Crowdfunding for Musicians: Using Kickstarter, Patreon and More to Get Paid for Your Music

by Laser Malena-Webber

Overview

(Berklee Guide). Crowdfund your music career! Use Kickstarter, Patreon, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding tools to connect to your fan base and run a successful fundraising campaign. Mobilize your fans to support your next album, tour, video, or other music project, or to create a steady fan-sourced income stream to support your career as a musician. Develop effective strategies for successful campaigns, including timing, networking, press relations, reward levels, and more. You will learn not only how to increase your income, but generally to optimize your career and art while connecting with your fan base. Interviews with artists and industry insiders offer real-world stories and practical advice. Whether you have a label, manager, and large fan base, or just want to record your very first music, this book will help you achieve success as an independent artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780876392003
Publisher:	Hal Leonard Corporation
Publication date:	09/01/2019
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Laser Malena-Webber is a musician (half of the Doubleclicks), record label owner, producer, and crowdfunding consultant. They have crowdfunded hundreds of thousands of dollars for indie-artist music projects.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Introduction vii

What This Book Is For ix

Part I Crowdfunding and the Online Musician 1

1 Intro to Crowdfunding 3

What Is Crowdfunding? 3

Pros and Cons of Crowdfunding 4

What Are the Different Crowdfunding Platforms? 5

Choosing a Platform 10

Why Do Crowdfunding Campaigns Succeed or Fail? 12

2 Building a Crowd on Social Media 15

Quantity 18

Access 26

Investment 31

Preparing Your Web and Social Media Presence for a Crowdfunding Campaign 37

How to Use YouTube to Boost a Music Career 41

Part II The Logistics of Crowdfunding 45

3 Turning the Dream into a Plan! 47

Preparing a One-Time Project (Kickstarter, Indiegogo) 47

Interview with Hayley Rosenblum (Patreon Manager for Amanda Palmer) 54

Preparing an Ongoing Campaign (Patreon, Bandcamp Subscriptions) 58

For Any Kind of Project 60

4 Planning a One-Time Campaign 65

Goal-Setting 65

Rewards 76

Budget on Kickstarter 82

Interview with Meredith Graves (Director of Music at Kickstarter) 85

5 Ongoing Campaigns 91

Creating Tiers 92

Goals and Progress 94

Budgeting 95

6 Creating a Crowdfunding Page 97

Making a One-Time Project Page 99

The Rewards/Tiers Section 107

The Video 108

Making an Ongoing Campaign Page 111

Part III Spreading the Word 115

7 Making a Marketing Plan 117

Know Where Your Audience Is 118

Be One Click Away 118

Make a Schedule for Promotion 120

Use Data to Optimize Your Promotion 121

Make It a "Thing" 122

Crowdfunding for the Non-Famous, with Kevin Cole 123

8 Promoting a One-Time Campaign 127

Promoting Your Project without Exhausting Everyone You Love 127

Good Ways to Promote Your Project 130

What Makes a Good Crowdfunding Campaign Update? 134

When Should You Post about Your Project? 136

Storytime: The Month of GIFs! 138

9 Promoting an Ongoing Campaign 141

Getting Early Momentum 141

Communicating with Your Patrons 143

Ending or Pausing an Ongoing Campaign 146

10 Press Placements and Going Viral 147

How to Be Newsworthy 148

Make a Great Press Kit 149

Make a Database and Maintain Relationships 149

Research New Potential Coverage 151

Write a Press Release 152

How to Send a Great Email and a Great Follow-Up Email 152

Interview with Music Critic David Greenwald 155

Thinking Beyond the Press 161

Part IV Following through When It's Over: Next Steps 165

11 From Funding Campaign to Product Launch: Fulfilling Your Project 167

Say Thank You! 167

Get Your Money 168

The Survey: Getting the Information You Need to Fulfill Your Promises 168

Add-Ons 172

Make Your Thing (Your Art and Your Items!) 172

Fulfillment 173

Releasing an Album through Crowdfunding 177

Stay in Touch with Your Backers! 178

What Happens when Something Goes Wrong? 179

Get Ready for Next Time 182

Afterword 183

Appendix: Recommended Reading 184

Index 186

About the Author 194