taylo234 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 It could just be me, but it seems all of the sudden a lot of bands have been relying on kickstarter. I understand up & coming unsigned bands need it to fund an album and all that, but it seems even bands signed to record labels are starting kickstarters for their next album. I feel like their using it just for unique/overpriced rewards now. Does anyone else feel this way? Obviously kickstarter has it pros, but sometimes it seems more of a cash grab to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamover Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 who cares? if you like it, pledge; if you don't, don't. any kickstarter project runs the risk of not hitting their goal and no one is holding a gun to their fans' heads. i've not pledged on bands i like cause i've thought their campaign is stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesomexloveus Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 i've felt this way since it's inception. i can see why it's useful for some things, but mostly bands use it because doing things that way is easier than getting a job and saving up their own money. kriss, chamb117, mattalica17 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bathroommonkey Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 i've backed three bands on kickstarter. none of the backings are leaving a sweet taste in my mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylo234 Posted March 20, 2013 Author Share Posted March 20, 2013 i've felt this way since it's inception. i can see why it's useful for some things, but mostly bands use it because doing things that way is easier than getting a job and saving up their own money. Exactly. It takes the hard work out of saving to record. Even now, you can record pretty much anything studio quality for fairly cheap just from your room. This way just makes a bunch of "exclusive" packages. Half of the kickstarters I see have pledges for around $1,000+ to hang out in the studio for a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudeboydh Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Yeah, I kinda agree. I thought the Big D and the Kids Table one was ridiculous... $50 for a damn record? Seriously? All the others have been fine, although it's been longer than what they said to get my rewards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamover Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 &Half of the kickstarters I see have pledges for around $1,000+ to hang out in the studio for a day. and anyone who pledges for those are idiots and deserve to lose their money. onlettingjoe 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Do you even capitalism? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coopadoop Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 If you watch the video for that new Todd (Glassjaw) and Tucker (Thursday) band on Kickstarter, its kind of disgusting. The band wants to record with a top tier producer who wants top tier money to record a band he really wants to record. Said producer is even featured in the video saying "please be generous"... or please pay me. They are trying to raise $18 k for a 5 song ep. That. Is. Stupid. taylo234 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 If you watch the video for that new Todd (Glassjaw) and Tucker (Thursday) band on Kickstarter, its kind of disgusting. The band wants to record with a top tier producer who wants top tier money to record a band he really wants to record. Said producer is even featured in the video saying "please be generous"... or please pay me. They are trying to raise $18 k for a 5 song ep. That. Is. Stupid. it's $20 for a 7" and digital ep. $35 if you want a CD EP in addition. In what world does that make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daegor Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 who cares? if you like it, pledge; if you don't, don't. any kickstarter project runs the risk of not hitting their goal and no one is holding a gun to their fans' heads. i've not pledged on bands i like cause i've thought their campaign is stupid. I'm inclined toward this viewpoint, however there have been some blatant examples of campaigns that take advantage of the fans. The most common one is probably raising money for touring. Do those fans get a free ticket? Never in any that I've seen. If they're funding the tour, they should be getting in for free. rudeboydh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudeboydh Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 ^ agreed 100%! I also don't think it'd hurt the band that much, seeing as once they get in, they'd probably buy something too. Any campaign that says "if we reach X amount of $ we can fix our van and tour!", pledgers should get in for free. lonesomexloveus and daegor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stl_ben Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Kickstarter = Veronica Mars Movie and because of that kickstarter is the best thing ever. SpazzyMcGee 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Kickstarter is the panhandling for the Internet age. firefoxUSSR, mmhmm, kriss and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Ramshackle Glory ftw koljou 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattisr1984 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 at first, i thought "well, whatever" but now im increasingly annoyed by it. im especially annoyed when they say "Hey, we're cuttin' out the middle man." no, you're not. you're just replacing the middle man who held you to an obligation to repay your debt with a group of people whom youve really got no obligation to at all. yeah, youll probably get your $20 7" or your $50 LP but spending that kind of money is not really beneficial to the "fan." really what i see in most of these videos are a bunch of washed up dudes clinging to a former glory that dont want to get a real job (or cant - should have thought twice about that sweet neck tat) and earn the things they want like everyone else does. taylo234 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniegwilliams Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I loathe kickstarter. I understand that it's a tougher market for bands to survive in an environment