Hi everyone!
My name is Ankita Mishra and I was raised with the old adage, "never ask your friends for money" and "don't ask for help”. So it goes without saying that writing this description is giving me massive anxiety. Coming from a culture where my pursuit of the arts is seen as a frivolous choice, justifying what I do as a musician and performance artist is an everyday battle. But the fact of the matter is, I have continued to pursue it because I simply can't turn away.
I am relatively unknown. I could make the most beautiful record in the world (believe me, I'm working on it !) and no one would hear it except a few close friends if I am unable to secure a budget for promotion. Anyone with $20 can put their music up on Spotify, iTunes or Tidal. Self-publishing through online streaming platforms is not a curated process and you do not need to be associated with a record label to do it, which means that finding new music from relatively unknown people is almost impossible since there are so many artists on these platforms sharing their music.
The only way to differentiate yourself from the crowd is by spending money on promotion in the hopes that music writers, bookers, and reviewers will have the chance to know I exist. If they write about my record and book me to perform high quality shows, more people will hear about me and I will get to extend my reach beyond the few who happen to see me perform on a given night.
Having the budget for good press makes a project successful from its first release and paves the way for better shows, higher visibility on social media, and incomparable company on Spotify playlists. After 2 full years of writing, recording, arranging, playing and gigging with my own songs, I will be damned if I release my babies into the void without asking for help.
If you are able to donate to this project, your generous dollars would pay the musicians that will rehearse their butts off to make the best live SPRNG VLVT set we can muster. Your money would also allow me to have that crucial budget for press. You would have a personal hand in how well these songs are reviewed, where they’re viewed, and who sees them. No more leaving it up to chance! Every opportunity I get will be because of the community you’ve created with me.
I wouldn’t trust anyone more than my friends and family with that.
I am currently hoping to achieve a goal of $4,000 to aid in the release of my double EP titled Intermission, which I will be self-releasing in September 2021.
Curious about how I'll spend the money? Here’s a detailed breakdown below:
$1,000 will go to paying my BAND of BIPOC women, nonbinary, queer and talented local NYC musicians (!!!) for shows and rehearsals over a 6-12 month period.
$2,000- $3,000+ will go to a PRESS TEAM to get me into the ears of my dream media outlets. Dream outlets include: NPR Music, Adhoc, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Fader, The Deli, She Shreds, Vogue India and Bust Magazine
I do not take asking for money during this tumultuous time lightly. In return for you choosing to support me over all the extremely important crowdfunding campaigns out there, you'll get to listen to the EP ahead of release day!
And if you are in the position to donate $200 or more, you will receive your choice of a print from my collection of unreleased film photographs, taken by me on 35mm film. I'd also love to schedule a photoshoot if you would like a keepsake portrait of yourself on film.
THANK YOU FOR READING THROUGH!
Rather than say "I released this album”,
I’m so much more excited to shout, “WE released this album”.
My name is Ankita Mishra and I was raised with the old adage, "never ask your friends for money" and "don't ask for help”. So it goes without saying that writing this description is giving me massive anxiety. Coming from a culture where my pursuit of the arts is seen as a frivolous choice, justifying what I do as a musician and performance artist is an everyday battle. But the fact of the matter is, I have continued to pursue it because I simply can't turn away.
I am relatively unknown. I could make the most beautiful record in the world (believe me, I'm working on it !) and no one would hear it except a few close friends if I am unable to secure a budget for promotion. Anyone with $20 can put their music up on Spotify, iTunes or Tidal. Self-publishing through online streaming platforms is not a curated process and you do not need to be associated with a record label to do it, which means that finding new music from relatively unknown people is almost impossible since there are so many artists on these platforms sharing their music.
The only way to differentiate yourself from the crowd is by spending money on promotion in the hopes that music writers, bookers, and reviewers will have the chance to know I exist. If they write about my record and book me to perform high quality shows, more people will hear about me and I will get to extend my reach beyond the few who happen to see me perform on a given night.
Having the budget for good press makes a project successful from its first release and paves the way for better shows, higher visibility on social media, and incomparable company on Spotify playlists. After 2 full years of writing, recording, arranging, playing and gigging with my own songs, I will be damned if I release my babies into the void without asking for help.
If you are able to donate to this project, your generous dollars would pay the musicians that will rehearse their butts off to make the best live SPRNG VLVT set we can muster. Your money would also allow me to have that crucial budget for press. You would have a personal hand in how well these songs are reviewed, where they’re viewed, and who sees them. No more leaving it up to chance! Every opportunity I get will be because of the community you’ve created with me.
I wouldn’t trust anyone more than my friends and family with that.
I am currently hoping to achieve a goal of $4,000 to aid in the release of my double EP titled Intermission, which I will be self-releasing in September 2021.
Curious about how I'll spend the money? Here’s a detailed breakdown below:
$1,000 will go to paying my BAND of BIPOC women, nonbinary, queer and talented local NYC musicians (!!!) for shows and rehearsals over a 6-12 month period.
$2,000- $3,000+ will go to a PRESS TEAM to get me into the ears of my dream media outlets. Dream outlets include: NPR Music, Adhoc, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan, Fader, The Deli, She Shreds, Vogue India and Bust Magazine
I do not take asking for money during this tumultuous time lightly. In return for you choosing to support me over all the extremely important crowdfunding campaigns out there, you'll get to listen to the EP ahead of release day!
And if you are in the position to donate $200 or more, you will receive your choice of a print from my collection of unreleased film photographs, taken by me on 35mm film. I'd also love to schedule a photoshoot if you would like a keepsake portrait of yourself on film.
THANK YOU FOR READING THROUGH!
Rather than say "I released this album”,
I’m so much more excited to shout, “WE released this album”.
Organizer
SPRNG VLVT
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY