piaptk Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I am starting the enormous task of processing all of the pledges for a Kickstarter that got funded a while back, (2xLP tribute to Kris Kristofferson) and was interested in some feedback about people's experiences with Kickstarter. I know that I've pledged to several that never came through on their end, but I'm looking more for feedback on Kickstarters that really came through above and beyond. For example, my Kickstarter, while not quite making enough to fully fund the project, raised almost twice my goal, so I solicited an extra track from one of the most popular bands on the tribute and pressed a flexi disc as a special bonus that I am putting in free for everyone who pledged at the physical level. I also letterpressed a bunch of thank you cards and am writing a personal thank you to all 155 people who pledged. What things like that have you gotten with your Kickstarters? Did you get more than you bargained for? Was there a personal touch that you really liked?Did you actually care, or not? Was it a band/project that you were already a fan of, or did you just stumble across it. And if you weren't already a fan, are you now? Thanks! Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I've pledged for a few projects and have had varying satisfaction with the final package. #1 thing I have taken out of it is get the project done as soon as possible. If you say the record will come out in 6 months it better be in my hands within 6 months of the funding ending. lexicondevil 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themean Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Best: Nothing. Kickstarter for records sucks. Worst: Every single one of these lazy ass projects. Pay for your own fucking record. monsterrod and kk-downing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterrod Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The Black Month Super Rainbow Kickstarter was handled magnificently. He raised WAY more than the goal, so at certain intervals beyond the original goal, he would add extra items free of charge. We wound up with some extra stickers and an additional free 12" record. He also was fastidious about the updates (the updates are VERY important, in my opinion) and got everything out right when he said he would. How he managed to get all the CDs, two albums (some autographed with a huge personalized drawing), t-shirts, posters, latex Halloween masks (some 75 of which were spray painted to make unique masks), etc. out by the deadline was amazing. And, like I said, he was excellent about keeping the backers up to date with the progress as well as any hiccups that occurred along the way. So in short, meeting your deadline and keeping the backers updated are the two most important aspects of a successful Kickstarter, in my opinion. As for the bad: I'm a backer of the Old Canes 7" series and after nothing to show for it two years after meeting the goal, and with only three (? three or four) updates over the course of those two years, I'd consider that a textbook example of how not to handle a Kickstarter. piaptk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmoVeganBoy Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Best: Nothing. Kickstarter for records sucks. Worst: Every single one of these lazy ass projects. Pay for your own fucking record. YesPlease, GradedOnACurve and nivek87 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterrod Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Best: Nothing. Kickstarter for records sucks. Worst: Every single one of these lazy ass projects. Pay for your own fucking record. First I thought, "Who's this asshole?" Then I saw that it was themean and it felt so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piaptk Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 I was originally in the same camp as you themean. However, this was a 2xLP vinyl comp tribute (one of the least popular vinyl formats) to one of the most underrated (and unknown by anyone under 60) songwriters in the world. I knew very well that there was no way I would be able to afford to press it and pay royalties on it. The whole thing cost $10,000+. And, through the Kickstarter, I had friends who have never bought my records (many of whom don't even have turntables) and random strangers come out of the woodwork to pledge to it, who would have probably never even heard of it, much less bought it. It is certainly something labels/artists should only do once, but it was the only way this thing could have happened, and everyone involved so far has been very happy with the outcome and the project.People want to support artists/labels/people that they love, and Kickstarter gives them a way to do it directly with minimal middleman interference, and I think that is what makes it successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicondevil Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I don't care to much about extra stuff, I just want my record/reward within a month of when it was actually promised. I shouldn't have to bug the kickstarter to send me my stuff. I've contributed to two and both took way longer than expected and not enough updates. I did get my stuff, but in both instances a lot of people were put off by the lack of communication and the long delay. Kickstarter has become a breeding ground for a lot of lazy ass people trying to get others to pay for something they should have worked and saved themselves to fund. Not all are like that, but many of them that I have seen just seem like bs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piaptk Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 I've pledged for a few projects and have had varying satisfaction with the final package. #1 thing I have taken out of it is get the project done as soon as possible. If you say the record will come out in 6 months it better be in my hands within 6 months of the funding ending. I feel ya... And they should always be very conservative about the amount of time that it will take. But, believe me, there are a million things out of your control that can go wrong. Pressing plants telling you they have a 2 month turnaround and then not getting you records for 6, etc. Or, a lot of time, I'm guessing that people don't have the money to pay for professional mastering, artwork, etc until the Kickstarter ends. Being dependent upon someone else when you are on a deadline is the worst. That being said, I intentionally overestimated the amount of time it would take, and am getting stuff out ahead of schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apirk Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I pledged to your kickstarter and am happy with how everything has happened so far. I really like that you give updates, which from past experiences of mine seems pretty rare, and it was great to get a digital version when it became available. piaptk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konk Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I have never browsed kickstarter. Most of what I would be interested in, would probably be posted here. I did miss out on the Bombpops one, but that was for a music video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mameeshkamowskwoz Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The Black Moth Super Rainbow one was awesome