Sound Investment: Rose Cousins and her 2016 project
Confession: I don’t know enough about Kickstarter. I used to think it was a website where inventors could raise funds to develop fascinating things like a bagel toaster that doubles as a mini-snowblower. I didn’t realize it was also used to generate funds for arts projects. That’s cool.
What’s cooler? Musicians I dig turn to Kickstarter for support on their projects. When I came across Rose Cousins’ post on Facebook last week, I was intrigued. And it got me thinking: we are living in amazing times. Following an international artist on Apple Music and receiving their “exclusive content” is great and all, but I don’t feel any closer to Coldplay today than I did yesterday. Supporting an independent artist, on the other hand, by pledging to support the recording of an album? The only way you can top that kind of connection to a musician is by placing a $50 bill in Rose’s hand. And I think she’d find that a bit uncomfortable.
So about the campaign: Rose Cousins has an opportunity to record with American singer-songwriter-producer Joe Henry (who wrote one of my favourite Madonna tracks), and she needs a bit of support. Her goal is to raise $55,000 USD by Christmas Eve, and as of this writing she is a quarter of the way there. You can toss as little or as much as you like into the Kickstarter fund, and each level of support gets you something special from Rose.
Think of it this way: if you are a fan, you are probably going to download her next album anyway. So why not order in advance through Rose’s Kickstarter campaign so that you can boast that you actually helped her record that album! Be completely self-serving!
We (usually) don’t hesitate to invest our money in corporations and banks through the form of mutual funds or stocks, and these investments come with a fair amount of risk. Investing in the arts may not necessarily benefit our retirement nest egg, but the return on investment is good for the soul and often generates pure joy. Rose Cousins is a sound investment decision, and the proof is in her catalogue. More importantly, she’s a cool Maritime gal with a great sense of humour (see the video on her Kickstarter page) and a wonderful songwriter. So let’s help her get into that Los Angeles recording studio!
(oh, and here’s a clip from the last album she successfully Kickstarted. You’ve got this, Rose.)
