Protest Song - More Than Just a Toy

Davo55 said:

sammy391 said:

In terms of making a high turnover of sales - could a large sum of money from the protest fund buy 5,000 'sales' ( so £5,000) without losing any money ?

£5k goes out of the protest fund --> buys 5,000 copies of the song --> 5,000 copies of the song produces £5,000 'profit' that is going back into the protest fund anyway = £0 loss , £0 profit

Would mean garunteed sales and a ranking on the charts , plus more media attention for reaching that amount of sales?

No Sammy, because we don't get all of the 99p per download. There are costs that go to the platform.

Is it a flat price or a % of the sum per download?
If a % then would've made my 'extra bit' on the download go straight into the protest fund as opposed to via bandcamp.

I may have missed this already, but is there a plan to do a version of the video with subtitles so that we can try and make it go viral in Belgium?

At the risk of irking PL54.....Done.

Very well done all involved, that's a great effort.

Very good song. I think you should have released it, with Roland Roland you're a #### on the "B" side.

Salad said:

Brilliant! Hope you have the appropriate rights to sell it, is it based on a specific FB3 song??

Not based on anyone else's music, and if you are curious then I can tell you that most of my music is inspired by klezmer (Yiddish) and Balkan melodies

Coming to this late. Bloody brilliant.

And here is the full launch story, as promised:

Normally football songs are celebratory, and released to commemorate significant achievements, such as reaching the FA Cup final. As ever, Charlton fans are doing things slightly differently.

Unhappy with the plight of the Addicks, who are the verge of relegation to League One, one supporter has decided to call his own tune - and produced a song mocking the club's owner, Roland Duchatelet.

'More than just a toy' went on sale, priced just 99p, on Monday and pours scorn on the comprehensive mis-management of the club on and off the pitch since Duchatelet took control in January 2014.

"Like many Charlton fans, I'm very upset at the way things have gone over the past few years," said John Barnes, not the former Charlton, Liverpool and England winger who famously rapped in New Order's World in Motion, but an Addicks fan from Chislehurst.

"I like music and writing songs, and thought it would be a different way to call attention to our situation, and make people aware of the circumstances at Charlton and why fans are so upset."

• Buy the song:

https://the2percent.bandcamp.com/track/more-than-just-a-toy

• Watch the video:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=89ITB5HKh9k

Over the past six months, supporters have protested vehemently against the regime, even causing two recent Championship games to be suspended after beachballs and then stressballs were thrown onto the pitch shortly after kick-off at The Valley.

In January, groups protesting against the club's owners came together to form the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD), which has organised a range of effective protests aimed at calling attention to the fans' plight and trying to force Duchatelet to sell the club to the array of interested parties.

Further protests have included holding a mock funeral procession of the "club's hopes and dreams" before a game, and the targeting of the club's sponsors in a bid to persuade them not to associate with an entirely discredited regime.

Barnes, however, wrote the music and lyrics to 'More than just a toy' and then arranged the recording by himself, before getting in touch with CARD to ask for help to publicise the song.

All profits from the song will be donated to the Charlton protest fund, an independent bank account set up by two supporters. The fund is designed to be available to be used by all supporters on application with a protest plan, not solely CARD.

"There have been lots of protests aimed at a range of targets," added John, who is from Chislehurst and has supported the club since 1964.

"I think to keep grabbing people's attention you have to make things interesting, and this is just another way to keep chipping away at the regime. Hopefully, in some small way, it will help to contribute to change."

Barnes and his bandmates - known as The 2percent after Charlton chief executive Katrien Meire misguidedly claimed that it was only two per cent of supporters who were dissatisfied, rather than the estimated 80 per cent who have taken part in protests - have also produced an entertaining video mocking Duchatelet, Meire and non-executive chairman Richard Murray.

Each of the triumvirate has a verse of the song dedicated to them, ridiculing the bad decisions they have taken, the responsibility they have avoided, and the part they have played in running down a proud football club respected by its local community.

"I started by focusing on Roland, and the rest of it fell into place from there," explained Barnes. "I tried to make the tone mocking and highlight some of the ridiculous things that have happened, how the club is going in totally the wrong direction, and the general indifference towards fans."

'More than just a toy' is sung by John's nephew Charlie, and was recorded with the help of music students at North Kent College. The 2percent comprises John Barnes (music & lyrics), Charlie Barnes (bass guitar and vocals), Connor Toner (guitar), Adam Sewell (guitar), Liam Penny (keyboards, recording and production), and Dan Williams (drums).

John said: "One of the band was even a Millwall fan. But I think it shows how united all football fans are in the face of owners meddling with their club in this way."

The story is also published on charltoncard.tumblr.com/post/142638669631/fans-call-their-own-tune-for-protests

I don't know about Balkan influences and all that, but I do know it's bloody good.

Brilliant! That's very good

Wel done. Go on Roland say it:
Oui, je regrette Katrien

Got to be honest when I heard it on Charlton live, I thought it was awful as the mix meant I could barely hear the words.

I have played the video at least 6 times, me and the kids love it, great tune, funny video, terrific lyrics.

The line about Murray and Meire should ring out on Saturday