Local artists find new ways to finance records through Beat Roots and Kickstarter

When it comes to financing a record, there is a gaping hole between signed and unsigned artists. Recording can be expensive — depending on the method and studio chosen — and production and distribution are a whole different story. Liz Clark and Tessa Perry have created Beat Roots, a concert and cooking series that uses their culinary skills to bridge the monetary gap.

Here’s how it works: For $50 a person, Lonely & The Bear (Clark and Perry) will come to your home, prepare you a gourmet three-course meal — wine and dessert included — and play an acoustic set for your party afterward. You get a freshly prepared dinner at home complete with a serenade, and the duo gets to put money toward its next record. What a concept.

Local folk singer Katey Laurel, meanwhile, is taking a slightly more common approach to fund her forthcoming record, using the website Kickstarter.com (remember the “Save Monolith” fund?) to reach out to fans for support. For $8, you get a download of Laurel’s EP, while $10 gets you a physical, signed copy, and $25 gets you both a signed copy and a specially designed T-shirt. So far, Laurel is about halfway to her goal. Not bad.