It’s nearly impossible for an independent artist to earn a livable salary with the current music industry standards, where the artists earn a miniscule portion of sales revenue. Even on new streaming services like Spotify, it takes millions of plays before an artist can even bring in something substantial. Touring brings in the majority of revenue, and even then an artist has to eclipse a certain point of popularity to keep the shows flowing. It’s a situation that’s next to impossible to profit from, and like many quality works of film the creation budget often exceeds the final revenue. There’s no clear fix, either. The music industry is not one where a union strike will work; artists will always choose their greatest chance for exposure, even if it means giving the majority of proceeds to a record label. Rather than attempting to solve these discrepancies by turning the industry upside down, many musicians are opting for a more grassroots approach that asks fans for financial backing, rather than the ravenous execs who simply look upon artists as a monetary symbol, rather than a cultural staple.
Artists are generally sympathetic to fans downloading their album for free, as long as they support the artist in some form via shows or merchandise. After all, most fans are aware of the revenue split, and rather than handing their hard-earned money to one of the record label giants, wouldn’t they rather put cash directly in an artist’s hands? Apart from a 5% commission fee it collects, Kickstarter is a service that enables musicians to collect funding directly from fans, to supplement anything from a recording budget to an expansive tour. As a perk, fans who donate to the cause often receive a gift when the funding project is completed. This can be anything from an autographed copy of an album to free concert tickets and a meet and greet. And best of all, fans are supporting the artists they love, not the record labels they’re contractually bound to. What better way to show your love to an artist you admire? It’s the next best thing to knocking on a band’s garage door and putting cash in their hands.
Unfortunately, human nature always leaves the door open for exploitation, even from well-meaning musicians. There have already been several music-related Kickstarter controversies the past year, the one most notable involving Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer. Palmer recruited touring musicians on Kickstarter and initially paid them out in “beer, hugs, merch, free tickets, and love”, which drew the ire of many music industry vets including producer Steve Albini, who pointed out that an artist with Palmer’s elevated status and income should never resort to exploiting fans for nothing, even if they were entirely willing to perform for free. After backlash from the musical community, Palmer started paying the collaborators in cash. This was after Palmer raised $1.2 million on Kickstarter for the production of her new album, Theater Is Evil. Knowing that, it’s safe to say that Palmer was wrong in not initially paying those who provided her a service. Another benefit of Kickstarter is that it makes collected donations publicly available, like in this case. Fans can see just how much an artist is hoarding, like when Animal Collective’s Deakin issued an apology after raising $26,000 in donations designed to fund a trip to Mali. He never paid donators out with the specified gifts, and was later accused of using the donations as a vacation fund. According to Deakin, all the funds were donated to TEMEDT, but it just goes to show to be careful when donating – even if it’s one of your favorite bands.
Even with certain precautions like these, the positives of Kickstarter for independent musicians cannot be overlooked. It has been an essential tool for many up-and-coming artists with little means of exposure and profit. Kickstarter even has a selection of music “Staff Picks”, with linked pages to the Kickstarter pages of promising artists. These are the type of artists who are happy with even a $5 donation, as they slowly inch closer toward their goal. Kickstarter is becoming a surprising place to discover new talent, in addition to supporting it directly. With something like “Staff Picks”, it’s great to see the site embracing its power to change the music industry, even if ever so slightly. Artists shouldn’t expect to bring in $1.2 million like Amanda Palmer, but then again most artists don’t need such extravagant tours and extras. It’s very realistic for a quality artist on Kickstarter to make a few thousand bucks, rewarding both themselves and fans alike with knowing that an album was funded by admiring fans, and not money-hungry record execs.
How Kickstarter is Revolutionizing Music Funding
It’s nearly impossible for an independent artist to earn a livable salary with the current music industry standards, where the artists earn a miniscule portion of sales revenue. Even on new streaming services like Spotify, it takes millions of plays before an artist can even bring in something substantial. Touring brings in the majority of revenue, and even then an artist has to eclipse a certain point of popularity to keep the shows flowing. It’s a situation that’s next to impossible to profit from, and like many quality works of film the creation budget often exceeds the final revenue. There’s no clear fix, either. The music industry is not one where a union strike will work; artists will always choose their greatest chance for exposure, even if it means giving the majority of proceeds to a record label. Rather than attempting to solve these discrepancies by turning the industry upside down, many musicians are opting for a more grassroots approach that asks fans for financial backing, rather than the ravenous execs who simply look upon artists as a monetary symbol, rather than a cultural staple.
Artists are generally sympathetic to fans downloading their album for free, as long as they support the artist in some form via shows or merchandise. After all, most fans are aware of the revenue split, and rather than handing their hard-earned money to one of the record label giants, wouldn’t they rather put cash directly in an artist’s hands? Apart from a 5% commission fee it collects, Kickstarter is a service that enables musicians to collect funding directly from fans, to supplement anything from a recording budget to an expansive tour. As a perk, fans who donate to the cause often receive a gift when the funding project is completed. This can be anything from an autographed copy of an album to free concert tickets and a meet and greet. And best of all, fans are supporting the artists they love, not the record labels they’re contractually bound to. What better way to show your love to an artist you admire? It’s the next best thing to knocking on a band’s garage door and putting cash in their hands.
Unfortunately, human nature always leaves the door open for exploitation, even from well-meaning musicians. There have already been several music-related Kickstarter controversies the past year, the one most notable involving Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer. Palmer recruited touring musicians on Kickstarter and initially paid them out in “beer, hugs, merch, free tickets, and love”, which drew the ire of many music industry vets including producer Steve Albini, who pointed out that an artist with Palmer’s elevated status and income should never resort to exploiting fans for nothing, even if they were entirely willing to perform for free. After backlash from the musical community, Palmer started paying the collaborators in cash. This was after Palmer raised $1.2 million on Kickstarter for the production of her new album, Theater Is Evil. Knowing that, it’s safe to say that Palmer was wrong in not initially paying those who provided her a service. Another benefit of Kickstarter is that it makes collected donations publicly available, like in this case. Fans can see just how much an artist is hoarding, like when Animal Collective’s Deakin issued an apology after raising $26,000 in donations designed to fund a trip to Mali. He never paid donators out with the specified gifts, and was later accused of using the donations as a vacation fund. According to Deakin, all the funds were donated to TEMEDT, but it just goes to show to be careful when donating – even if it’s one of your favorite bands.
Even with certain precautions like these, the positives of Kickstarter for independent musicians cannot be overlooked. It has been an essential tool for many up-and-coming artists with little means of exposure and profit. Kickstarter even has a selection of music “Staff Picks”, with linked pages to the Kickstarter pages of promising artists. These are the type of artists who are happy with even a $5 donation, as they slowly inch closer toward their goal. Kickstarter is becoming a surprising place to discover new talent, in addition to supporting it directly. With something like “Staff Picks”, it’s great to see the site embracing its power to change the music industry, even if ever so slightly. Artists shouldn’t expect to bring in $1.2 million like Amanda Palmer, but then again most artists don’t need such extravagant tours and extras. It’s very realistic for a quality artist on Kickstarter to make a few thousand bucks, rewarding both themselves and fans alike with knowing that an album was funded by admiring fans, and not money-hungry record execs.
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