Show you support and be a patron of earthcds!	Your link here, be a patron of earthcds!
Be a patron of earthcds for as little as $150 a year, patron donations help pay travel expenses for future projects.

Earthcds is an independently operated label specializing in rare and hard to find music and videos on CD and DVD. The complete operation of earthcds is handled by myself, Lawrence Millard. Many of the titles have been produced by myself as well. I travel to far off places, record music, bring it back, do all the post production (audio mastering and graphic design) and take care of manufacturing and distribution. On top of all that, I also take care of customer service, order fulfillment, website maintenance and tons of other duties included in running this kind of small business. Everything is funded out of my own pocket. I do not receive grant money of any kind or a regular salary. Almost always, I choose to work on and support projects not because I see them as money makers, but because I feel like it is important work and that this is my calling. Unfortunately, after running this business for the better part of a decade, it still does not provide enough income for my modest lifestyle. Actually, the annual gross sales from earthcds is less than what many middle class Americans make in one month, while profit is a small fraction of that number! I currently run another small business and work 2-3 part time jobs to help sustain earthcds.

People frequently call me and send emails thanking me for my service and they let me know how much they appreciate the work and dedication I put forth. It is this type of gratitude that helps keep me motivated to 'make it work'.

I would like people to think of me and a personal 'go getter'. Traveling to far off places is not for everyone, travel can be difficult, accomondations are frequently substandard compared to how we live, food poisoning and other illnesses are part of the job. But, I do like the adventure and it is work that I enjoy. In addition, I get many requestes for specific materials and make it a priority to find what people are asking for.

I am asking for small donations from those of you that can to help me continue doing what I do and what you appreciate. By being a patron of earthcds, you will help make sure that new rare recordings become available. All donations will go directly toward travels expenses for future journeys. For as little as $150 a year, you can be listed on this page as a patron and can have a link or mention of your choice if you choose. Please contact me for details about being a patron of earthcds. Or, if you have less to give but want to help, please use the donate button found on the left of any page on the earthcds website.

It doesn't take much to help, for instance, my entire 6 week trip in Nicaragua last winter cost less than $1000 (plane ticket included). In case of an emergency, I had access to $500 in a bank account. Then, upon my return, the bills were waiting! Not all places will be as cheap as that, currently, high on my list of places are Nigeria, SE Asia, India, Zimbabwe, Congo, Mongolia/Tuva, Eastern Europe, Haiti and South America (yes, I know, I have been getting a lot of requests for Brazilian music). All of these places will require more money.

The continuation of earthcds also helps others beyond the availability of the music. A portion of all sales on the earthcds label is given to humanitarian organizations that help with healthcare and education in the places where the music is recorded. In addition, many people are compensated in one way or another, even if it is just the street vendor selling me my lunch for that day.

Please be a part of supporting what we care about, please be a patron of earthcds!

Cannot support earthcds financially but want to offer some services? There are plenty of projects 'in the works' and I would greatly appreciate the help from graphic designers, audio engineers, writers and ethnomusicologists (for liner notes) and marketing professionals. Please let me know if you would like to help.