Be Smart

Many will recall Indie musician Jill Sobule from her track "I Kissed a Girl." The song was a cross-over hit, and the video (the one co-starring Fabio) got a lot of MTV airplay in the 1990s. I saw her play a few years ago when she was touring with Lloyd Cole as a member of his band, the Negatives. Years later, Sobule is still touring and recording music. After going through a handful of music labels, both big and small, she is currently creating her own path.

Where Radiohead has now famously asked fans to pay what their latest CD is worth, Sobule has taken a slightly different route. In January, she asked fans on her website, Jill's Next Record, to donate money before the she makes her next album. In telethon-like fashion, she asked fans to help her reach a goal of $75,000, which would cover studio time, producers, additional musicians and post-production. By March, she had reached her goal and raised over $80,000.