***ESP LP #5 – PledgeMusic Update***
As you have no doubt read, Pledge Music, who we have trusted with the pre-order/crowd-funding of the 5th Electric Soft Parade LP/CD/download, are going through considerable (self-inflicted) financial issues and as such have stopped taking orders for all albums or paying any money out to artists. We have been advised by Chord Orchard’s distributor (Republic of Music) that it is extremely unlikely Pledge will ever honour the balance of our campaign money, and that the best option for us is to move our pre-order/campaign over to them immediately. Over the coming weeks we will re-open pre-orders for the album via a new page (through Republic of Music) with all offers/extras available as per the original Pledge page. From RoM:
*****We are advising everyone who has pre-ordered from Pledge to inform Pledge you are cancelling your order and to request a refund from them. If Pledge do not issue you a refund in full after 7 days contact your credit card company and they will arrange this. At the same time it is advisable to inform your credit card / bank of the need to withdraw the payment.*****
As a gesture of goodwill to anyone who has supported us already by pre-ordering the album, we will be setting up a discounted pre-order code for anyone who has already Pledged once. While this means we, the group, will be effectively bearing some of the brunt of Pledge’s catastrophic failure to manage their accounts, we feel it is the most appropriate action – a compromise that hopefully damages the band/fan relationship as little as possible. If you’re left with a slightly sour taste, we cannot blame you, though the onus and responsibility for EVERYTHING that has transpired (for us and every other artist affected) falls completely, unreservedly with Pledge. For those who Pledged beyond pre-ordering vinyl or CD (house concerts, t-shirts, extras…) we will be in touch personally via email in the coming weeks to try to arrange some sort of agreement/compromise where neither party is suffering financially and all Pledges are effectively honoured as originally promised.
It’s difficult to put into words quite how offensive we have found Pledge’s conduct over the past year – brazenly using us (and countless other groups) as an instrument with which to defraud hundreds of thousands of fans of millions of pounds – money which (aside from a payment of £300 last July) has gone directly from your pockets and into their accounts. Make no mistake, that’s precisely what this is – fraud. The vulgarity is overpowering.
We can only profusely thank Mark at Republic of Music for offering to step in and advise where needed. Together we will do everything in our powers to put this sorry episode behind us as quickly and as painlessly (for you) as possible, and get on with the business of releasing this brilliant new music.
We will update you with new pre-order links for the record as soon as we have them. Huge thanks to every last one of you for sticking with us and offering words of support throughout. It means the world to us and has kept us going through some dark, extremely frustrating days, so thank you.
Love to you all,
Thomas & Alex
xxx
