Digital downloads of the new CD Stay Warm are available as of today!  Just click on over to either CD Baby or Bandcamp.

Here’s the enticing short description:

Adventurous mountain dulcimer, flute, & a sincerely expressive voice.  Artful lyrics & entrancing multi-genre instrumentation.  A love song involving a nectarine & an avocado.  Esther’s 3rd CD is a real gem for creative souls.

Both companies allow you to choose audio quality (file type) for your downloads.   (FYI:  CD Baby keeps a smaller portion of the total for themselves, but Bandcamp allows you to pay a little extra if you want.  I think they’re both great.)

Thanks to all who’ve already ordered physical copies of Stay Warm.  I’ve been mailing them off with joy and gratefulness.

I’m curious to observe a changing world.  When I released Unfinished Houses in 2007, the vast majority of purchases were for the physical CD.  Digital distribution of music was still in its infancy.  Now, I wonder how many of you actually prefer downloading your music.  I’m about to find out!

By the way, full-album downloads will count toward my 2000-album goal, and thus will help uncover the mystery painting.  Thank you!

• Tomorrow, Monday, May 6th, is the release date for my new album Stay Warm!  Parts 1 and 2 of this series describe the contents, recording experience, and cost.  And now for Part 3!

• Where the funding came from:  I didn’t use Kickstarter or any other crowd-funding source to raise the $21,000 for Stay Warm.  Nor did I borrow.  The funding for Stay Warm came from my business bank account.  From money earned and saved performing and selling my first two CDs plus financial support from two highly dedicated patrons-of-the-arts (thank you Mom and Dad!)

• The 2,000 album goal:  I’d like to earn back what I spent on Stay Warm by selling 2,000 CDs, either physical or digital.  Simple as that.  I can’t do that unless you (and 1,999 other people like you) buy them!

• Let’s have fun getting there:   I’ve created a webpage with a hidden painting that’s very dear to me.  It’s an oil painting that hangs in my childhood home.  There’s a neat story behind it.  For every 20 full albums sold (including any/all of my three CDs), I’ll reveal 1/100th of the painting!  Gradually, we’ll all get to see the painting emerge as we reach the 2,000-album goal.  When the entire painting is finally revealed, we’ll all pop open a bottle of celebratory beverage and I’ll tell you the story of the painting in a video.  And I’ll sing you a special song!  And I’ll say thank you for your support with all my heart.

On Monday, May 6th you’ll be able to order my new CD Stay Warm.  It contains eleven tracks I’m very excited to share with you!

Independent musicians often crack jokes about their “job”, implying how hard it is to make a living, but rarely discuss the actual numbers.  Since most people don’t know what’s involved, I thought you might find it interesting to see what it costs to produce a high-quality record like Stay Warm.

Of course, CDs can vary immensely in cost and quality.  For example, recording solo voice/guitar is much less expensive than recording multiple voices/instruments.  I layered (overdubbed) quite a few vocals and instruments.  In my experience each layered part can add about 1-2 hours of studio time, including tracking, editing and mixing.  Bands who record all their instruments simultaneously rather than overdubbing individual tracks save considerable time and money.  Some musicians record on home computers, some find small studios that charge as little as $25 hour, some go for top-of-the-line big-city studios that charge $100+/hour.  There’s a huge range.

The biggest expense, by far, is the recording studio – so musicians must choose carefully.

I returned to 10th Planet Studio in Fairbanks, Alaska because I love working with engineer-musicians Pat Fitzgerald and Robin Dale Ford.  Professional equipment and skills are just the beginning.  Pat and Robin contribute terrific drums, guitar, bass and banjo.  They work their butts off to make projects shine and provide smiling encouragement (and strong coffee!) every step of the way.  Their studio is crazy cozy – a log house in the woods.  After long studio sessions, we’d take late-night hikes in the endless daylight of Alaska’s summer.

For this Alaska-themed project and the musical palette I wanted to paint from, 10th Planet Studio was a perfect choice.

I suspect Stay Warm cost a little above average for a solo singer-songwriter layering musical parts on top of each other.  I can’t be sure because money taboos prevent most musicians from divulging the cost of their CDs.

So what DID the new CD cost?

Stay Warm cost about $21,000 to make.

Here’s the breakdown: