By Daryl Sanders
March 18, 2008

A little more than six weeks ago, CASHVILLE411 broke the news that singer-songwriter Jill Sobule had launched an online Jill-a-thon to fund her next record with a goal of raising $75,000 to cover recording and productions costs. It took her just under two months to surpass that goal with a total of $80,832.

Writing on the site, Sobule said, “I actually can’t believe it. When we first put up the site, I was worried that no one would come to my party.” Continuing, she said she has gained “a sense of empowerment” from the process. “I have always been a sort of special needs child (like a good percentage of artists in my industry) who waits for the label, the manager, the ‘man’ to do everything for them — after taking any or all profits. But now I’ve learned to rely on myself and ... well, you.”

The final tote board shows that the Jill-a-thon attracted a total of 554 donors with $38,000 of the final tally coming from 14 large donors who contributed at least $1,000 each. More than 85 percent of the contributors donated $100 or less.