Marissa Nadler
A Maker Culture success story
As a fan of music, Kickstarter and Etsy, I am overjoyed that über-talented Boston dream-folk singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler has made the three work quite well together.
Nadler had released four records before putting her eponymous fifth out into the world a month ago. This time she self-released, selling her new record via marissanadler.com and Etsy. The money it cost to make the record she raised with Kickstarter. The whole thing is a Maker Culture success story.
“My label situation didn't work out,” Nadler explains. “I had heard of a lot of other bands going this route of self release. It seems a very modern way of doing things—taking destiny in your own hands.”
That said, it’s not as if the experience was the easiest. While platforms like Kickstarter and Etsy gave her a way to fund and sell her art, Nadler is now painfully aware of what it takes to go it alone.
“The thing about Kickstarter is that people are not donating to you,” she says. “They are pre-ordering your record and other stuff. Everything you promise looks good and seems like a good idea when you launch your campaign. But, following through and getting all the packages out is a lot of work.
“Nevertheless, I like the contact with the fans and would definitely release my own records again. I love doing Etsy stuff. It is something I do everyday. It gives me an excuse to make things for a job.”
Regardless of how it came into being, Nadler’s newest work is quite something. Nadler’s voice has never seemed as cutting, or, perhaps concomitantly, beautiful. The songs are thoughtful and sad, but in a way that’s somehow familiar and comforting; her narratives, and the feelings they are doused in, are timeless. Like many, Nadler is a bit obsessed with a sad song, but not because she herself is sad as much as because she is, well, kind of intense.
“My overall style is contemplative and introspective,” she says. “It's obviously not dance party music. I've always been artistically attracted to melancholy. I think that many people make art to communicate some of their most intense emotions.”
While still on the topic of songwriting, she adds that melody is also of paramount importance. “I think a song has to have a gripping melody, whether it is a beautiful one or a unique one or a catchy one, or all three. In addition to the melody, I like a song to tell a story or express a sentiment or feeling.
“A song can just capture a scoop of everyday life—even a moment. Or, it can tell a story that stretches over years. To me, it is just apparent when a song I try to write goes further than the notebook. It is an instinct.”
Marissa Nadler
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