Help Chris "Oledude" Owens Make Music For You

WANNA' MAKE AN ALBUM ... OR TWO?

Greetings family, friends, fans ... and "all of the above!"

The Chris Oledude "first albums" project is underway. You will finally hear my compositions as I have heard them in my head, and that is so exciting to me!

The title of the first album is PREACHER MAN – VOL. 1, to be released at the beginning of 2025. The next album, LOVER BOY – VOL. 1, will be released next Summer.

PREACHER MAN will include the already completed “Orange Blues 24” (click here for the single ) and "White Lie", remixed versions of “My Tower” and “George Floyd”, new arrangements of "Save The Children", “Rainbow Soul”, “If A Woman Had Made The World”, “Love Is The Way”, brand new songs ("Turning Tables", “The Choice”), premiere recordings of “Azania", "Man O’War”, “Home Again”, “New World”, "Do Not Go Gently", and more!

LOVER BOY will include many original songs you have not heard, including "Beloved," "Give Me A Sign", "Without You", "Something Different", "Getting To Know You", "We Will Get Through This", as well as new arrangements of "Black-Eyed Susan", "Farewell, My Love", "Best Part Of My Life", "Let My Song Sing", and more!

The albums will cost approximately $40,000 to make. I believe in paying musicians and vocalists fairly for their work and there will be lots of studio time involved. I will forge ahead – as I did with my Livestreamed Birthday Concert in April, 2022. Life is short and I'm now an "ole dude." That's why I know that I will be putting in $10,000 or more of my own funds to get this done.

It will be very hard, however, for me to do all of this alone. Therefore, I would be honored and most grateful to have your support for my efforts. Please consider a contribution today! Every contribution matters and will be appreciated eternally by me! Every contributor will be listed as a Patron on the Oledude Wall of Fame (on my website)!

Here are some extra benefits to consider:

If you contribute $50 or more, you will receive one year of free membership to my Patreon AND one free copy of each album via download or CD, whichever you prefer! (Each CD will have artwork and be a collector's item!)

So let me review some questions you may have at this time ...

What do you do with this money, Chris?

First priority is the music. Unfortunately, or fortunately, my music can’t be recorded in my bedroom – particularly when a “live” sound is need (real horns, real guitars, real drums). I will be paying the people who work with me – producers, vocalists, instrumentalists. Personnel will average $150 per person per session. Studio time rates vary greatly, but for some songs I will probably need a larger space.

I can tell you from experience that one can drop $2,000 at a large, sophisticated studio on one long session (which I certainly will try to avoid). Furthermore, for some sessions, the studio engineer costs are sometimes not included. And then there's the mastering of the recordings...

Second priority is the marketing. Simply put, marketing costs money. I have learned that outreach campaigns, including social media campaigns, do cost a bit of money -- even when they are smart and strategic. And, if I have enough funds to do a simple video or two that will enhance our outreach, then I will make them.

Much has been learned since I created, directed and produced the video “George Floyd: Say Their Names”. This video, a first-time effort on a low budget, has been selected for review by some 300 film festivals world wide; it has been a Winner, Finalist, Semi-Finalist, Quarter-Finalist or Award Nominee in approximately 150 of them. The awards included Best Short Film, Best Song, Best Director, Best Song, and more.

With your support, I am confident that we can deliver an album with supportive marketing that is impactful in every way.

What are your participation goals?

By the time these albums are released, I would like to point to my Patrons and proclaim, loud and clear, “You are the OLEDUDE 1000 who made this happen!” Yes, the math can work in our favor, for a change. If YOU contribute and get one friend or family member to contribute as well, we can be at 1,000 Patrons within the next three months!

I hope you will join me for the dance of your life!

Peace and love always,

Chris "Oledude" Owens