While She Sleeps' Sleeps Society – the album, song and "groundbreaking, fan-oriented community" – is here.
Forward-thinking Sheffield metalcore mob While She Sleeps have just made the ultimate album announcement: not only confirming details of their upcoming fifth record, but an entire fan-based platform surrounding it, too.
The Sleeps Society (also the name of the album) will see Loz Taylor and co. embark "on a new chapter of our life as While She Sleeps", with the band explaining of the powered-by-Patreon initiative: "Our goal is to create a sustainable model for artists and creatives, to break from the traditional industry mould by building and developing a true interdependence between the band and fans."
A statement continues: "With the future of live performances uncertain, the Sleeps Society will enable a secure existence for WSS and gives us the opportunity to stay connected with our fanbase, developing new ways to provide for our supporters and fill the void left without live music. In these uncertain times, this is the difference between life and death for the future of WSS. We aren't prepared to be another band forced to give up simply because the system isn't designed to support the artist."
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Sleeps continue that the idea was sparked simply by their experience within the music industry – "Having overcome mountains of hardship and financial debt, it feels important to share what we’ve learned along the way with those who are drawn to a similar path as ours," they say. "This model will provide a new route for upcoming artists and bands similar to us, using our knowledge and guidance to help achieve a realistic career in the creative industries.
"The society will ask a membership fee, ranging in different tiers of support. These contributions directly fund the creation and survival of WSS. The cost will be repaid to the fans with a plethora of informative, exciting and engaging videos, as well as special events to get involved with and many exclusives to members. We’ll be sharing full album guitar and drum play-throughs, a tutorial series for songwriting, studio production, vocal techniques, art and branding, self-management, videography and much more. There’ll be an in-depth look into making the forthcoming album and livestreamed studio sessions where members can help make decisions in the writing stages of songs. Members will get early access to tour tickets, exclusive merchandise, warehouse meet-ups, events and secret 'members only' shows. And that’s just scratching the surface of what we’ll be offering members through the Society."
The band state that their aim is "to deliver a 'too good to be true' level of rewards for the prices we are asking our supporters to pay, using our individual skills to develop and create entertaining and informative videos, tutorials, ideas and more for our members. This is us sharing our knowledge and experience in the hope that other artists can take this model and use it for their own.
"With the monthly support of our fans, the band will be able to break free from the traditional music industry method of 'cash advances', where artists are essentially borrowing large sums of money and giving up the rights to their songs, only to spend the years that follow in debt which oftentimes becomes insurmountable and crippling.
"The Sleeps Society ensures a solid future for WSS and creates a new model of survival for artists and bands alike. We will be delivering the highest level of fan involvement and fostering a symbiotic relationship as the Sleeps Society becomes an integral part of Sleeps’ existence."
Stream the title-track of While She Sleeps' upcoming Sleeps Society album below – along with its dramatic press-conference-style video. The full record is due out on April 16, 2021.
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