I promised everyone that I would let them know what I decided to do regarding the re-release of the first Skafish album, and I certainly have been looking forward to sharing my thoughts with everyone. In case you’re just tuning in or only know bits and pieces of the story, here is a brief recap of where things are at: I finally regained the legal rights to my first album (along with the track Sink or Swim), the fans generously paid for the record to be fully re-mastered, and I recently asked the fans to take a survey to let me know exactly what they wanted in terms of the album’s re-release. The last time everyone heard from me, I shared the results of that survey.
I thought long and hard about the best way to deal with the project, crunched the numbers, and did a detailed analysis based on the survey results I received. I wanted to do my best to insure that eventually, everyone gets what they want, yet in a fiscally responsible way.
What I really feel the best thing to do at this time is to re-release my first album (with Sink or Swim) on CD and in digital formats. This will be the first time the record will ever be available digitally and on CD. When I asked the fans what formats they wanted in the fan funding survey, CD and digital received the strongest responses.
However, a vinyl re-release is still in the works – just down the road a bit! At this time, to keep the project costs down, we’re going to hold off on the vinyl portion of the project for right now. In 2020, though, it will be the 40th anniversary of the album’s initial release. Since most people who took the survey expressed their desire to have a deluxe vinyl package, the 40th anniversary would be the ideal time to try to offer that type of package for the fans if the support is there at the time. That could be wonderful!
Regarding the current CD/digital release, right now, I am planning the rewards (and trying to keep things straightforward and simple), as well as getting the final costs and shipping estimates together to be able to launch the fan funding campaign. My goal is to make the release affordable to everyone, while still maintaining the highest possible quality standards. I won’t compromise quality, yet I am extremely mindful of everyone’s financial situations. So, I will do my best to offer reasonable prices for everyone involved. Plain and simple, I want everyone who connects with this record and wants it to be able to have it. Of course, I will certainly follow up on all the new developments and let you know exactly how things are progressing.
It is extremely important for me to try to make all the fans happy. With that in mind, I’ve tried to create a plan that will ultimately work in that way.
Again, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been so generous in supporting this project all along. It couldn’t have gotten this far without you. And, I thank you for your continued patience throughout this journey. I know this has been a long and drawn-out process. But, this project is extremely important to me just as I know that it is to the fans! And, I am totally committed to seeing this record out there again.
Skafish