I've always had an uneasy feeling about Kickstarter, the platform where under-funded artists and entrepreneurs go to solicit donations from their supporters, splitting the difference between an aggressive busking panhandler and NPR pledge drive fund levels of shamelessness. I feel like it's like throwing a birthday party for yourself and reminding everyone to bring presents. In a lot of cases, it works out brilliantly well, like for a couple of my countrymen and women in the Boston rock world. The Sheila Divine pulled in a cool $13,000, a lot more than they asked for, to fund their recent album. (I got a nice piece of vinyl out of the deal myself.) Amanda Palmer, as you've no doubt heard, raised something like $250,000 in two days this week for her latest project. Check that, holy shit, it's already up to $360,000!
When things go well, it harkens back to the patronage model of art, where people with money pay off the creative types to go off an do their cute little brain dances, then report back to the rest of us with stories from the geography of the soul. Palmer is keenly aware of this, being a savvy music biz pro, and realizes it's the way forward for artists who can no longer rely on the record label model. She told the Phoenix yesterday:
"I set the goal conservatively and was certainly hoping we'd beat it, but I didn't expect we'd beat it in a single day," Palmer writes in an e-mail to the Phoenix this morning. "But all this does is solidify my belief in the power of direct-to-fan connection, and how years of touring and staying truly, humanly connected to a fanbase really does pay off when you come back around to ask for help."
The reason it worked out for both of these projects mentioned is because, well, they're actually good at what they do. Most people, you may know, are not. As we've been discussing here recently, there's nothing quite so pathetic as begging people to pay attention to your music. And as this depressing Salon piece I linked to earlier points out, maybe there's a reason no one wants to pay for your work?
An aside: There's a difference between begging, and asking, by the way. It's not like, you know, constantly reminding people that they could buy a t-shirt from their favorite blog RIGHT NOW, to support their favorite hard-working freelance journalist/blogger/handsome person. Both of those things are totally chill, and not lame at all. Oh, weird, speaking of Amanda Palmer and my book, I just found this picture of her eating it.
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Just laying around right there displayed on the coffee table of my laptop waiting to be noticed. Odd coincidence. |
Securing funding before you embark on a project is the most intuitive business model in the world, but in the world of music and arts, it seems like cheating to me. That's probably an outmoded way of thinking, but isn't part of the creative leap striking off into uncharted waters without knowing ahead of time whether or not you're going to sink or swim? Kickstarter takes the uncertainty out of the equation, and turns creativity into an initial public offering. We're launching my book of po-ems on the market today, I hope investors respond favorably!
When we allow our fans to become partners in our creativity, aren't we then somehow beholden to them? Will the works we produce end up catering to their expectations in ways they wouldn't have in the pre-crowdfunded era? That may be good for our pockets, but I don't think it's good for the work
I've occasionally thought about doing a Kickstarter myself. It occurred to me yesterday that I might want to turn this half-written collection of complaints and social phobias into a piece of paper you could put on the back of your toilet, but the prospect of setting up a Kickstarter and not reaching my goal (how much does it cost to make a book, like $75?) was too depressing to fathom. I wouldn't want to end up like one of these sad sacks and have unimpeachable, real world feedback data that what I do is insignificant, and no one in the world will ever care.
So here I am, not doing it.
Maybe that's Kickstarter's chief innovation then? Not all of the projects that it has in fact enabled, and the dreams it has made come true, but all of the ones it's squashed with brutal, market-based efficiency? We need more of that in the world.
So here I am, not doing it.
Maybe that's Kickstarter's chief innovation then? Not all of the projects that it has in fact enabled, and the dreams it has made come true, but all of the ones it's squashed with brutal, market-based efficiency? We need more of that in the world.
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19 comments:
As usual, the real discussion goes on on the FB link to the post:
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=382846318425180&id=837599184
No way to have FB posts auto-post here? We know some nerds. They might be able to use their secret tricks to make that happen.
