Please - I would really appreciate you reading this...
Saturday 28th November
Dear all followers of my music and Unlit! Hello!
I would be very, very grateful if you would spare me just a minute or two of your time and read this email....
As you know, for the last 12 years I have put on UNLIT. A mixture of a gig and a party, free and open to anyone, in the last 5 years it has taken place in people's houses across America and Europe. It has been an extraordinary experience to put these nights on...to witness hundreds of beautiful performances, to meet the wonderful people that always seem to turn up to UNLIT, and to experience an amazing stream of generosity and openness...
Well, why I am writing to you then?
Because - I have come up with a new concept that is similar to UNLIT and which i think you will love!
It is called Set It Free and, in a world of file-sharing, it is the brand new game of CD sharing!
What what what what? I don't understand!
OK then: LISTEN UP! Cos I'm gonna say it quickly and I'm gonna say it once:
My new album (also called SET IT FREE) has a booklet in it and the booklet doubles up as:
A VISITOR'S BOOK!
The owner listens to the album, fills in their section and passes the album on to someone they think will like it too...They then listen to it, fill in their section and pass it on, until when the visitor's book is full up, the last person sends it back to the original owner who has written their name and address in the back....
And that's it!
It is a game of trust which challenges you to give without a guarantee of receiving, involves creativity, appreciation for music, the joy of the physical experience of the album (as opposed to just downloading some files to your computer) and also the genuine jeopardy of not knowing whether your trust will be rewarded. Beware! Not all of you will be brave enough to play this! Not all of you will immediately see the riches that lie in wait for those who take the leap and set it free....but those of you who do will receive such an amazing little booklet, recording the journey your CD has taken, filled with messages and pictures and everyone else's experience of listening to your album! In a time where "file-sharing" is in the spotlight - how about a bit of ACTUAL sharing? where you give something to someone that you own - and they give it back!
So, how do I play SET IT FREE?
Because I absolutely love this idea and because I want to do all I can to make it happen and get you buying the album, filling in your booklets and setting them free....I HAVE A VERY SPECIAL OFFER....(and this can be given to someone you love as a christmas or birthday present or snapped up by you because you were quick enough on the draw)...Here it is:
THE FIRST 250 PEOPLE WHO PRE-ORDER THE CD VERSION OF MY NEW ALBUM "SET IT FREE" FROM THE JONT SHOP WILL HAVE THEIR COPY DELIVERED TO THEM BY ME BY HAND ANYWHERE IN MAINLAND UK IN THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF 2010. WHEN I AM THERE I AM ALSO HAPPY TO DO A GIG FOR YOU FOR FREE IN YOUR HOUSE IF YOU CAN GET MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE TO COME...
Yes, there it is - that's my offer: I want you to hear my new album and then play Set It Free so much I am actually going to get in the car and drive the length and breadth of this country delivering my album by hand and doing gigs in the houses of all those who are the first to sign up! To make it even better, on pre-ordering the album, just so you receive something straight away, the first 1000 people will all receive a 5-track download mini-album called "AND IN DREAMS" which is made up of tracks that didn't quite make it on to Set It Free.
So that's it. PRE-ORDERS START NOW! CLICK BELOW TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST 250 PEOPLE....
Meanwhile:
- Put 11th December in your diary for the last Unlit of the year in Brixton
- Talk to other Unlit and Jont followers at www.jontnet.com on the BRAND NEW forum about Set It Free, when Jont is coming to play YOUR house and the price of milk...and check out the new and improved Jont Shop where you can now buy downloads of all my albums directly!
- Keep your radio tuned to Radio Two and your ears peeled for my new single Enjoy The Good Times which is coming out over the festive season...
- But most of all: please pre-order your album now and then tell a friend about it too and get them in to the Jont vibe....
2010 is the year I am aiming to finally become an actual blip on the radar of contemporary music....yes a whole blip! with YOUR help I will get there.....
See you soon! And if you love something....Set It Free!!!!
ps. there haven't been many videos lately, so here's a clip of a brand new song called "Failed Again" live from the last Unlit in Islington! Go to my Youtube channel to see a clip by the amazing Tom McRae, who also played.
