The Power of Kickstarter

posted in: FeaturesRock

We all know how important the Internet has become to artists these days. And, obviously,we’re aware that fans are the reason that musicians are able to forge a career. So, anything that brings these two factors together has amazing potential. That’s what Kickstarter has done for music (and other types of creative projects) recently. In less than three years, the Web site has become a platform for bigger signed artists as well as small indie acts to raise money for various causes. Whether the goal is to record an album, go on tour, film a music video or buy a new van, bands can reach out to their fans for help. The best part is that these fans get rewarded for their contributions, and artists can get as creative as they want with the prizes. Plus, if the project isn’t fully funded in a given amount of time, everyone receives their money back.

Lately, we’ve seen fans go above and beyond the already great support that most of these projects receive. Five Iron Frenzy, a ska band from Colorado, announced that they were getting back together after disbanding in 2003. They started off their reunion by launching a Kickstarter project to fund a new album. They gave fans the goal of raising $30,000, which definitely seems like a lot, especially for a band that has been away for so long. But in less than an hour, they managed to come up with this money and now, with close to two months to go, they’ve already passed $150,000.

The fact that an artist can generate this much support in so little time is incredible, and while both the band’s music and the fan love play a big role, the creative potential that Kickstarter allows had to be a huge factor as well. Of course, fans are more likely to invest their money if they get something unique in return. Some of the smaller prizes for Five Iron Frenzy’s Kickstarter include a signed CD, a drumstick and a t-shirt. But they stretched their imagination by offering a date with the band, post cards with messages from the members, the opportunity to give one of the members a wedgie and a personal guitar lesson. Obviously, these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities if you’re a fan of the band.

Five Iron Frenzy used Kickstarter to its full potential. We think other artists can definitely learn from them!

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