Who Gives Kudos: James and t.. (1) AwesomeRobin (1) Angie Shaw (1) Trenchmouth (1) Theresa ◊ T.. (1) Nikki (1) Joffi (1) Look at th.. (1)

	Peter Peter Fox	Thea, interesting idea - look forward to supporting it - anything that challenges corporate blandness and shows that there is an alternative way is really positive.  Take care Pete   Posted by Peter on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 5:03 AM [Reply to this]

	richard	Thea, Please, please, PLEASE, make your new tracks available as high definition audio ( CD quality at least and preferably 24/96!) downloads as well as the usual compressed compromised stuff.  The music industry not only compromises the artist - its completely compromised the quality of the end product in terms of record quality etc. So where / how do i / sign up?! Richard   Posted by richard on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:22 AM [Reply to this]

	BC BRIAN CANTWELL	Yep!..all sounds good to me.   Posted by BC on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:41 AM [Reply to this]

	Jo - The Drummer!	It sounds like a great plan Thea....where do I pay and can I play guest drums hehe!! Love and respect, Jo x   Posted by Jo - The Drummer! on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:52 AM [Reply to this]

	David	I must agree with Richard.  If this is going to be worth signing up for, the music tracks can't be scaffy 128kbps MP3s.  The absolute minimum for quality should be 320kbps MP3, and a lossless format would be preferable.  Remember - once you go FLAC, you never look back!   Posted by David on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 8:42 AM [Reply to this]

	Angie Shaw	Would love to support this. Many points for original creative thinking, conviction and a strong stance! As someone just 'starting out' on this game somewhat late in life, unlike yourself, and feeling VERY green and naive, it's immensely helpful but also quite terrifying to really hear how you can be stitched up if you don't get with the 'right' people. I really admire yours and Nigel's honest approach to it all that cuts through all the crap. (Typical of two Sagittarians!) Long may you sustain that self-belief, and go from strength to strength. Drive on with your convictions and other stuff should stick to it along the way. Great stuff-we should all be more like you! Best of luck Thea Angie x   Posted by Angie Shaw on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 8:55 AM [Reply to this]

	Steve Steve Pursglove	This is an excellent idea, Thea - not a million miles from a 'corporate-free' furrow first ploughed by Marillion a few years ago, and it's proved to be the making of them, particularly artistically.  Find out more at www.marillion.com     The idea of doing a cover version chosen by fans is truly inspired (and quite brave!), so I'll particularly look forward to that! So dust me down, sign me up, and let's get this cottage rockin'!!  All the very best Steve P   Posted by Steve on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 11:25 AM [Reply to this]

	Mike	Sorry, Thea, I'm going to be the naysayer on this one. Not that I won't do, it, I probably will, because I support your music and am a completist by nature, but here are my thoughts. Please don't take offence. You're absolutely correct that your fans are people who love your music and I suspect most of us care more for music than for the peripheral stuff - but for the £52, the only music guaranteed is 12 tracks - that's more than £4 per song, and that's the main thing that puts me off. Of the rest of the content, the only thing that is guaranteed for the money is the lyric sheet, badges and namecheck, none of which are of great interest, speaking personally. The live shows / passes and lottery are a maybe and the shows might not be in my local area. Perhaps announce a few locations that the shows will definitely be within the year so that people who subscribe know where they're going to be? My solution would be that you offer tiered subscriptions - that way those of us who just want the music can pay for it - I'd be more than happy to pay, say £15-£20 for just the music portion (and another vote here for FLAC or another lossless audio codec). Or even a more expensive one at, say £75 a year which includes unlimited gig entry (with a fair use policy, say 5 gigs a year?) With my marketing head on, I find £52 an interesting sum, I'm guessing £1 a week was your thinking - but surely psychologically, pricing it at £49.99 (which makes people think under £50!) would help? It's also quite a lot of money in the current economy, but maybe again that's just me. Idlewild charged £15 for a similar project, Marillion £30. Either way, I wish you the best of luck.   Posted by Mike on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 11:35 AM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Hey Mike.. Big thanks for your comment, it means a lot that you take the time to give such a well thought-out opinion. I did think about tiered subscriptions, but the cost of administration was going to be huge. It may well be something that I do at a later date I think.. Gig entry to standard shows was just not an option unfortunately.. no promoters would wear it (and I did investigate fully into that one) so the idea is to create a situation where there'll be a show set up specifically for subscribers. Money wise.. I know £52 is not a small amount. But in terms of the music side of things, its an opportunity to get something totally exclusive.. these aren't tracks that will eventually end up in shops, they are written and recorded specially for members. Idlewild's scheme was pre-ordering a record that would eventually be on commercial release.. I'm struggling to find much information about Marillion but from what friends tell me, it was a similar idea. In fact when I did my research into this I didn't find one artist that was sending out brand new songs that weren't destined for an album (I know someone out there will correct me on this as I'm sure there is someone), possibly excepting Josh Rouse who gives away unused tracks and outtakes for $30 but there's no guarantee as to how many or when. So all in all, I came to £52 as I considered it to be a relatively fair reflection of the value and input of the project. Its going to be a very steep learning curve and at the moment all the membership admin will be done manually by me.. so we'll have an interesting time!! And the lossless audio idea is really good.. I'll have to go to my technical dudes and figure that out.. perhaps give people a choice between lossless and quick downloads (it will initially be done via yousendit, so that should be relatively easy to implement) Anyway.. cheers for your ideas. Hope my response has shed at least a little light. T xx   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 12:24 PM [Reply to this]

