Feeding Hungry Kids

So I generally try to separate day job and this personal/music related blog, but this is news worth sharing.

The story is actually quite long, so I will cut to the climax. One of things we have been trying to do more of at FTC Canada is partner with others to help kids here at home. We are doing this a couple of ways, but here is one of them. In partnership with the Meeting House, The Salvation Army, The Freeway, the Hamilton Dream Centre, Parkview Alliance Church, Oakridge Bible Chapel, Lakeside Church, Koinonia, Hamilton City Kidz, and Faith Baptist FTC Canada has provided for the delivery of almost 700 Christmas Food boxes by Christmas this year. Our partners above are either connecting us to, or delvering the the food boxes to those in need.

• 200 of them are going to single mom families
• 200 are going to one of, if not the poorest, neighbourhoods in Canada
• 50 are going to 16 year old orphans under government support with no families
• and all of the rest are going to families with children who are in need.

Through our partners, kids in Cambridge, Hamilton, Brampton, and Oakville will be helped.

Trying to raise awareness and support for children in Canada and around the world is not a glamorous or easy job on a day to day basis. But when initiatives come together and do good, it is very rewarding.

Merry Christmas!

Selling Music (Part 1)

If you are reading this right now, you are a part of a very small community that checks into my thoughts and goings on from time to time. Thanks for that. It ebbs and flows. I have had as many as 600-700 in a week, and as few as 300. Generally, I think it is probably the same people that make up the 400 hundred on my email list. I also assume that the majority of you own something I have produced. I have no way of knowing, I am just guessing.

I have been reading and have been challenged a lot lately about what "business" model or delivery method would be best used to sell my music. I don't have a big fan base, but ultimately it is my sales that let's me produce more and different music, something I love doing. My expensive hobby. A hobby that is a micro business and palatable for my family because it basically pays for itself. Although it is a hobby, in a way, it is also a life's passion, so I am constantly trying to figure out ways to make it less of a stress and make the producing and releasing side financially easier, and I guess in the end cheaper for my "clients" and maybe even more profitable for me.

I have outfitted myself with "a studio" in my basement, and the first release from that is my current Christmas single. It represents an electronic production (e.g. no real instruments, except some guitar) and also an electronic release (download only). I have sold some, and I am very happy with the quality. I consider it good quality independent material that lets the song and the singer show. What more can I do.

My next release is more ambitious and will be a full CD with live production (all instruments live, drums, bass, piano, guitar if any etc.) It will also be released both digitally and in CD format.

I think it is both a liberating and hard time to be a musician right now. On the one hand, I have the ability to create some very interesting and high quality material from my own studio. On the other hand, selling music has become more difficult because price points are so compressed, and the duplication of music is uncontrollable. Ah well. All you can do is try to be open, creative and hope that you will be able to create some income from the art that you create so you can keep doing more and better.

Christmas Dreaming

So the single for Christmas is out. You can hear a sample below or on my homepage, www.cliffcline.com, or click the link to the right on the sidebar. You can also purchase it for $1.50 for instant download for your iTunes etc. through the links on my homepage.

It should also be on radio as early as tomorrow on Joy 1250 in Oakville. I didn't release it as early as I wanted, but that is life, so I do not know how many more stations it will hit, next year:)

Regardless, a portion of proceeds from both radio and download purchases goes to feed children through FTC Canada. Also, I am supporting Trinity Western University with a portion as well.

Fun to give and create, Merry Christmas!

Testing a Player

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I am looking at adding a player to my website and was trying it here. By the way, if you like these tunes you can always buy them from cTunes on the main site!!:) Great Christmas gift non?

Christmas Single

So I have been burning it at both ends a little the last few weeks. Not only has work been busy with travel and extras, I have been pushing hard to release a digital only original Christmas Single. Not to mention two jazz gigs last weekend, the quartet and the duo.

Production on tight lines has been hard enough, but it is also my first taste of the mixing process and I have more empathy to some of the time lines put on my last producer with far more tracks and instruments to mix, for a whole CD!

Alas, I plan to send it off to mastering tonight, and then I will try to release it for digital sale and download by the end of this week. I will keep you posted.