About

SOULUBA

Hi, my name is Jon Sass. I am a tuba player and a native Harlem in New Yorker currently living in Vienna Austria. My goal with this Crowd Funding campaign is to raise the funds to complete my next CD with my band, called Souluba.

SOULUBA program is a musical journey rooted in the sound of the tuba and voice. The music, composed from both Jonny Sass and myself, lends from a range of stylistic vocabularies like Jazz, Funk, Latin and Rock elements but still maintains a personable and original sound. The program features Jonny Sass as the band singer, mirroring the sonic-seeds planted from recent generations of singers and musicians in Jon’s family. It’s more than a father and son band........its sound revealing the result of a successful blend of musical generations with shared wisdom and harmonious vision.

Jon and Jonny Sass Souluba on Tour

Being an African American musician "tuba player" , having begun my career in the early 80s, commuting between New York City-New England and Vienna and since years living in Europe, I’ve experienced a unique journey in life in regards to musical and social diversity. As a result, Souluba reflects the “expanded perceptions” in my journey with the tuba. Exploring my artistic expression with my son, has also been very inspiring.

Jon and little Jonny

The tuba has been since the age of 14 my key to discovery and my voice to the world. I personally love and need to share my music because my message is inspired from a vision for “high humanity” and to raise the spirit. . To all my supporters and those who have interest in my venture, I would greatly need your support to help me reach this goal! I would be greatly THANKFUL and happily share the fruits of the vision with CDs, Free tickets, and more rewards . I am thankful for Kickstarter and the opportunity to use this platform to create a means maintain independent ownership of my music and artistic work. My long term plan till the summer of next year is to invest and save 40-50% of profits for further musical productions.

-To get a taste of SOULUBA , I have included snippets of 3 tracks from an earlier live performance .

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// My DEADLINE for the finished production is April 10, 2016. I will submit my business & marketing plans as well as financial details, how I will proceed to sell and promote the new CD:

BUSINESS PLAN

1. The goal of creating an independent sustainable business will involve the maintenance of a spreadsheet for monthly Sales-Expenses and profit from license deals and merchandising sales.

2. I will also seek support from private investors to come to my Kickstarter presentation - companies such as GEA-Waldviertler, Raiffeisen Investment Bank, Volksbank Gmund Austria, Roland Matura Schule…and others.

3. -After the “breakeven point”, 50% of the profit will be saved and invested in future CD production. The other 50% will be used towards taxes and helping with management touring expenses.

4. -International License deals are positive for expanding presence of the CD. With the amount of live concerts, seminars and workshops I have every year on the average functions as a perfect marriage to selling the CD as a merchandising product .

5. There are different pricing areas that I will manage. a. One is the standard merchandising prices for Europe, USA and Asia. Pricing flexibility with merchandising and license deal situations of economically weak countries is an important point because most of my concerts will be in middle Europe.

6. -My later plan is to create a video uniquely connected to the CD! The video will function as an promotional clip and then we will make promotional edits for EPK-electronic press kit.

7. To Manage concert booking- I have an assistant Rita Cuda, who will help with concert booking. My goals are to seek booking from Jaro Musik and other well established European based management.

MARKETING PLAN Promotion

1. -For many years I have developed a relationship to ATS records who have released my last solo CD SASSIFIED as well as four previous feature CDs of Heavy Tuba and Jon Sass. Before the release of Sassified, I worked together with ATS in expanding contacts to worldwide land based retailers and online CD retail platforms both in the jazz and brass markets. So these channels will automatically be activated with ATS.

2. -Once a license deal is settled with ATS……….. shortly before, and during the release date of the CD I will begin exclusively to manage internet presence for the CD and VIDEO. I will begin with the steps below 1-2-3 in both the international brass market and local jazz and popular markets in Austria and Germany. ‘

3. The brass market is substantial and of high value for this product…….so I will use my connections to many areas such as the Blasmusik world, International brass festivals, ITEA-International Tuba Euphonium Association. Subsequently I will seek license deals with larger mainstream media platforms both in the US-ASIA and EUROPEAN markets.

4. -There will be a promotion Campaign in Austria and Germany –including- NEWPAPERS, MAGAZINES, INTERNET and RADIO such as ORF radio spots, Concerto Magazine, Hi Fi magazines, and other platforms for CD reviews. ATS-records has email lists which is also supportive for its artists. Together we will seek reviews from local media.

5. - International Review Requests will be sent to Down Beat Magazine, Wind player Magazine, Jazziz Magazine, Rolling Stone Mag , ITEA website, www.tubenet.com , www.iteaonline.org , Village Voice, New York Times, college Tuba and Brass sites, Jean-Pierre Mathez from BRASS BULLETIN online and to many others. We have fantastic Critics from the last CD which were specifically targeted to the brass markets. I will seek out critics from many prior sources such as PETER WOLF (World Hit Producer) – STEVEN MEAD (World Famous Euphonium Soloist )- SAM PILAFIAN ( Premiere Tuba Soloist –USA)- MARCUS MILLER (World prominent Bassist) as well as other prominent personalities.

6. - In addition to the local promotion from my own mailing lists, I have personal contacts who have large business- so I will seek out advertising access to their advertisement channels…..such as GEA-Waldviertler, Raiffeisen Investment Bank, Roland Matura Schule…and others.

7. - I have been an endorser for 27 years with JA Musik-B&S and Melton. I recently decided it was time for a change so within the past year I became a Yamaha endorser. I find their concept for the endorsers very positive especially in this case. I plan to promote the CD also through Yamaha generated events.

8. -I plan to make a license deal with ATS Records in Molln to manage presence and availability to both, European and certain North American retailers where prices depend on those particular markets and the retailer.

9. -I will personally expand the search for current online and land retailers in the I have invested research years ago for establishing deals with online and land based retailers in the brass world. Those efforts still function for today with ATS. ATS also promotes its artists to platforms in the German speaking world. Jazz and Alternative

FINANCIAL PLAN RECORDING AND PRODUCTION –CD –

RECORDING-MIXING-MASTER w/engineer for studio 5 days recording /2 days mixing and mastering & *(2 extra reserve days) (calcul-500 per day) -4500 euros

ARTWORK & PACKAGING * PHOTOS -600euros

-MUSICIANS - JONNY SASS-CHRISTIAN BAKANIC –JULIAN BERAN -ELDIS LA ROSA MONIER (calul-600 per person for production) 2400-euros

RECORDING MATERIALS & EXTRAS- travel- 300

CD PRESSING 1500 till 2000 pcs– 1650 euros

POSTAGE - 350 euros

1(100 CDs –crowd funding)

2(100 CDs will initially be used for promotion)

PROMOTIONAL TOOLS -1000 euros-includes:

1) High Quality Press Kit- Graphic work

2) Photos plus 200* COPIES will be printed / Graphic work

3) Posters 68,5 x 99-For live performance / Graphic work

4) CD and photo –protective envelopes

5) All of the above Materials plus graphic work

6) ** CD promotional banners up on international Websites

-Sub total 10.800 €

TAXES 1080 + CREDIT CARD FEES 150ca.+ KICKSTARTER 540 +(3% -5% payment fees 540 )

GRAND TOTAL - 13.110 €