	terry terry corbishley	HI THEA ,GREAT GIG AT MIDDLEWICH ON SUNDAY.IT IS WHAT SUMMER IS ALL ABOUT,LIVENING UP A SUNDAY.NIGEL AND YOURSELF ARE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP AND THE DAY WAS BLESSED WHEN YOU FIRST MET.THE AUDIENCE WAS A LITTLE QUIET AT MIDDLEWICH DUE TO THE FACT THAT NOT ALL WERE DIE HARD FANS,AND IT WAS MAINLY A SITDOWN GIG.I HAD ONLY ONE BEER,AS I WAS DRIVING BACK TO ST.ASAPH.BUT A FEW MORE AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE ROWDY.I DID JOIN IN SINGING HOWEVER ON A FEW TRACKS. HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF DOING A GIG ONCE A YEAR ,PLAYING ALL THE TRACKS THAT YOU WILL BE RELEASING THROUGH 'ANGELS IN THE ABBOTTOIR' WEBSITE ,AND RELEASING IT THROUGH 'CONCERT LIVE' AT THE GIG AND FOR NON ABBOTTOIR SUBSCRIBERS.THIS WILL GIVE FANS WHO WANT JUST THE MUSIC AND ALSO ABBOTTOIR SUBSCRIBERS WILL PROBABLY WANT IT 'AGAIN' AS IT WIL BE A LIVE RECORDING.THUNDER(ROCK BAND) ARE DOING THIS IN JULY ,WHERE YOU CAN BUY THE CD OF THAT GIG STRAIGHT AFTER,THEY CHARGE £20 PER CD. OK JUST A THOUGHT TAKE CARE TERRY X   Posted by terry on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 11:55 PM [Reply to this]

	Dan Wilson	As a U.S. fan, I have to go with Richard on this. I'm not really a collector of things like lyric sheets or badges, and it's highly unlikely I'll be able to see you live any time soon. (I keep hoping, but it's never been even a remote option thus far). I'd love to support you financially in this, but ultimately I'd be paying $80 for what amounts to a single album. If I did that for every independent artist I follow and support, I'd be destitute. The fact that the 12 songs are "exclusive" doesn't mean that much to me. I love your music because it's awesome, not because it's a collector's item. I appreciate the difficulty from a bookkeeping standpoint for a tier system. I really do. But until you've got the system running smoothly enough to offer a mid-level for those of us who don't care for collectibles and never get to see you live, I'm going to have to settle for the public option.   Posted by Dan Wilson on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:09 PM [Reply to this]

	richard	Thea, If you are friends with the folks at NAIM, they should be able to advise on high quality lossless (24/96 :) ) recording and downloads.  For me - this in itself would be worth the money - but I'm probably not that representative of you fan base. :-/ Best Wishes Richard   Posted by richard on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 3:38 PM [Reply to this]

	uncle jon Jon Bergström	The idea is tempting, although living in northern Sweden I dont suppose the gigs part of the offer would do me much good.   Posted by uncle jon on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 12:09 PM [Reply to this]

	Trenchmouth Jordan Oldfield	The age of dumbing down? I thought stupid on purpose became the new smart in the seventies...   Posted by Trenchmouth on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 12:17 PM [Reply to this]

