Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
A talented Cape Town singer-songwriter is bypassing record companies and crippling recording costs by selling copies of her latest album before she even records it.
Daunted by the red tape and conditions that bind artists to record labels and the struggle facing South African artists to make ends meet, Verity has come up with a model to fund the prohibitive recording and distribution costs of her album “Yet To Be” by pre-selling copies on a trust basis. In addition, victims of woman abuse and other talented artists also stand to benefit from this initiative.
Inspired by film director Tom Greene’s success in funding the initial R1million production costs for his film “A Boy called Twist” by asking 1,000 ordinary South Africans to invest R1,000 each, Verity called on her fans to help her in making the dream of her new album a reality.
Future owners of “Yet To Be” are listed on her website www.iamverity.com. The album will be a unique collaboration between Verity and those who believe in her – the investors will have a say in the songs she records, the album sleeves and the photographs used.
“It’s not just about buying an album,” Verity explains. “It’s about being part of a journey and proving that when we believe in something, the potential is exponential.”
Verity is calling the initiative the “Lucky Packet Project” and her target is to sell 5,000 future copies to cover the initial R400,000 required to record and distribute an album. Over 270 people have already bought into her dream.
A talented artist with a beautiful soul, Verity hes pledged to donated 10,6% of every sale to two initiatives that are close to her heart – People Opposing Women Abuse (www.powa.co.za) and the Live Your Dreams Fund, established by Verity to assist other young musicians to pursue their dreams. At 5,000 copies sold, there will be R80,000 to share between these two programmes.
Future owners will also stand to win two Intec-sponsored distance-learning bursaries that can be donated to disadvantaged students.
Verity is an artist with a difference. Set on becoming a psychologist, she was suddenly inspired to write song lyrics while sitting on Noordhoek beach on her twentieth birthday. Words flowed freely into her head and, before she knew it, she was on a whole new career path.
“It’s the best gift I have ever been given,” she says. “But at the same time, this change was very daunting and unexpected.”
Following her father’s sudden death, Verity was searching for meaning and found it in the form of an 800km pilgrimage across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. “If I could walk across a country, I realised I could do anything. During the walk, I committed myself to live my dreams.”
She recorded a demo in 2001 before heading to the United States for a year. Her demo single “Raise” was playlisted on SAfm in 2002, and later that year she won the “Catch the Rising Star” competition in Florida. She was awarded a US working visa as an artist of outstanding ability.
Verity returned to Cape Town in 2003 to focus on building her career in South Africa and is due to release her first official radio single “Wherever Love Goes”. Verity has performed regularly in Cape Town and has built a loyal following. She has recently relocated to Nashville, Tennessee – America’s so-called “Music City” – to build a strong American fan base.
To invest in the dreams of this dynamic artist, visit www.iamverity.com
- SAGoodNews
Discography
radio singles due for release 2006: Wherever Love Goes, Perfect
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Verity is a singer and songwriter with a difference. Set on becoming a psychologist, she was surprised in her first year at university when she was inspired to write song lyrics sitting on a beach (Cape Town) on her twentieth birthday. She says it is the best gift she has ever been given, although very daunting and unexpected.
The reason she finally committed to living her dream was the result of losing her father unexpectedly in 1999. The shock of his loss left her searching for meaning and she found it in the form of an 800km solo walk across Spain to Santiago de Compestello. She realized that if she could walk across a country then there wasn’t much she couldn’t do.
Finally on the path, she recorded a demo in 2001 before heading to the States for a year. Her demo single “Raise” was playlisted on SAfm in 2002 and in the same year she won The Catch A Rising Star competition in Florida, USA and was awarded a US working visa as an artist of outstanding ability. She returned to SA in 2003 to focus on building her career here and is due to release her first official radio single “Wherever Love Goes” produced by Theo Crous of the Springbok Nude Girls.
Verity has been performing regularly in Cape Town for the last two years and enjoys a loyal following and is currently back performing in the US and building a strong fan base there as well…
Verity has also ventured into film work. She has had supporting roles opposite Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings) in the action adventure “Slipstream” with Vinnie Jones and with Luke Goss in the Steven Seagal movie “The Mercenary”. She also gives her time to worthy causes and is the voice for a radio spot for POWA raising awareness about woman abuse in SA.
Verity boldly launched a CD initiative via her website in 2005 preselling copies of her album "Yet to Be" to raise the money she needs to record it. Future Owners of her CD interactivley create the CD with her, voting for song choices etc. 10.6% of all sales are pledged to 2 charities. One to help victims of woman abuse in South African (www.powa.co.za) and the other to financially aid developing singers in SA (Live Your Dreams Fund).
Verity has already sold 330 future copies in two months, and Live Your Dreams has been able to pay for a young singer to record her demo in Cape Town and 'live her dreams'.
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