Former Tenth Avenue North frontman Mike Donehey launched a Kickstarter campaign today (January 26) to support his planned debut solo project. Donehey first stepped into the solo spotlight in late 2020 with his first solo single titled “Better”.Tenth Avenue North announced their farewell in early 2020 and dropped their final project, Unplugged For The People (The Acoustic Greatest Hits), in October. In a detailed post to fans, Donehey spoke openly about the decision to make music under his own name and his experiences with the record industry. You can read Donehey’s full post below and click HERE to learn more about contributing to his new project.
Soooo… I am both giddy and terrified to announce this.
This Tuesday, I’m launching a @kickstarter campaign to record my first solo album.
Why is this a big deal?
Well, when @tenthavenuenorth decided to shut down, I was faced with a dilemma. I could continue making music under the band name. You know, hire new people and carry on as if nothing had changed. Many advised me to do so. After all, I had spent so many years building this “brand” that it would be foolish to start over. Right?
Well, one of the aspects of fame that I’ve struggled with the most is that I’m not a brand, I’m a human. Which means, among other things, that I’m complicated. I don’t exactly fit into the molds of our culture. And I’d like to add that neither do you.
So the idea of continuing as a band when it was really just me was dishonest. It was wrong. So as I continued to write songs in 2020, dealing with all my own feelings about the world shutting down, I decided to release these songs under my own name. Not a brand just Mike.
Now here’s where I’m going to be honest. As an artist, I always struggle with the lie that MY BEST IS BEHIND ME. It’s true. Every time I write a song that people love, there’s a voice that says, “This is the last one.”
Now, marry that with how label deals work. Here’s a little more inside intel. Most labels pay your recording fees and marketing fees, which is great, but in exchange, you lose most of the backend. See Kanye’s rants for more on that. Haha. But there are also deals called licensing. I won’t bore you, but the idea is that I pay to record the songs, the label pays to market the songs, and then you enter into a more equal partnership if one of those songs becomes popular.
So. Will you be my label?
I know it’s a crazy thing to ask, but it’s really true. That’s what this Kickstarter is going to end up being. You come, and we’ll make a record together.
Now, I could find a way to do everything by myself. But…
Many of you have asked how you could help me continue making music. Well, here you go.
Help me answer the lies.
01/26/21
Author: Herb Longs (Herb Longs)
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