	Stella-Bella!	Count me in Thea... I'd love to design some album artwork for you if you would that...? Love Stella x   Posted by Stella-Bella! on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 2:17 PM [Reply to this]

	Catherine	Hey Thea, I think £1 a week donation to good music and such an open source of advice and inspiration to other musicians is a small price to pay.  Are you going to offer the chance of quarterly direct debits of £13, or monthly payment of £4 for those for whom a £52 flat straight out payment might be too much? Those of us lucky enough to still be in work would be able to afford the flat payment, but I imagine there are a lot for whom £52 might be offputting as a straight out payment.  Certainly in my early days when I was listening to you at Uni there's no way I could have supported you at the full amount in a lump, no matter how much I might agree with the whys and wherefores. Not so now though.  Where and when can I sign up? We shall ride, are you ready? ;o) Catherine x   Posted by Catherine on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 3:35 PM [Reply to this]

	Glyn	Indeed I will, I'd be honoured   Posted by Glyn on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:01 PM [Reply to this]

	CAKEette	what a forward thinking, proactive way to handle this music industry upheaval.  brilliant and generous. i hope others catch on. it makes alot of sense. <3   Posted by CAKEette on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:09 PM [Reply to this]

	Project Charlotte Syd Halterman	A fantastic idea and I fully support it! Due to technological advancements, selling an artifact (a CD of the music) that is easily copied and redistributed with little or no loss in fidelity is no longer a money-making investment. However, to the true artistic listener, another type of artifact is much more valuable. The hand-signed lyric sheet is a great idea. Another idea is exclusive artwork or photographs of the musician/band. Personal Q&A is yet another idea.  These things are of value to a true fan of the artist and are not readily reproducible. Plus, in my opinion, it makes the artist more accessible to the fans; more personal and believable. It takes them out from behind the "corporate veil" of marketing. I think your ideas are exactly the type of thinking that new artist that want to remain true artist should have to propel this industry forward. Thank you for your innovation and dedication to the listeners!!!!   Posted by Project Charlotte on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:11 PM [Reply to this]

	David J Bascombe	Exclusive live shows eh? I'd quite like a Lipstick Conspiracies show. Its my second favourite album behind The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers. I also tried to figure out how to play many of the tracks after buying it in Our Price in Boscombe for £2. The only one I can vaguely remember is See If They Applaud (Am, F, G) I think I shall try to remember how to play Generation Y now.   Posted by David J Bascombe on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:14 PM [Reply to this]

	Nikki	I wish I could be! Unfortunately, I'm a student who can't seem to get a job. I couldn't pay £50 in a lump sum at any point over the year. If one could pay in installments, I'd probably be right there immediately.   Posted by Nikki on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:22 PM [Reply to this]

	Danielle	Hells yes! I approve of this model. You've got my support. x   Posted by Danielle on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:23 PM [Reply to this]

	Papillon Vanessa May	I'm in! (short but sweet)    Posted by Papillon on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:36 PM [Reply to this]

	Iain Iain Phillips	Count me in. Anything that can help you carry on creating your truly independent and thoughtful music is worth supporting. Good luck in this venture. And make sure you leave enough time to create your wonderful music! You could become Business Woman of the Year!!  Kind Regards Iain Love to see you perform at the Zodiac in Oxford again soon   Posted by Iain on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 6:59 PM [Reply to this]

	Spacedlaw Nathalie Boisard-Beudin	When is this scheme starting?   Posted by Spacedlaw on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:02 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Guys.. you're great! Nathalie.. we're hoping to launch in early to mid July. All tracks are being specially written and recorded (so I'm not just recycling songs that never made it to albums) and I'm just putting the finishes to the Angels In The Abattoir website. I'm really excited about this project.. also bricking it slightly.. I guess I wasn't expecting this level of enthusiasm. Well.. if something doesn't scare you then its probably not worth doing eh? T xx   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:32 PM [Reply to this]

	mickey	Great idea, I'll be in for sure. Any chance you could have a quiet word with Iron Maiden about doing something in a similar vein??   Posted by mickey on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:32 PM [Reply to this]

	Underwurld Music Underwurld Music	Great idea, hope it works. 50 quid is a bit steep for 12 tracks and in this day and age (sadly) they won't be exclusive as they will soon be all over the internet. Not by me by the way - music is sacred and worth paying for not stealing. Good luck.   Posted by Underwurld Music on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 7:42 PM [Reply to this]

