Friday, October 06, 2006
Verity & the Lucky Packet Project
I was visited last week by Kirsten, who represents Verity, a very innovative artist from Cape Town. Verity has become something of an icon in the way she has created a campaign around selling, what could almost be called shares or ‘future-ownership, in an album she hasn’t yet recorded, and we’re excited to be featuring her on our database!Her campaign, called the Lucky Packet Project, was launched at the end of last year, and Verity has had varied success in that she has sold ’future copies’ to people from 20 different countries, so she is reaching audiences far and wide. I suppose that I am just a little disappointed that she hasn’t had more success and already recorded the album, but this is still a very cool idea. Selling 5000 copies, while also raising R80 000 for two charities - POWA and a new project Verity has set up, the Live your Dream Foundation to empower other South African artists.
She has been written about in most of the major blogs in SA and even some abroad, and she’s had newspaper articles, television pieces, and I just heard today, that her form of marketing her product has even been as discussion topic at a conference to alternative marketing in Sweden. So why has she only sold 710 copies?At least she is building an impressive appearance list, having performed with her band at evens such as the Kirstenbosch Winter Concert series, at the Up the Creek Music Festival, the Media 24 Annual Awards and the Levi’s Origional Blues Festival.
And she has a very cool band backing her up. Her band consists of; Nelson Malela on keyboards, from Congo and who came to South Africa to play keyboards for Brenda Fassie just before she passed away & since then has become a well respected pianist on the local scene; Helder Gonzaga hails from Mozambique and is a final year Jazz student at UCT while also working as a full time session musician in and around Southern Africa; Tony Paco hails from Mozambique and is a sought after drummer and percussionist for some of SA's top bands and has recently returned from touring the East.
Verity has been working with Helder and Tony for the last two years and they bring their Mozambiquan magic to the rhythm section of the band. Their incredible combined musical experience adds a distinctly African flavour to Verity's melodic folk/rock songs. Nelson is a relatively new addition to the band and brings his beautiful playing style and charming stage presence to Verity's shows.Here is a small video snippet of some of her live shows. So come on South Africa – let me know if you would like to help fulfil an innovative idea that’ll give you pleasure in the end too! Contact me so that we can get the orders streaming in, and better still, book her for your next event!
