it led to the (some would say, early) demise of the band.
But what's done is done and today is the here and now. And friends, my future, is once again squarely in the hands of this great company. We've patched up our differences and, thanks in large part to the decline of the record industry as a whole, my sales numbers aren't looking so bad anymore.
So, here we are. Holding hands and skipping through contract negotiations like the gray-haired lovers we so metaphorically are. And I couldn't be more excited.
They're scouting out producers to help me start on a new album. I'm not exactly sure where we'll be recording it, but I'm confident it will be in Franklin, TN. I won't, of course, be allowed to use my usual group of players, but I also haven't had a song on the radio in a couple months now, so I do defer judgment this time. I don't want to make the same mistakes twice.
Also, this means I will not be able to do any more Letters to the Editor projects. I've been (re)learning that you don't make friends or fans by giving music away. You just become another pirate. And this makes me a little sad, but it's time to kill the parrot and take off the eye-patch, I guess. I was able to get it so that those of you who donated at least $12 for the EP will be allowed to keep yours.
Anyone who just got it for free, however, or who paid less than $12 will need to e-mail me their copies of the mp3s (and artwork!!) so I can properly dispose of them.
Yeah, that's the bummer, but as with most things in this reality of living, you've got to make some compromises, and I trust that this will be for the better. And I'm really excited to get in some songwriter meetings and start carving out some songs for Christian radio, and then getting that record out there for you.
So here's to the future, and to the positive and inspiring songs we'll sing together (with your properly registed CCLI licenses). In a career of milestones, this is another one. Thanks for being with me on this journey so far. I can't wait to see where it takes us from here.
(Oh, and I should tell you. This will be my last blog post. From now on, editorial control over this website will be run by someone from the label. They promise to update at least once every other month and, if you're on the mailing list, you'll also be updated with details about every upcoming Forefront release. So I guess I'll see you later at a show or something.)
After many, many coffees, lunches, and more recently, lawyer's office visits, I am glad to announce my renewed partnership with Forefront Records.
My original band, The Normals, released three albums on Forefront during the years 1998-2001. While critically acclaimed, those records failed to achieve the financial success Forefront deemed necessary and they pulled funding from the band's marketing budget. In the days before MySpace and facebook, this was a serious blow and it led to the (some would say, early) demise of the band.
But what's done is done and today is the here and now. And friends, my future, is once again squarely in the hands of this great company. We've patched up our differences and, thanks in large part to the decline of the record industry as a whole, my sales numbers aren't looking so bad anymore.
So, here we are. Holding hands and skipping through contract negotiations like the gray-haired lovers we so metaphorically are. And I couldn't be more excited.
They're scouting out producers to help me start on a new album. I'm not exactly sure where we'll be recording it, but I'm confident it will be in Franklin, TN. I won't, of course, be allowed to use my usual group of players, but I also haven't had a song on the radio in a couple months now, so I do defer judgment this time. I don't want to make the same mistakes twice.
Also, this means I will not be able to do any more Letters to the Editor projects. I've been (re)learning that you don't make friends or fans by giving music away. You just become another pirate. And this makes me a little sad, but it's time to kill the parrot and take off the eye-patch, I guess. I was able to get it so that those of you who donated at least $12 for the EP will be allowed to keep yours.
Anyone who just got it for free, however, or who paid less than $12 will need to e-mail me their copies of the mp3s (and artwork!!) so I can properly dispose of them.
Yeah, that's the bummer, but as with most things in this reality of living, you've got to make some compromises, and I trust that this will be for the better. And I'm really excited to get in some songwriter meetings and start carving out some songs for Christian radio, and then getting that record out there for you.
So here's to the future, and to the positive and inspiring songs we'll sing together (with your properly registed CCLI licenses). In a career of milestones, this is another one. Thanks for being with me on this journey so far. I can't wait to see where it takes us from here.
(Oh, and I should tell you. This will be my last blog post. From now on, editorial control over this website will be run by someone from the label. They promise to update at least once every other month and, if you're on the mailing list, you'll also be updated with details about every upcoming Forefront release. So I guess I'll see you later at a show or something.)
Reader Comments (51)
Hmmm....what day is it again? ;-) Looking forward to seeing you and Caedmon's in Dyersburg Friday night too, btw. Any chance of you doing any solo sets anywhere nearby after the concert Friday?
Funny, funny man.
I was halfway through uploading all my AO cd's on Limewire before I realized this was a joke.
Oy that was a GOOD one. :) I knew I should have smelled a rat when you started mentioning Forefront. Consider me April fooled. :)
You're awesome, Osenga. You had me really, really, really scared there for a few minutes.
Also, by posting that link to Forefront's site, you almost made gag. I actually followed the link. I think I'm going to go throw up...
you had me for a minute. well done.
You're so awesome. I really needed that today.
Dear Lord, this had BETTER be an April Fools joke.
You totally had me - mouth agape - until that "positive and inspiring" line. I felt so conflicted and confused for nine paragraphs.
I'm a little slow.
i think you should write a song about pirates now.
Very nice Andrew.
You had me up to the "sending .mp3s back" part or maybe the pirate part. Well done.
I was on board until I started reading the comments... looking back at the recording in Franklin part, I should have known.
I should pay more attention to the date.
You're awesome!
Brilliant.
Wow! I can't believe I read all the way through this thing and didn't even start to suspect until you were ready to start recording for Christian radio. O.K., mailing back the mp3 artwork was weird, but what do I know? Do you have a bridge to sell?
good stuff.
Make sure you do a Rick Astley cover
holy cow
andy you had me up to the mp3's too. i feel like a loser now.
i think you should concentrate more on writing those songs you're talking about. now if you put that much time and effort into the songs as you did with this post forefront may be calling you. ;)
Nice, Andy, Nice!
congratulations man. i'm sooooo happy for you.
oh wait. what day is it again?
you have no idea how excited i am to read about new forefront releases. e-mail newsletters are the future man.
how hip
You had me going! I felt sick... not so much because of the record deal, but because you made it sound as if it was a good idea!!
So does this mean you'll be doing an awesome album every six months with a title along the lines of "yadda yadda yadda: the worship project"... Cause that'd pretty much rawk...
you don't even drink coffee, do you?
i'm such an idiot... i fell for the gmail thing, too