and if memory serves we're still going to get some more extras down the road (free download of a remix album.)Skerik's Bandalabra went smooth as did TW Walsh's Soft Drugs, the William Schaff/Jason Molina Graveface book and 10" and Office of Future Plans. I am getting a tiny antsy about the Digital Noise Academy LP, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yooooo Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I pledged to The Forecast's most recent and that went pretty fantastic. The record was awesome, it arrived at my door about when they said it would, and it was a limited variant of only 130 for those that pledged to the kickstarter. I've pledged a couple of non-record things too that went pretty well. I might be in the minority, but I've not had a bad experience with KS. To answer your questions in regard to The Forecast: Did you get more than you bargained for? No Was there a personal touch that you really liked? NoDid you actually care, or not? Not really. I just wanted my record. The kickstarter variant was cool, though Was it a band/project that you were already a fan of, or did you just stumble across it. And if you weren't already a fan, are you now? I was already a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxxo Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 For some good reading, Google: "Amanda Palmer" kickstarter scandal. Un-fucking-believable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piaptk Posted January 24, 2013 Author Share Posted January 24, 2013 I'm familiar with the Amanda Palmer thing, and I don't really care for her music, but I still don't really understand the outrage. If she really NEEDED the horn players, she would have hired pros to tour with her. I see her "Come play with us" invitation was a way to make a connection with fans. You get what you pay for, and trying to find a different set of musicians in every city, make sure they were good, rehearsed and know how to play would cost more than to have pros with you on tour. The people that ended up playing with her would no doubt detract from the show musically, but probably added some personality and excitement to the show. "My buddy Bob is playing pflugelhorn with Amanda Palmer tonight!". The Wrens did a similar thing a while back, where people could join them on stage and be "The fifth Wren". I would've killed to do it, and would have PAID to do it. There is also the accusation that people didn't "get their money's worth" from the pledge levels.. but they knew what they were getting when they pledged, and very few pledge levels on Kickstarter are ever full value, but they are generally way better than the genesis of the idea, which came from Pledge Drives... "Donate $100 and get this awesome coffee mug!". People pledge to support things they love... if they just want the record, they can wait until it comes out and buy it that way. If I'm missing anything on the Amanda Palmer thing, please fill me in. I've read a few things on it, but I'm not super familiar with the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courtesyandgoodwill Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 This kind of goes along with kick starter. But for those who pledged to the Dr Manhattan kick starter to press S/T. Did those who pledged only get the album on vinyl or are other copies available somewhere I'm not seeing online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
callen Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 TopCow cyberforce relaunch... help fund 5 free comic books... all sorts of perks.. got updates in and digital copies in October and November.. and then nothing... TESD vinylcast was good TESD puppet theatre so far is good.. regular updates signed up fo the Protest The Hero indiegogo... hope thats better than top cow experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paralyticstalks Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I pledged to the of Montreal kickstarter and while nothing has come in yet (documentary/LP expected to ship in march/april), the things they had as prizes were pretty cool. Props like the boat used in the Coquet Coquette music video, one of Kevin's huge dresses he wore at Coachella, ways you could watch the premiere with the band, backstage passes, and test pressings among other things. It raised like 20k over what it was supposed to. Pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oxxo Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 The Amanda Palmer story (like Animal Collective's Josh Dibbs) is more about accountability, e.g. from Amanda's page of where the money went: "7,000+ high-end CD-books & thank you cards cost about $15 a package to manufacture and ship. that’s $105,000." Total bullshit. She then, after the scandal, "postpones" her tour to stay by the side of an ailing friend for several months. Living on what income? Kickstarter money, of course. I'm just sayin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abovetheearth Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 or her husband, who is rich. nobodybrokeurheart 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Hundred Fifty-Two Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 This kind of goes along with kick starter. But for those who pledged to the Dr Manhattan kick starter to press S/T. Did those who pledged only get the album on vinyl or are other copies available somewhere I'm not seeing online? Message them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/drmanhattanboots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrc Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 funded the Be My Doppelganger LP in July. Still don't have the LP, but have gotten 2-4 updates since the project was funded. its been ok, but i don't think i will end up funding many if any others. There is something about musical kickstarter projects i just dont care for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodybrokeurheart Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 i won't stand for any Amanda Palmer besmirching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themean Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 I'm familiar with the Amanda Palmer thing, and I don't really care for her music, but I still don't really understand the outrage. If she really NEEDED the horn players, she would have hired pros to tour with her. I see her "Come play with us" invitation was a way to make a connection with fans... If I'm missing anything on the Amanda Palmer thing, please fill me in. I've read a few things on it, but I'm not super familiar with the details. Here is what you are missing. Regardless of the interesting possiblity you made up in your head, she stated that the reason for the unpaid "guests" is that she couldn't afford to pay a horn section to tour with her. Despite raising over $1 million on her kickstarter. Despite having a rich husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcarn Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Living with lions : Backed for vinyl, nothing ever showed up. A year later (after the expected ship date) they posted they had not forgotten about us.. they just did not account for shipping costs. 3 months and counting since then, still nothing. A!A!A! : Got an amazing test press, looks amazing. One of the coolest things I own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.