Dear all!
We’ve been playing music as Afenginn since 2002. That’s more than 23 years of touring, making albums and large-scale projects, sitting through endless meetings, writing applications, throwing parties, watching the band members’ kids grow up, and of course dealing with the online presence of having a band.
In the early days, before social media and streaming, almost everything happened on our website. The news section was updated a few times a week, and we had a lively guestbook where we could respond directly. Our newsletter was another backbone of this whole enterprise. We used to bring an old typewriter to shows so people could sign up on the spot. The list grew steadily, until I, to my eternal regret, deleted the whole thing from Mailchimp in a moment of idiocy. But that’s another story.
The point is: for many years, direct contact with fans and supporters was a big part of Afenginn. Over time, life got busier, more kids arrived, and social media both helped and killed some of that magic. I also felt that I was becoming a bit more private as the internet grew noisier. Social media has always felt both strangely appealing and repelling. But I really miss being in that mindspace of sharing what’s going on and being in closer contact with all of you. After the pandemic, it’s been hard to regain momentum, and I’d like to change that.
In less than three weeks we’re releasing our eighth album. It’s called Movements I and I’m truly proud of it. I’m also one of those people who always thinks the most recent work is the best, which is a blessing, even if it isn’t always objectively true. What is true is that we pour an enormous amount of effort into these albums. They’re big productions, meticulously crafted. Over the years they’ve received recognition, awards, and praise both nationally and internationally, but this isn’t really reflected in the streaming numbers.
People still buy vinyl and CDs at shows and online, which is a vital source of income. But from streaming, we make very little. All our albums have been released on the Faroese label TUTL Records (with a few licensed to Westpark Music in Germany or Tiger Music). When it’s time to record, I usually ask if there’s any money left on our label account, and often there’s a little bag that's been collected since last time, to help with production. But with CD income down, touring has become more expensive. And to be honest, we’re not as eager to sleep seven in a German backstage room anymore. We have families, responsibilities, and slightly higher standards now. I think, we’re also less driven by the constant validation of being on the road. At least a bit.
I’m not writing this to complain about the good old days, but rather to get back into the habit of sharing with those of you who are genuinely interested. I often meet people who ask how the band is doing, but social media only shows posts to a tiny fraction of our audience. Sometimes as low as 1-2% unless we pay to boost them. And it feels wrong on so many levels to hand money to Facebook just to send people to Spotify, where we essentially give the music away for free to a very questionable enterprise.
That’s why I’m excited about Sleeve.fm. It feels like a much better match: closer to you, more authentic and personal, and I’ll be focusing on posting more here. There will be different membership levels: some free, some paid - with early access to music and other small perks. Already next week, I’ll be sharing the full Movements I album with our paid subscribers.
So, I encourage you to hop along and get into this boat together!
Are there any of you that has been with us since the early days? And any of you wanting to jump in now?
With love, Kim