Talk To Me Tuesday #4 – CD Release Info

September 1, 2009 by

In the last few weeks, I revealed the title of the new CD (SWEAT) and the track listing. Now it?s time to tell you how you can get your copy before anyone else.

CD Release Dates/Preorders

In the next few days, I will start taking preorders for the CD. You may ask, ?Why would I want to preorder a CD?? Here?s why:

You will get it before anyone else.

You will save a few bucks. Preorder the CD for $12 and pick it up at the CD Release party ? or have it shipped for free!

You are supporting independent music. I pay for everything upfront because I am my own record label.

The more CD?s I sell, the sooner I can start working on new music. Basically, you help pay for the next CD.

Here?s how you can get the CD before anyone else:

Preorder the CD and pick it up at the Release party ? you will get it first (October 10).

Preorder the CD and have it shipped to you ? you will get it before the general public (preorders will be released on October 13).

The CD will be released to the general public on October 20.

CD Release Party

I am excited to tell you about the CD Release party. Mark your calendars now!!

It will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at Red Light Caf? in Atlanta.

Admission is $8 at the door, order tickets on my website for $7 each.

I will be playing with a full band!!

We expect to sell out. I encourage you to buy your tickets now to reserve your place.

Red Light is a great venue and I love playing there. I hope the Atlanta folks will come out, but I hope to see some out-of-towners, too.

To preorder your CD and purchase tickets to the Release party, go to www.mikerickard.com and click on the Stores Page.

NOTE: SWEAT will be released to iTunes and other digital distributors, but it will probably not be available for download until late November/early December. I do not have the exact date.

Weekly Contest

I?m holding a free contest and you have the opportunity to win an autographed CD before it?s released. To enter, all you need to do is send me a question (click on the ?Win Free Stuff? tab on www.mikerickard.com). The best question each week will be entered into a drawing for a free autographed CD and is included in the newsletter. The remaining questions are posted on my website. This week, I received 5 questions. The winning question was submitted by S.K. in Atlanta, GA. She is entered into the drawing.

Q. I have a question that I have been curious about for a while. Which comes first for you the music or the lyrics? (S.K., Atlanta, GA)

A. The lyrics come first. If I like them, I will put them to music. If I don?t, I file them away. Sometimes I?ll pull them back out and rework them or borrow a few lines to use in another lyric. My process of putting lyrics to music has changed since writing the first CD. I used to write the lyrics, create the melody and then add the chord structures. For several songs on this CD, I wrote the lyrics, added the chord structures and then created the melodies. I think that resulted in some very interesting songs. The next step is to challenge myself to write the music first and then the lyrics to see how that changes the final product.

Here are the remaining questions:

Q. Do the tracks on your new CD tell a story? (T.T. Washington, DC)

A. Yes and no. There?s not a linear progression or storyline like in a book. However, when I first put the songs together, a few overarching themes became apparent. All of the songs reflect how I have felt at one time or another.

Q. Which would you rather have, your CD “Sweat” to sell two million copies or for it to win a Grammy for album of the year? (R.M., Minneapolis, MN)

A. Two million copies sold!

Q. Which title provoked the most thought and which one made you the most curious and why? (D.P., Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

A. Based on several comments I got last week after posting the track listing, ?Anything of Nothing? seemed to provoke the most curiosity/thought from you guys. That is similar to how I felt about the title, as well. It sounds cool, says a lot in only 3 words, and makes you wonder what comes next.

Q. Which one of the songs from your new CD would be most appropriate to have playing in the background during an initial make-out session and why? (J.H., Farmersville, CA)
A. ?Sweat? ? because it?s hot!

Thank you for all of your questions. They are a lot of fun to answer.

Have a great week ? and I?ll talk to you next Tuesday!