Ralph Covert

Thank you for checking out my Patreon page. What is it? Excellent question!<br> <br>Patreon is a great way to help support the music I make. Your monthly contribution makes a difference, because it shows me people like you genuinely care. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every $.007 Spotify pays me for streaming my songs, lol, but this is a chance for you to eliminate the middlemen. By supporting me, you allow me to pay the sound engineers, video operators, and musicians who make the music possible.<br><br>I've been using the platform to share demos of new songs, rare video, and content that doesn't make sense in the public marketplace. That's been equally valuable to me, as music created in a vacuum just isn't nearly as satisfying. You get cool stuff, and I get the fun of sharing it with you. I still utilize the standard channels of music distribution, but you get access first, and have the chance to hear things no one else will. If that makes as much sense to you as it does to me, please pick a level of support that works for you and join the community of like-minded fans and friends supporting my music. Thanks!<br>

Free

Supporting my music through Patreon helps me share music from my archive as well as create new music to share with you. I hope you enjoy a deep dive into the many great recordings and videos in The Bad Examples archive, which will give you insights and the inside stories behind the songs. It's a private journey down the paths of my memories, meanings, and mysteries.<br>
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<li>Unreleased live recordings</li>
<li>Podcasts telling stories and adding context</li>
<li>Access to additional audio and video content</li>
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Exploring the Archive!

Creating new music is key piece of my musical journey, and sharing it with you is a big part of what I thrive on as as an artist. Your financial support helps make that possible, and knowing there's a community of folks who are interested in listening to the songs and recordings as they evolve and develop is equally important. That was an essential value to both Waterdog in the 90s and with outside labels like Minty Fresh and Disney in the 2000s. It is at the core of the value Patreon provides me. Thank you for listening.<ul><li>Demos of new songs</li><li>Rough mixes of recordings in progress</li><li>Access to completed mixes of unreleased tunes</li></ul><ul>
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Record Exec

This is the level that I recommend if you want to make an essential impact supporting what I do at the manageable cost of less than a dollar a day. If you know me and enjoy my music deeply enough to be exploring Patreon as a tool for supporting my music making, you're well aware that most of what I do I will find a way to do no matter what. Much of what I do, like my Facebook Live concerts, I do for free, because I believe that through community, creativity, and sharing my musical journey we can all be stronger and happier. For similar reasons I chose not to set up my Patreon tiers with a traditional "pay more-get more" structure. I deeply value your support, and want you to choose your level based on what's comfortable for you. Support me at this level if you would:<br><ul><li>Buy me a pizza</li><li>Bring a round of drinks at your corner tavern</li><li>Get me a cup of coffee twice a week</li><li>Thank you for reading this far, and for caring enough to consider supporting me through Patreon.</li>
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Board Member 

You are now an essential part of helping make the music possible. Similar to the Board Member tier, but also includes private listening sessions of new songs in progress and preferred access to live music events at Waterdog... once social distancing allows those kinds of things to happen again, of course! By choosing to support me at a higher level, you provide me the resources to continue to make music, and I look forward to sharing it with you.<br><ul><br>
<li>Preferred Access to Facebook Live and other Waterdog Records events (multiple guest spots, first call) </li>
<li>Private listening sessions of new studio productions</li>
<li>Knowing that you are essential to the process of making and sharing the music</li>
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Executive Board Member

<div>The image I chose for this tier is my mom's last work of art, "Cancer Stage 4." My promise to you is that I will approach my own art each day with the same courage she showed by pouring her heart and life experience into her work until the end. Your support at this level is deeply appreciated. Life is short, but music and creativity make every day a little sweeter. I'm grateful to have partners and friends like who believe in what I'm pursuing within the arc of my journey of life. </div><ul><li>All previous rewards plus Executive Producer credit on upcoming albums</li>
<li>Private listening sessions of new studio productions</li>
<li>One complimentary House Concert per year (travel expenses outside Chicagoland not included, as social distancing practices allow.)</li>
<li>I will personally tease you about your lack of common sense and lack of fiscal responsibility! </li>
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