	Rupert Bath	Sounds good to me, count me in. This could be the way forward for a lot of the more grassroots and authentic music that is out there, despite the best wishes of large corporate record labels and likes of Simon Cowell to saturate the market place with paint by numbers soulless, bland and artistically devoid pap (and I know some say there is nothing wrong with bubble gum but has it no nutritional value). I hope this works out and maybe starts a new way for the smaller but more independent artists to operate.   Posted by Rupert Bath on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 8:41 PM [Reply to this]

	cat	that sounds cool! i'll start saving some pennies :D   Posted by cat on Monday, June 22, 2009 - 10:14 PM [Reply to this]

	Roger Roger Pitcher	Yes, yes, yes....where are me wings then!!!???  lol!!! Love ya Roger XXX   Posted by Roger on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 1:29 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	I'm intensely humbled by the reaction this idea has had. I want to thank everyone for taking the trouble to get in touch and let me know your thoughts. It means such a lot that so many of you are interested - even if you're not convinced by the idea its lovely to know that you're out there. Quite often, making records, you just lose the basic contact with the most important people in the industry.. you guys. Its lovely to be able to chat with you like this. So thank-you. Whether you sign up or not, you are the air that keeps this old lung inflated and I am forever grateful. t x   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 5:22 PM [Reply to this]

	Ryder	Thea, please excuse me, but I need to be frank. How could you write an article like that and not give any credit whatsoever to Kristin Hersh? http://www.kristinhersh.com/thoughts-on-sustainability/ You wrote a blog entry like that, in the exact same format, with the exact same idea, and even the same language throughout most of it, claiming it's your own idea? Honestly, I'm disappointed. If it's enough of a kicker, I'll have to say that being an Angel in the Abattoir sounds quite a lot like being one of Kristin's Strange Angels. Why do this instead of joining the CASH Music movement? You could actually make a difference for musicians everywhere.   Posted by Ryder on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 7:55 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Hey Ryder.. I never claimed it was my idea.. I make no bones about the fact that many different artists brought me to this idea. Kristin Hersh was one of them, but there were others too.. Marillion, Josh Rouse, Carina Round, Tia McGraff, Erin Mckeown and many many more all have developed some sort of subscription scheme or sponsorship venture. So here and now, I should tip my hat to all of the above and thank them for leading the way in a dangerous business. Angels In The Abattoir is a song lyric of mine and seemed an appropriate name for people who wanted to join. I'm sure I don't need to explain why. And I'm not sure the CASH movement is joinable.. Certainly not at the moment anyway, and the time for action in my little world is now. I also think that showing musicians that careers are sustainable in whatever shape that comes can only make a difference to them. All the musicians I mentioned above have led by example.. and the news is spreading, hence my stab at it, and I'm sure many others will follow suit. There is something of a quiet revolution going on and these things are always started by few voices and expand into many. I'm not the first to follow this path (and neither was Kristin.. Marillion got there about a decade before and UK band Mansun did something very similar too) and I sure won't be the last. It would be a mistake to assume that just because I wasn't the first to think of an idea it is invalid.. in fact, slow dawning is the way many things get changed. But I really do appreciate your candour.. Thank-you for taking the time to write. T x   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - 11:05 PM [Reply to this]

	Ryder	I'm very glad for you to be taking the initiative to move forward with user-funded IP. If you're truly interested in bringing forward this business idea that's been gaining momentum as of late, you could do far more to make a difference if you were working together. CASH's ideals are based on the exact same principles you've stated here. Donita Sparks, Deerhoof, Kristin's multiple projects, and more are all working towards this objective, there's no reason you can't as well. As they currently state being invitation-only, I understand your position, but if you were to cooperate with them, merely support the movement, join the mailing list maybe, and most importantly help spread the word to other artists. It all makes a difference. The music business is in terrible shape, and this just might be the magic bullet to keep the art alive. We, as a coalition of artists and stakeholders, can't afford to have it fail. This is something all of us need to be working on together. I may just be a subscriber, but that's what the movement is about. Cooperation. You're a lovely artist, I've become quite the fan. I wish you luck.   Posted by Ryder on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 2:08 AM [Reply to this]

