I’m writing this somewhere over Greenland, on my way to a 3 week tour of Germany, a country with numerous full-time a cappella groups, and a fan base that supports many more who travel there from other countries. As does Japan, where it’s not uncommon to hear a boy band hit the top 10 with an a cappella ballad. There really is a global market, an international scene, and many people who make a full time living from contemporary a cappella.
If I seem amazed, perhaps I’m just having a flashback. Thinking back to the early 90s, when CASA went from a dorm room to a small nonprofit, I could count the number of professional groups on one hand. There were no festivals, save the occasional regional show (the Harmony Sweepstakes was still an outdoor jamboree in the form of a local contest). There was no internet for most of us. Nowhere to easily find a cappella recordings, almost no a cappella sheet music in print. In fact, I recall the response I got when I told most people I wanted to make a career of a cappella. My high school choir director often tells others “it was tantamount to wanting to be a professional tiddlywinks player.”
And yet here we are, thanks to plenty of luck, and an immeasurable amount of hard work from a legion of vocal music lovers.
Of course, we still have a long way to go. A cappella is hardly a household word, and it’s a rarity for an a cappella recording or group to make more than a very occasional splash in major media. Still, with my mind usually on things that will be, should be, and might be, it’s nice to take a moment to think about how far we’ve come.
In that vein, there are a few big steps CASA’s taken this month to help move us one step closer to world domination. OK, I’m getting a bit carried away. How about a seat at the table? The kids' table?
Anyway, it’s a big month. We have:
* The 2006 CARAs nominations, hot off the presses. If you haven’t checked them out, you should. It was a very competitive year, as professional groups are turning out a record amount of great original music, and collegiate groups are releasing professional-quality recordings.
* Paid CASA members will from now on have access to a library of free original a cappella recordings by a myriad of groups. With over 80 tunes at launch, you’re looking at $80+ worth of downloadable music at iTunes prices, all happily donated by professional groups looking to give something back and help make original a cappella music a focal point of our efforts. You should consider upgrading your membership if you’re a free member; the cost is low, and the discounts you receive alone are worth far more than you’ll pay. Plus, you’ll get all these free tunes. Plus...
* CASA Radio is launching online, with round-the-clock original programming and a playlist featuring hard-to-find and out-of-print music. Want to hear the original Rockapella Japan recordings that you can’t buy for less than $75? Want to hear that great album that went out of print a few years ago? CASA has the world’s largest library of a cappella recordings, and we plan to keep your toes tapping to tunes you can hear no where else. Unfortunately, bandwidth is expensive, so we have to make this benefit for paid members only as well.
If I sound like I’m pitching CASA memberships, well, I most certainly am. I don’t make a penny from CASA, and neither do any of our board of directors. 100% of your money goes right back into programs to help a cappella grow, and benefits a-plenty. Look at what we’ve been able to do over the past 15 years, and consider joining to help us make the next 15 even more harmonious.
Click on the wrench in the upper left-hand corner to see what else you can do.