where everything is downloaded illegally and music sales are based upon singles and not CD sales, but musicians have always struggled to make it. Growing up, when you were in a band, you busted your ass to afford studio time, mass producing CDs, booking and promoting shows, and making it to the next city. You didn't ask your friends and fans to send you money to make music. firefoxUSSR and taylo234 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_jones Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 at first, i thought "well, whatever" but now im increasingly annoyed by it. im especially annoyed when they say "Hey, we're cuttin' out the middle man." no, you're not. you're just replacing the middle man who held you to an obligation to repay your debt with a group of people whom youve really got no obligation to at all. yeah, youll probably get your $20 7" or your $50 LP but spending that kind of money is not really beneficial to the "fan." really what i see in most of these videos are a bunch of washed up dudes clinging to a former glory that dont want to get a real job (or cant - should have thought twice about that sweet neck tat) and earn the things they want like everyone else does. well put. for real, at these prices it seems more exploitative than genuinely trying to get music to the fans. kickstarter is an awesome tool, and i think its huge for independent music industry. with that said, the rewards need to match the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Avatar Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 There are some kickstarters I find awesome, especially when they are low cost projects, such as some documentaries or shorts and or charity projects. I think it should be used as a pre-preorder, if anything. For $25, you can help us record AND put out a record. But truthfully, fuck that. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Devine, and as soon as I saw that his kickstarter had made his goal in two days, and that I wasn't getting the test press I was paying $60 for, I backed out. He made like $120k from it or something, and I was paying $30 per record, for a record that could be as bad as Concrete & Clouds. I think it's dumb that people are so trusting of their favorite artists, of people who have already made it and want more money. For starting bands looking to make $1000 and get donations from friends and families, however, I totally support that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 I agree that it is very overused and most of the time the artists are asking for way too much (as their goal). It's even worse when a label posses the campaign. I imagine this trend will fall by the way side. People that only pirate music will never back a project and once those who are willing to fund a kickstarter get burned, they'll never do it again. If bands want their fans to "invest" in their projects then they should try and offer a better incentive. In no other form of development would a company take investors many and not give them any type of consistent residuals post product release. taylo234 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chamb117 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 kickstarter for musicians is basically investing in a band and anticipating no return on your investment. sure, you get a reward at whichever level you paid, but its value rarely, if ever, exceeds what someone pays. and you never see a cent of the band's revenue beyond that. take out a fucking loan and make your own damn record. pay the interest on the loan. if anything, bands that take fucking forever to deliver on their gifts should pay interest on those gifts. edit: In no other form of development would a company take investors many and not give them any type of consistent residuals post product release. this. ronniegwilliams 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 It's like you guys have never heard of the concept of arts patronage. That's essentially what Kickstarter is becoming in the realm of music. People donate thousands of dollars a year to keep "fine arts" like orchestras, choirs, etc. functioning; this is just a more pop-culture-geared form of arts patronage, similar to how you might donate $100 to PBS and only get a tote bag in return. You're not paying for the tote bag; you're paying for the appreciation and hopeful continuation of the art that person/company is creating. 000000, SpazzyMcGee, turnstiles and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robotfactory Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 It's like you guys have never heard of the concept of arts patronage. That's essentially what Kickstarter is becoming in the realm of music. People donate thousands of dollars a year to keep "fine arts" like orchestras, choirs, etc. functioning; this is just a more pop-culture-geared form of arts patronage, similar to how you might donate $100 to PBS and only get a tote bag in return. You're not paying for the tote bag; you're paying for the appreciation and hopeful continuation of the art that person/company is creating. this. also, no one is forcing anyone to pledge these things. i actually really like the concept of helping artists i like put out records without having to deal with a label. my first kickstarter was the old canes kickstarter and that is the only one out of the 5 or 6 that i have done that have left a bad taste in my mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 pledge or don't. that's all. i spent $75 on kevin devine's, and i'm getting 3 records out of the deal. 3 records that i absolutely would have purchased regardless of his means of funding the project. and i can't be alone in believing that he intends to go beyond the call of duty with these releases simply because of the unexpected volume. edit: scott just nailed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhulud Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 While I agree with most of what has been said so far in both sides of the fence, it just seems that main issue is that more and more bands and artists are using Kickstarter as a crutch to make their "art". It's becoming more of the norm in a world where a $30 single LP is excusable. taylo234 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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