It works if the thread starts in that little Facebook box up there maybe? ^^
But no way to suck in comments from an outside thread I don't think.
My opinion: http://blog.michaeljepstein.com/2010/12/microfunding-is-future-of-labels-but.html
I'd buy a t-shirt if it came in black. Is that racist?
Ha. Yes? Working on the black thing for the next order.
It's about high time ALL OF US started "working on the black thing". I mean come on, racists. Enough is enough.
i think kickstarter is a great idea, of course it can be abused by assholes like maybe a former rumble winner or something though. i have supported a bunch of projects both from people i know and people i didn't. i don't get why its any more pathetic than anything else in life.
When you put it that way, everything is kind of pathetic, yes.
I want a sandwich. Someone fund it for me.
I view Kickstarter and Pledge Music as buying stuff. Not really funding anything specific. I only buy cd's I want and would buy anyway. If it helps the artist pay for making their record or do whatever they want with the money, that's cool with me. It's a fire sale essentially. Or a presale.
It's a shame that people don't just buy from the musician all the time, then they could have a financially sustainable career without doing it all in a 60 day period. I think it's an interesting psychology that a fan is willing to buy "stuff" when it seems like it's for a reason. Anytime you buy something from an artist you are supporting their career... but for whatever reason they need to be presented with a sense of urgency. Whatever works!
In regards to Amanda Palmer... I'm not a fan but I think she is a great artist. Based on the scope of the project it looks very intriguing and some really great quality art being made. And it also looks like a whole lot of talented artists will be able to be paid well for their brilliant work. That's a pretty cool concept to me.
Patrons supporting artists goes back centuries. it's only since the advent of the "Music Business" and Record labels that the dynamic of patron and artist relationship changed. Amanda brought that relationship back to life years ago. As far as I'm concerned, we are now back to really really old school... People supporting artists just because they are emotionally turned on by their work and want them to succeed. Win Win all around.
For those whose campaigns fail... they likely have delusions of grandeur that people think they are talented. So their fundraising fails. Oh well. But that's the beauty of the free and open internet... they can try.
great comment, thanks for sharing.
Macelroyce's a senators fan?
Intesting piece here comparing KS to the NEA:
"Right now, it’s not clear that Kickstarter is doing much more than offering a streamlined process for donations that would probably have happened anyway. Aside from a handful of lucky campaigns that “go viral,” anecdotal reports suggest that the vast majority of donors to a typical project are previously known to the recipient. That means that whatever biases and privileges exist in the real world also exist on Kickstarter. Artist-entrepreneurs who have either ready access to networks of family and friends with money or an already-existing fan base will have a noticeable leg up on those who are just starting out or paid their own way in college. In fact, Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing campaign model may exacerbate these inequities, by increasing the risk that those who begin with less will lose the benefits of all their hard work—a fate that befell more than half of all campaigns launched on the site last year."
Kickstarter is a simple survival of the fittest scenario in a world without enough label cash-power to support all of the worthwhile bands in the world.
Should people's dreams be crushed via failed Kickstarter campaigns? Of course. We need to move away from this "everyone gets a medal" model of effort/result.
You behave here as if you're writing something totally risky and making a stand on this topic. Nope. "Guys, I did NOT like 9/11" etc.
What would have been interesting is if you put your anonymous thoughts where your name-in-print-mouth is and list whatever successful kickstarter campaigns you actually wish had failed.
Hm, you seem mad.
I take no umbrage with AP's success if that's what you're implying. She's got a big worldwide fanbase that she earned through a lot of hard work, and she's an original.
Also, "Good Day" is the jam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO-Pe9UTj2o
Still though, Kickstarter just strikes me as a little weird. As I said, you know, in the thing.
9/11 was for real pretty bad though, right?
"a little weird"
I thought you thought it was pathetic? Or is your editor writing sensational headlines again?
U Mad Bro, etc
Haha. Sensational joke blog headline is sensational.
Are you ok over there though? I worry about you sometimes.
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