	Helen	Add me to the musical veg box Thea! It's really exciting and inspiring, and although I can understand that some people would find the cost is a problem I feel that some may be looking at it in terms of 'what do we get for our money' rather than 'wow this is a chance to be part of something unique and to throw some well-aimed stones at the corporate treadmill' and possibly not fully appreciating what a big project you will be taking on. Which leads me to... as you describe it as a listener/musician cottage co-operative, have you thought of setting up a fan street team type thing to help out with some of the admin if needed? (I've been known to put together a mean database in my time!) Best of luck, and look forward to hearing more about this Helen x ps. thanks for the great gig at Middlewich F&B!   Posted by Helen on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 8:47 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Hey Helen.. sorry, been away for a week. I would absolutely love to get a street team going. This subs idea has turned into something of a behemoth before its even started! I'm going to get the thing running and then throw it open I think. I expect there will be lots of changes and shifts in it and I'm really counting on people wanting to be actively involved. So that's a long way of saying.. I'll be begging you to help out if you're up for it!! xx   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 11:47 AM [Reply to this]

	matt	Certainly an interesting idea. I'd definitely be up for it. Just wondering - would it be £52 in one go or the option for instalments? The new tracks thing is enticing and the gig opportunities, plus the website. I enjoy your web presence but it could be even better so this is good news. I think there are also other things that could be enticing like the possibility of offering up past rare material like b-sides and demos from earlier records. I know practically all Thea fans would love that! The "Ask Thea" idea is great too because there are loads of things fans would want to know about the making of past albums and whether certain songs will get a live airing soon. I've always thought you were a great artist Thea and each new record cements that for me. I love how you've kept your integrity and continue to make great records (with refreshing regularity!) I eagerly await your new releases (you're building up quite a discography!) and wish you well with the new venture.   Posted by matt on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 10:54 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Hi Matt.. Thanks for you comments. At the moment In terms of the admin of the site, I'm having to ask for a full year in one. Its not ideal, and I'm hoping that when the project grows a little I'll be able to broaden it out to quarterly. Loving your ideas for b-sides and demo's. I've got quite a store here to share!! Some that will leave me very red faced! x   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 11:52 AM [Reply to this]

	DAN BRITTON	Hi Thea It's not a bad idea - I first heard about this kind've thing with Davey Graham's album which he made just before he died - fans were asked to contribute financialy so that he would be able to make an album that due to his general state of ill health, he'd have been unable to afford to make himself. In return they got their name on the album cover and the good feeling that comes from helping out. I guess my only concern is that if it becomes an idea which catches on amongst artists, fans might fiind themselves getting quite a few similar requests and having to choose who they want to patronise which could ultimately turn them off from the whole concept. It could become a bit like those bags you get through the door asking for your old clothes - you get one and you're happy to do it, you get two and you get confused, you get 10 and the whole lot go in the bin. Mind you, if I had any fans perhaps I'd be thinking differently.. Dan x   Posted by DAN BRITTON on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 4:47 PM [Reply to this]

	Don't Blame Me...	Hi Thea, You just added me as a friend and I'm a relatively new fan, but I absolutely love your music!  I'm on board with this offer if you can give me an accurate conversion to Yank dollars.  I totally agree with your views on the corporate machine and I'm glad to hear you work with a great label.  I don't know how often you come to the States, but I'd love to see you in the Cincinnati area if you ever make it over this way. Peace.   Posted by Don't Blame Me... on Friday, June 26, 2009 - 10:00 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Hey! Thanks for your friendship. I've never made it to Cincinnati yet (I think we drove through it on our last tour out there..) There are great swathes of the US that I'm desperate to see. Hopefully my label will get me out there again next year and I'll pass the request on to my fabulous agent out there. xxx   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Thursday, July 02, 2009 - 11:50 AM [Reply to this]

	Jim Jim Condon	Well, I think that this could be a great idea. Novel and some thinking outside of normal parameters. Well done. I shall be subscribing. Been a huge, HUGE fan of your for years. Hope to see you make it over to Ireland sometime soon. It's not that far away and some days it doesn't even rain!   Posted by Jim on Friday, July 03, 2009 - 6:36 PM [Reply to this]

	Thea Gilmore	Thanks Jim.. Really nice of you to say so. I'm hoping that we might be back in Belfast sometime soon. There is a great guy out there who's offered us a gig so I'm just trying to see if we can make it work. And all my mothers family are from Wicklow, so there's no excuse. I'd love to get out there. x   Posted by Thea Gilmore on Friday, July 03, 2009 - 8:26 PM [Reply to this]

	Jim Jim Condon	Well, of course you realise that Cork is the REAL capital. I'm just saying....   Posted by Jim on Saturday, July 04, 2009 - 2:09 PM [Reply to this]