Lately, there has been a fairly substantial increase in the number of bands using Kickstarter to raise money to fund their projects, be it recording, touring, pressing vinyl, or whatever. As with many innovations throughout history (certainly including, but not limited to music), Kickstarter has both its share of adamant supporters and unconvinced detractors, but there is one undeniable truth: When utilized effectively, you stand a very good chance of getting the funds you need to make your dream a reality.

 

In case you are not familiar with it, Kickstarter is a new fundraising platform which allows artists of all types to raise cash to fund their projects. The artist sets a goal (around $2000 is fairly typical) and chooses how long he or she wants the project to run. People interested in backing go online and make a pledge which puts a hold on their credit card. If the project’s pledge goal is met before the time is up, the donors’ cards are charged and the money is transferred to the artist. If the goal is not met, the donors are not charged and the artist gets nothing. There are rewards for donors, as well, such as downloads, CDs, vinyl, shirts, or anything else the artist would like to offer.

 

This is a brilliant new model for bands to raise money given the new reality that people no longer view music as a commodity worth paying for due to the piracy made possible by the proliferation of the internet. The average band is surely not going to recoup $6,000 or more in studio expenses by selling $5 CDs at shows or selling downloads on iTunes, which poses something of a quandary because the alternative of attempting to record your album yourself or having someone do a bargain-basement job is realistically not going to sound as good. With recording, as with anything else, you get what your pay for, and a subpar recording job will only hurt your chances of success in the end. Even if you only raise $2,000 with Kickstarter, that’s still money you don’t have to spend out of pocket, and every little bit helps when you are trying to produce the album as you really want it to sound. The production of your album is certainly not the time to sell yourself short.

 

Kickstarter allows interested parties to donate directly to artists they support, and the chance to get, say, an exclusive pre-release download or limited-edition vinyl makes their donation more than a simple act of charity. Recording an album and going on tour are both very expensive, and they are a necessary part of the process of making fans and getting the recognition that may eventually allow one’s music to be financially self-sustaining. There are many bands out there that have the talent and the passion to record at a world-class studio such as ARC, or to get out on the road and play all the big cities of the East Coast, but are unable to do so solely because of money. “Three weeks off from work? The studio will cost HOW MANY thousands? There’s no way I can afford that!” I am in two bands that, between them, used Kickstarter to raise about $3,600 after fees to fund recording and touring, and I can honestly say that neither of those things would have happened, at least at the same level, without the help of our supporters from all over the world. We’re not trying to weasel our way out of “paying our dues” here … we ARE paying them by working hard to raise money with Kickstarter.

 

Many family and friends of musicians wholeheartedly support their creative efforts and would love to support their projects, and Kickstarter provides an efficient, centralized means for them to do so. To those who would say “You’re just guilting your friends and family into subsidizing your lazy ass because you are a hack and your music isn’t good enough to be profitable on its own,” I would like to point out that donations are strictly voluntary. No tax dollars are used and no animals are harmed in the making of a donation. Plus, a Kickstarter project can be a great publicity tool because it has to be publicized in order to work, so it’s a great opportunity to get your name out there in the local media. In fact, we got a number of donors that had seen us play years ago and decided to back us because they saw our publicity and felt we were worth it. If we HADN’T put in all that hard work over these years, our Kickstarter projects would have been much less successful.

 

If you are in a band that has a need for funds in the foreseeable future, I’d say get on Kickstarter right away! The only downside I can see is the danger of oversaturation, because when every single band is begging for funds all at once, people will get tired of donating or just stop paying attention. That’s why when Thunder Power’s project was successfully funded, we did one for Blue Bird right away to help with tour costs. We didn’t want to wait because we wanted to get ours done while the Kickstarter concept was still new and interesting. I can honestly say that, at least as of right now, any band can probably get out there and make at least $1,500 in a month just by emailing people they know, posting on Facebook, and mentioning it at shows. Need a van? Wanna record? New vinyl coming out? Making a short film? Need materials for a sculpture? Wanna publish your book? You may as well give Kickstarter a try because there’s nothing to lose! New projects are popping up every day, so if someone is going to be raising money with it, it may as well be you.

 

What do you think about bands using Kickstarter? Tell us in the comments below.

 

Ian Simons is a part-time musician and full-time stock broker, who used to do some freelance music writing for the City Weekly. His brother Will is in Thunder Power with him and runs Omahype. Ian plays keys in Thunder Power and Blue Bird and will spend most of the summer touring the Midwest, East Coast, and South with Blue Bird; and the West Coast and mountain states with Thunder Power. His hobbies include bowling, golf, watching bowling and golf on TV, and playing with his friends' cats, since he loves cats but doesn't have one himself due to a mild feline allergy.