It seems more and more artists are using the fundraising site Kickstarter.com (me being one of them.) For those (two of you) who aren’t familiar, Kickstarter is basically a site where fans can pledge dollar amounts set by the artist, and depending on how much they pledge, in return the fans can get everything from the record itself to extras such as merch items, guest list spots at local shows, even live house concerts in the fans living rooms and songwriting sessions via Skype. It’s a great way to cut out the middle man, let the fans directly support the artists they enjoy, and keep the pipeline from artist to fan more direct.
I recently had a lengthy discussion with a friend who used to pursue music asking me the ins and outs of doing a Kickstarter campaign, and he said it sounded like “artistic welfare” in a way. That this way of approaching making music takes the “work” out of the equation and lets the artists be lazy, sit back, and watch the money roll in without actually putting any effort into it. I asked where he was coming from with this idea and he showed me this video that’s been circulating some:
I don’t know Nathan from Spoken Nerd personally and I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but as a working independent musician I find this video and it’s approach a bit misleading, ignorant, and mildly offensive. He’s basically insinuating that if an artist or band uses Kickstarter to raise funds for a record or project then that takes all the “hard work” out of it. And although that might not be his intent, that’s what he’s getting across.
At the very least, Kickstarter takes some of the stress out of the financial wonder of when an artist will have enough money to fund a project, and let’s them focus on making it and making it good. But it also isn’t a guarantee either, as I found out when my Kickstarter campaign didn’t work completely. I know a few artists who’ve used Kickstarter and actually had to spend more money and extra work just putting together the different packages for those who pledged. It’s worth it though, as a thanks to fans who support what we do, and more specifically supported the record that was “kickstarted.” It’s a cool and fun way to get fans involved in the record making process. It’s essentially a pre-order with extra goodies.
Being a full time musician is an entrepreneurial effort, not unlike starting a small business. I’ve heard it my whole life, and I’m tired of my profession being belittled because the general public doesn’t know what goes into it. It is the DEFINITION of “hard work.” There is no consistent paycheck, there is no guarantee that bills will be paid each month, there is no guarantee that work will even be there when we need it. We have to wake up everyday and put in “HARD WORK” to get it done, make contacts, practice, book shows (which in and of itself is tedious and mind-numbing), get merch designed, order merch, sell merch, play shows, sell OURSELVES to potential clients/venues, PRACTICE! It is (to quote Jerry Maguire) an “up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege that I cannot fully tell you about.” In other words, it’s HARD WORK. Sometimes I wish I could just work the counter at Whole Foods, clock out and come home and relax. But I can’t. Because if I’m not working for me and my music, no one is.
I don’t want to come off for a second as complaining about what I do. This is my “chosen” profession, but I don’t want it to be discounted either because others may not understand what goes into it. Sometimes (most times) it feels like a form of self-abuse, but it is my passion and I will continue to pursue it because I believe that it is important, if anything, for my well-being.
The other thing that really bothered me about Nathan’s video is that he is condescending to those who use Kickstarter as being “lazy” essentially, but at the end tacks on that if you want to give him money go to his Bandcamp.com site and “pre-order” his record! THAT’S WHAT KICKSTARTER IS!!!! IT’S A PRE-ORDER THAT HELPS FUND A PROJECT!!
Listen, I’m fine with everyone having opinions on how things work, you can see that I have mine. But this wasn’t a thing that Nathan from Spoken Nerd said at the merch table at a show, or amongst friends in a private setting. He had production value, a nice camera, editing, etc and that meant he had time enough to think through what he was saying. So maybe he wanted to ruffle some feathers and get some attention. But I think that if you’re going to make blanket statements that can come off as judgmental about something, maybe consider all the angles first…actually no, just don’t make blanket statements, that’s the true lesson here.
