Here are some specific things you can do to help to preserve and share these songs that keep insisting on jumping out of my guitar…
Stage 1: Fan and Enthusiast
- Go to any one of my song posts and download it by right clicking the little down load link just below the audio player. Put it on your mp3 player. Play it on your computer. Burn it to a cd and play it in your car. burn another copy for a friend. Attach it to an e-mail and send it to a friend who might need to hear whatever the message is in the song (ask them first cause the files can be a bit big).
- If you like it come back for more or sign up for my weekly news letter or RSS feed. I upload a minimum of 1 song per week so there’s always something new happening. If you opt in I will also give you the option of providing me with your street address to which I will send you a free CD.
- Share any post by clicking the little buttons at the bottom. With a click of a button you can post to your facebook page, or twitter or stumbleupon or digg etc.
- If at any point you feel so moved, you can make a donation of any size with the handy donation button at the bottom of each post or in the right sidebar.
- Wherever possible come to see me live in concert. Introduce yourself, Hang out a bit. Request a song. I’ll do my best to dedicate it and play if for you.
Stage 2 Song Sponsorship:
Here’s how you can help me and help your business or favorite cause (or just make your mark on the world).
Earth Sponsor:
You can sponsor the recording of one of my songs. This will preserve the tune in crisp clear digital sound. Just me and my guitar. No fancy production. Just raw and clear. Participation Investment $100.00 per song.
You get:
- Your name and website link listed with the song post (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
- Every time I perform the song I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
- You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
- If you are local, and schedules permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.
Please Note: Maureen Carney was the first “Earth Patron” She sponsored It’s A Beautiful Day
Wind Sponsor:
You can sponsor an entire year of the Life In Song Project (10-15 songs). When I go into the studio I can record several songs at each session. Again this is raw, acoustic Mark Shepard along the lines of Eyes On The Horizon or Ocean of Dreams. Investment: $1,000
You get:
- Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
- Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
- You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
- If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.
- You will get the entire session on CD
- You will get your name on the CD label
- You will get a dozen CD’s to give away
- A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.
Fire Sponsor:
A number of my songs are crying out for other instruments and arrangements that will totally set fire to the raw material of the basic song. In order to produce a song I have to pay other musicians as well as 10-30 hours of studio time and arranging with my long time collaborator Joe Mennonna (at $100 per hour). So each produced song costs anywhere from $1,000-$3000 depending on the complexity of the arrangement. The benefit of producing a song is that it is much more accessible to a wider audience. So your sponsorship message can reach more. To see how this works compare the Youtube video of Motivation with some of my acoustic videos. At this writing, Motivation has had over 3,444 views just in the MarkShepardSongs channel since November of 2008. It’s also up in Kathy McAfee’s channel as well as on other video directories on the web. I just mentioned the song and Kathy McAfee on TV. Whenever I perform this song I talk about Kathy.
Watch the Video here to see what I’m talking about and imagine your name as patron/sponsor.
You get:
- Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
- Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here“
- You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
- If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person and experience the entire process from start to finish.
- You will get the entire session on CD
- You will get your name on the CD label You will get 2 dozen CD’s to give away
- You will get your name on the tee shirt along with the song lyrics.
- You will get sponsorship mention in the music video The video will be uploaded to over a dozen of the leading video directories on the web. Where appropriate we can even work your photo or one of your favorite photos into the video. Possibly even a cameo appearance. Again, see the Motivation Video. I was able to work photos of Kathy McAfee and her two sons as well as a memorial picture of her brother into the video.
- A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.
This is obviously still in the formative stage so if you have any other ideas or suggestions on how you can help and how I can support your support please let me know.
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