Thank you for coming here, friendly you!

Please allow me to introduce this relaxdaily Patreon page to you:

I'm Michael Fesser, I create music and video for the relaxdaily project and here's why we (me and my little team) are starting a Patreon page.

Our situation:

I started relaxdaily as a one man music project in August of 2011. Due to very positive feedback the initial idea to create a calm relaxation music album quickly became an ongoing journey of creating music (composing and recording), one track at a time. Since the project has its roots on YouTube, filming nature, to accompany my music, quickly became a second important part of the experience for both, me and I guess you, too?

Fast forward to 2015: The relaxdaily project has become almost everything I could ever wish for. It reaches thousands of listeners every day ( about one million each month!). From comments I hear that the music actually creates value to many. And, luckily, as of now, the project actually generates income from ads (YouTube), subscriptions (Spotify) and occasional music sales (iTunes), so I can make a simple living as an artist. Wow, that's all I ever wished for! ...Or is it not?

In the past years I composed and recorded over 100 pieces of music. I dedicate my full energy to create the best music I am capable of. The project has become a very important, fulfilling task for me. A life mission. But it feels like I hit a ceiling. Although the music reaches so many, the financial side does not really look that sustainable as of now. Ad revenue is rather plummeting and an ever growing amount of internet offerings (original ones and not so original ones) is making it ever harder to get my voice heard.

What's important right now:

1) To keep creating and sharing the best music I am capable of, on a regular basis
2) The project to become self sustaining, and independent of mechanics happening on 3rd party platforms
3) To keep relaxdaily going for a long, long time (lifetime please)
4) To connect with you on a more profound level

I can not solve all of this on my own. Luckily, a very good friend of mine, Nico, helped me to set up a new home base for our project: the 2017 version (I call it: V2) of my website relaxdaily.net. It's been almost two years in making, and it's a big step towards how I envision music to be served to you: Through a small but focused music service you can use whenever you want to listen to a calm and relaxing soundtrack, for as long as you wish, without ads and distraction.

Of course, I WILL CONTINUE to share my music also on platforms where you could find it so far. Your support here will help me to continue to do so. My vision for the new website, though, is that it can become a true and independent home for the project. One that can grow in diversity of sound, quality and reach.

We (Nico and I) believe Patreon and YOU might actually become the financial backbone of the relaxdaily project. Patreon has been founded by Jack Conte (artist and creator himself) in 2013. This service is being developed constantly, with much love, and emphasis on the creator fan relationship, and it seems it came to stay. The way Patreon works is a fan can donate to their favourite projects whatever they want per month (we chose $4 to be a minimum for 'rewards' - see the rewards section), and the donation is recurring each month after that, for as long as you wish. So anything, from $4 per month up, is hugely helpful for us.

What we will use your money for:

An initial, meaningful mid-term goal is to become a community of 2500 members (leaves, trunk and roots of the relaxdaily tree - see 'rewards'). This might sound like a lot. But it's a figure I came up with applying very simple math. This level of support plus income from our CD shop, occasional music licensing, and money from 3rd party music platforms will keep relaxdaily going, for a long, long time. Here are relaxdaily costs:

- Hosting and web services. Currently we have multiple servers and server nodes running plus are making use of content delivery networks to serve our music and videos to an international audience. Hosting media files is many times more expensive than hosting e.g. a blog you only read. It lies in the nature of the file format.

- Ongoing web development. There are always costs involved in running a web based project. We can not do everything on our own. Sometimes we make use of helping hands who need to be paid.

- Video gear and travel expenses. The visual component of relaxdaily is something I would not like to miss anymore. It's a wonderful addition to the music. But it also requires some funding. Even though I've filmed relaxdaily videos on a string shoe budget in the past, sleeping in the car more often than paying for a hotel while traveling.

- Music creation tools, education and collaboration. I want to grow as an artist to deliver the best music I can. I don't need a one million dollar studio to create great music. But I know that a variety of tools combined with taking lessons and collaborating with other creators does open up the full sonic potential.

- Me. Well, obviously I need to continue to eat and put on clothes and I need a new laptop every 4 or 5 years. Other than that I don't need too much. I'm a guy with no kids and live in one of the cheapest apartments in town. But working on relaxdaily more than full time it would be great if the project could support me as well.

- Nico. In the past two years, Nico helped full time to get the project to where it is now, basically without getting paid. To keep him with the project, something I really wish for, I have to hire him at least part time, as he, like me, is not a rich kid with a big investment fund or rich parents. I believe Nico is the right fit to help me keep relaxdaily going. You can do only so much on your own.

Long term growth goal

The growth goal would allow us to take relaxdaily to another dimension. To become a way bigger and stronger tree, so to speak. This is future talk. But part of my long term vision. While keeping the spirit of relaxdaily alive, we can enhance the whole experience substantially by adding selected likeminded artists to our playlists and streams and pay them a deserved royalty.

At this stage we will probably think of the development of a new version of relaxdaily.net (V3) and possibly of giving you also the option to listen to relaxdaily via apps? Other wonderful things might happen as well. But, this is thinking a little too far into the future. Let's get back to now.

The growth goal would be wonderful to hit, but if we can reach the main midterm goal, being fully supported by the generosity of our listeners, this would make me endlessly grateful!

You

Becoming a relaxdaily patron and supporting us this way is super helpful, but of course, it's totally optional. If you decide to support my relaxdaily project this way, or you already do so, thank you so much!! If you can't or don't want to, I'm still honestly proud when you choose to listen to my music during your day, or just whenever you like to. Thank you for being a relaxdaily fan!

- Michael (relaxdaily music and video creator)