… the only problem is the budgeting. Making my first real album is something I’ve been wanting to do for years, but it’s the money. I can easily record a bunch of songs in the studio anytime. I could probably save up for studio time easily, but it will cost even more money for mixing, mastering, and all that stuff. If I have other musicians record instruments in the studio for a full band album, that would cost even more money ’cause I know some musicians will be expecting payment. If I make an album, it would be a $10,000 project. It would also cost even more for CD manufacturing.
I would like to make my first album with great sound quality, ’cause I think people WILL take my music seriously more if I did a studio album. I already did record in the studio for acoustic stuff back in 2006, but that was just a demo, though.
If I do an album sometime down the road, it would probably be an online only release ’cause no one is buying CD’s anymore to begin with, so what’s the point of making an album on CD? If I can make an album down the road, I’ll make it available to download at Itunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc. Online only release albums is cheaper, I think. Bands are wasting so much money on CD duplication, when they can just simply do an online exclusive release.
Before anyone asks, NO, I will NEVER do fan funding projects with kickstarter or pledgemusic. I’m sure those funding websites are legit and they really work. I just won’t be any part of the fan funding stuff. It just makes you look bad and desperate for money, but that’s just my opinion. You don’t need to rely on your fanbase for money, when you should be rewarding them with your music instead.
For now, this is why I just record my songs doing home recording on Mp3’s. They may not be the best quality since it’s home recording, but at least it helps gets my songs heard.
I’ll also admit, I kind of would like a bigger career in music. I would love to perform the larger clubs and bigger stages, sure, and maybe even go on tour on my own budget, but another problem with that is transportation. I don’t drive, and am going to look into getting my license this Spring/Summer ’cause I want to be out gigging a lot more if possible.
It’s nice to know that people really like my music out there, for reals. I know I haven’t released any new tunes in a while lately, but the more I hear people enjoy my stuff, the more it makes me want to get back into songwriting again, and I have been messing around with stuff. For now, though, while people are waiting for new music, I could get back into doing cover songs again.
Kev
K'Brocking 
I wouldn’t dismiss Kickstarter and Indiegogo so out of hand, Kev. They’ve become very accepted over the last few years as a way for people who aren’t in the big leagues to catch up. Even established people use it with no real shame, and most people have a few bucks to give and don’t think twice. It really isn’t considered “desperate” or “bad.” Plus, you can offer things to people who donate, like swag or free music. A lot of people consider it to be just putting in preorders. They put up money now and get music later that wouldn’t exist without the donations.
The big thing I would consider is whether you can get the word out about it to reach your funding goals. If you consider how many people you know, how many might potentially spread the word, and how much you need, then you can decide whether it is worth it.