Benoit Viellefon

Good day!

It's been a while. I always promise not to spam my followers when they join the mailing list, but the truth is that I am struggling to find the time to write this newsletter. Not that I am busy being rich and famous, far from it: I have to constantly extinguish fires everywhere trying to make a living playing music despite all odds. But there it is, although little behind schedule.

Weather forecast

Dreadful.

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Economy

Worse.

51, call it wisdom?

You've just finished reading the extensive articles above. Environmental, political, economical and social aspects of our lives have been depressing and getting worse for a while now, but I don’t want to touch the subject… call it wisdom?

I’m trying to rejoice because I have just completed my first half of a century successfully despite all the injuries and catastrophes that can happen in one’s life. That’s right! I’ve just turned 51 on the 13th of May. I'm not in my primes anymore, but I'm still positive although, I don’t feel any wiser, younger, or excited... call it wisdom?

When I was 18, I thought I knew everything. Now at 51, I realise I was totally right back then: I knew everything! Theses day I can’t seem to comprehend what’s going on in the society we're living in, and I’ve started to forget most of the things that I've studied and read... call it wisdom?

In any case, my late father was retired at 55, and at 51, I have not even been able to start saving for a pension yet, and don't even manage to earn minimum wage. The truth is that music doesn’t pay. But I'm still happy to be alive, loved and French... call it wisdom?

I know that you feel terribly sorry for having missed the opportunity to congratulate me about my advancing age, but you can still to do something for the occasion by choosing your birthday gift plan:

• HIGH RISK PLAN:​
  Sing happy birthday in French (Joyeux anniversaire) in tune with the correct words while drinking red wine sporting a stripy blue and white T-shirt in front of a French film with Gerard Depardieu, and post that video on my social medias.
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• REAL NICE PLAN:​
  ​Subscribe to my music, get everything for £20 a year, it's less damaging than singing in French in public, and that would be the most beautiful gift for me.
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• FREE PLAN​
  Go to Bandcamp, Spotity, Apple music and Youtube, follow me, save my music to your playlists and share it with your friends. It's free, quick, anonymous, and that will boost my profile despite paying nothing.
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• NO PLAN​
  Don't care. You don't like birthdays anyway.
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• I'LL DO IT LATER PLAN​
  Simply continue reading and get the two new albums... in a moment.

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Pre-order the Limited-Edition CD

I’ve released a live recording of my Orchestra last March called “OUT OF DATES”. It’s only been available to my subscribers so far, but those who have listened to it enjoyed it that much that they asked me to press a CD. I just could not believe it.

I’m afraid of pressing another 1000 copies that will clutter my flat for another 10 years, as I have done it too many times already. Rather, I will do a limited run of 100 copies, signed and numbered just for you. The manufacturing cost per unit for a small run is so high that I need to sell 70 of them to break even on the duplication costs. So, I have created a pre-order album page for you to register your interest. If you buy a copy in advance, and I reach 70 orders, I can send it to press, and get your signed copy in the post, if I don’t make it, you will never be charged.

That is a bit of a test for me. There are roughly 4000 people opening and reading my newsletter monthly, and double that following me on social medias. I am curious to see if I can get 0.58% of my fanbase to pre-order a record so I can manufacture it, or if I would be better off shortening my suits to become an estate agent. At the end of the day, it’s all down to you.

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No player no money

I could hear you think “Sorry mate, I don't have a CD player, the beer price went up and I have no money”. I know it's true, and I feel your pain, so I made a compilation album available for free on Bandcamp for all the nice people with such predicaments. We know that folks don’t use CDs that much anymore unless they drive an old car or have a fancy HiFi, but we also know that everybody has a smartphone and that the chances are that 99% of you listen to music online.

So, you can get my music at unbeatable price:
Please go to download my “FREE ALBUM” on Bandcamp, It will help me greatly to go up their internal search engine if people listen and download it, and it gives me a chance to be discovered by other distinguished music lovers with impeccable taste such as yourself.

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Unique concert filmed & recorded

​15th of June at the Toulouse Lautrec Jazz Club London.
That is the date not to be missed!

We will play a unique double concert (7pm & 9pm) that will be recorded and filmed for posterity, fame and glory. There are only 60 seats available, the food is of the best quality, the atmosphere and acoustics are superb. The tickets have just been released and they are selling fast, so please book quickly!

We will perform as a quartet some of the new music we've been working on, with some hot swing of course but also Latin numbers, some exquisite French stuff, sultry vocal harmonies and more. We hope to use the recording to put that new repertoire on the scene... with your help.

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Next concerts

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From the author

That’s it folks, It's was a bit long but I hope it was good, or at least "somewhat good". For complaints and accolades please email me, I will respond.

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A bientot. (French: meaning "See you soon")

Benoit Viellefon