The music industry has never been much of a money spinner for all but the lucky few. For independent bands around the world, it’s now easier than ever to distribute your music for free. But no matter what your level of passion, there are still bills that need to be paid. While there is much talk of the internet stealing money from artists, it has also granted them many new ways of paying their debts.
Allison Weiss
A personal favourite of these is Kickstarter. US songwriter, Allison Weiss, who just successfully funded her new EP through the website sums the concept up nicely: “Help me make my new EP and get cool stuff in return”.
You come up with a concept and you ask you fans to pay for it. In return you offer them a range of rewards depending on how much money they pledge. For example, €5 might get you a download of the album; €10 a physical copy, and €500 a private performance for you and your friends. If the project raises the required funds within the deadline, everyone gets charged. If it doesn’t, no one pays a penny.
Defeater
It’s the next step along the road paved (most notably) by Radiohead and their “pay what you like” scheme for “In Rainbows”. With major labels sticking with quick fixes and re-packaging old ideas and indies struggling to pay the bills, bands are trusting their fans to make new projects happen. The problem of course lies in needing an established fan base. A web-driven music career is a test of your marketing abilities as much as your talent, and the most successful projects on Kickstarter or any other website will likely be those who have already established themselves through more traditional means – at least for the time-being. Boston bands Arms & Sleepers and Defeater have both released successful albums on independent labels (Ericrock and Bridge9, respectively) and are currently raising funds by approaching fans directly. By encouraging fans to invest in your band, you build rapport and supporters keen to get their hands on rewards will help do the promotion for you.
I’m reluctant to use words like “democratization”, but it’s a satisfying shift towards a genuinely competitive new model for the music industry.
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