What if fans could decide when an album is released? Spotting an opportunity to forge new fan connections British-Australian artist Harry Heart purposely set out to do something different for the release of his second album ‘Cambistry’. The ambitious plan: Sell all 11 album tracks as NFTs before releasing the album in a conventional manner. Mission accomplished.
Harry Heart – Cambistry
There has been lots of talk about music NFTs in the last year, but far fewer artists actually succeed in this brave new world. Step forward Harry Heart, who bravely dived in and succeeded, making new connections and supporters in the process. Anyone lucky enough to own one of Harry’s 11 NFTs has bought something truly made with love.
“Cambistry” is released today on Harry’s own label, Strange Method Music Group. The concept was simple: when a fan buys the music NFT, the song gets released on streaming services. With the entire NFT album now sold out, collectors and fans get to push the button on the official release of “Cambistry”, playing their part in the artist’s unusual story.
“Cambistry” was written in Manchester, drawing from the alt-electronica influences of LCD Soundsystem and James Blake, as well as eighties art-pop artists Talk Talk, The Blue Nile and The Durutti Column.
The NFT series began as an act of defiance to the conventional release blueprint and picked up more traction than Harry anticipated. “I wanted to challenge myself and leave behind some old creative habits” he explains. “Once I gave myself complete freedom to make any kind of music, I decided to embrace a new way of releasing it”.
“Being an independent artist provides a certain level of freedom, but freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose and commit to the things that are ultimately best for you. As the famous quote goes… ‘The distance between dreams and reality is action’. The Cambistry project is proof that Harry Heart is not afraid to commit, his determination to succeed is self-evident” RCM
What of the album itself… It’s hard to pick a standout track as there is so much to admire. This is an album that gets better with every listen. On first listen we were instantly drawn to ‘Okay Change’ the dreamy ‘Walden’ the simmering defiance of ‘Can’t Be Led, and the wonky electronica of ‘Begging’.
We are also excited to share the stunning video for the latest single ‘Diving Bell’ Directed and produced @mikefordaze we found ourselves drawn to the intriguing lyrics printed underneath the video.
“Minimal air escapes this cell The diving bell It’s a civil unrest As the wound seeps out the compress At the first real sign of madness I’ll wait for you, ooh”
About Harry Heart
Harry Heart is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer born in London and raised in rural Australia. He was a finalist in Australian national radio station Triple J’s high school band competition ‘Unearthed High’ twice at ages 14 and 16. After several years of working to reclaim the success he experienced as a teen, he created the record label Strange Method Music Group in 2022, specialising in NFTs and limited-release cassettes. His lyrics are influenced by his interests in philosophy, & the diversity of his two nationalities.
Harry Heart Live
- May 11th – Strange Method TGE showcase, Brighton – FREE RSVP
- May 13th – Brighter Sound TGE showcase, Brighton – ON SALE SOON
- May 15th – Co-headline w/ Danny Addison, Manchester – TICKETS
Harry Heart is slowly building an enviable back catalogue of high-quality music and the secret is starting to get out, earlier this year he surpassed the one million streams milestone. His blend of big guitars with DIY electronica is refined yet gloriously untamed. Join the Harry Heart mailing list for updates.
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Words Mark Knight
