Howdy ya'll.
As most of you are aware, Lava Church is a one man operation. I, Patrick McBratney (aka Lovebrrd), do just about everything in regards to the releases on Lava Church. Layouts, dubbing, often times the artwork, promoting, selling, upkeep of the sites, downloads, contacting reviewers, etc. As such, this is a difficult job at times since everything is dependent on my current state of personal, creative, and financial well being. I often set goals for myself and Lava Church that are not easily attainable, but are definitely doable with a good amount of effort. In addition to Lava Church, I also work, go to school full time, attempt to make on my own music, maintain friendships, and have a personal life; all of which can make running a small DIY label difficult, but again, still manageable. Sometimes, however, extenuating circumstances make things impossibly difficult.
Long story short, life is getting into the way of things. School tuition is only getting higher as grants and loans stay the same. The cost of living continues to increase while wages stagnate. And right now, my motor vehicle continues to fall apart and breakdown when I need it the most. I live in Sarasota and perform all of my Lava Church duties right here in my studio apartment in downtown and can walk to the post office and the print shop. But I also attend school in St. Petersburg, which is an hour drive each way, four times a week. The cost of maintaining my motor vehicle and the cost of keeping gas in the tank is sometimes enough (when coupled with bills, tuition, other expenses/debts) to put me into a financial half nelson that I must tap out of. And of course, big financial troubles always happen right after paying off other debts, making it nearly impossible to get ahead. I am mostly responsible with my money, especially when compared with other Americans my age. I don't live a completely impoverished life, and do splurge here and there, but all in all I live within my means. And since Lava Church turns no profit (by my own choosing), I must sometimes make decisions that clash with my creative and personal feelings.
I refuse to charge an exorbitant amount of money for my cassettes and CDrs that I put together. I also refuse to ripoff the musicians who trust me with their work by turning a profit. My goal with Lava Church was and is to put music that I believe is a true representation of the respective artist's creative persona into the hands of people that already know of them and want it, or those who would not have found out about said artist otherwise. So I will not put a financial barrier between the artist and their fans or the artist and myself. But at the same time, I can not let it cause me financial damage in the process.
As such, I am canceling a few releases that you may or may not have known were in the works, and postponing a few releases that I intended to have out in August. There will still be an August batch. It will include: Virgin Blood Cupidity, David DeCorte - Meditating in the Floodwaters, and Raven - A Disease Called Man. Any other releases planned for the same time frame have either been cancelled or postponed. If you want to know more, please feel free to contact me.
Lava Church is very important to me as a creative being. I enjoy introducing strangers to music they would never have found otherwise, I am honored that artists whose music I enjoy willingly allow me to release their work, and I treasure the friendships I have made along the way. This is not the end--just a bump in the long road ahead of me as the High Priest of this fine church. Thank you for your continued support, and thank you for your understanding in these trying times.
LONG LIVE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.
LONG LIVE CREATIVE FREEDOM.
LONG LIVE LAVA CHURCH.
- The High Priest of Lava Church
As most of you are aware, Lava Church is a one man operation. I, Patrick McBratney (aka Lovebrrd), do just about everything in regards to the releases on Lava Church. Layouts, dubbing, often times the artwork, promoting, selling, upkeep of the sites, downloads, contacting reviewers, etc. As such, this is a difficult job at times since everything is dependent on my current state of personal, creative, and financial well being. I often set goals for myself and Lava Church that are not easily attainable, but are definitely doable with a good amount of effort. In addition to Lava Church, I also work, go to school full time, attempt to make on my own music, maintain friendships, and have a personal life; all of which can make running a small DIY label difficult, but again, still manageable. Sometimes, however, extenuating circumstances make things impossibly difficult.
Long story short, life is getting into the way of things. School tuition is only getting higher as grants and loans stay the same. The cost of living continues to increase while wages stagnate. And right now, my motor vehicle continues to fall apart and breakdown when I need it the most. I live in Sarasota and perform all of my Lava Church duties right here in my studio apartment in downtown and can walk to the post office and the print shop. But I also attend school in St. Petersburg, which is an hour drive each way, four times a week. The cost of maintaining my motor vehicle and the cost of keeping gas in the tank is sometimes enough (when coupled with bills, tuition, other expenses/debts) to put me into a financial half nelson that I must tap out of. And of course, big financial troubles always happen right after paying off other debts, making it nearly impossible to get ahead. I am mostly responsible with my money, especially when compared with other Americans my age. I don't live a completely impoverished life, and do splurge here and there, but all in all I live within my means. And since Lava Church turns no profit (by my own choosing), I must sometimes make decisions that clash with my creative and personal feelings.
I refuse to charge an exorbitant amount of money for my cassettes and CDrs that I put together. I also refuse to ripoff the musicians who trust me with their work by turning a profit. My goal with Lava Church was and is to put music that I believe is a true representation of the respective artist's creative persona into the hands of people that already know of them and want it, or those who would not have found out about said artist otherwise. So I will not put a financial barrier between the artist and their fans or the artist and myself. But at the same time, I can not let it cause me financial damage in the process.
As such, I am canceling a few releases that you may or may not have known were in the works, and postponing a few releases that I intended to have out in August. There will still be an August batch. It will include: Virgin Blood Cupidity, David DeCorte - Meditating in the Floodwaters, and Raven - A Disease Called Man. Any other releases planned for the same time frame have either been cancelled or postponed. If you want to know more, please feel free to contact me.
Lava Church is very important to me as a creative being. I enjoy introducing strangers to music they would never have found otherwise, I am honored that artists whose music I enjoy willingly allow me to release their work, and I treasure the friendships I have made along the way. This is not the end--just a bump in the long road ahead of me as the High Priest of this fine church. Thank you for your continued support, and thank you for your understanding in these trying times.
LONG LIVE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION.
LONG LIVE CREATIVE FREEDOM.
LONG LIVE LAVA CHURCH.
- The High Priest of Lava Church
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