{"id":30493,"date":"2024-04-18T06:00:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T11:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberprmusic.com\/?p=20576"},"modified":"2024-08-22T17:40:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T17:40:59","slug":"crowdfunding-alternatives-to-pledge-music-for-musicians-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyberprmusic.com\/crowdfunding-alternatives-to-pledge-music-for-musicians-2\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fabulous Fundraising Platforms For Musicians"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You have a range of choices when it comes to crowdfunding your next project and building a strong, supportive community of fans.<\/h3>\n

Yes there are the traditional crowdfunding platforms and we’ll talk about those\u2014but there are also other platforms that can help you raise money, connect with fans, and grow your career. Take a look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Big Two<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I’m going to start with two crowdfunding platforms you already know. They are tried and true in crowdfunding for a reason, but, they are also not specifically tailored to musicians. Hang tight, we’ll get to those.<\/p>\n

\"Kickstarter<\/h4>\n

Platform #1: Kickstarter Crowdfunding<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is arguably the most recognized platform in the crowdfunding space. Kickstarter is open to art, design, fashion, film, tech, music projects, and more. Kickstarter is known for quite a few record-breaking campaigns, including the Pebble Watch, The Coolest Cooler, and Amanda Palmer\u2019s album-focused campaign that raised over 1M.<\/p>\n

Kickstarter takes 5% of all the money raised in a successful campaign, plus 3% and $0.20 per pledge for payment processing. For pledges under $10, there is a discounted rate of 5% plus $0.05 per pledge.<\/p>\n

PROS<\/strong>: It\u2019s the biggest platform with a wide variety of projects and campaigns.<\/p>\n

CONS:<\/strong> If a campaign is not successful (i.e., it doesn\u2019t reach its fundraising goal), the money is never collected from your donors. If you miss your goal by just $1, you get nothing.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/u><\/a><\/strong><\/span> to learn more about Kickstarter for musicians.<\/p>\n

\"Indiegogo<\/h4>\n

Platform #2: Indiegogo Crowdfunding<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Projects on Indiegogo range from education to technology to arts to community. With Indiegogo, if you want to raise money for charity,<\/a> you can register your campaign as a nonprofit.<\/p>\n

PROS:<\/strong> You can try a crowdfunding campaign and keep what was raised, regardless of whether you hit the goal or not. If your campaign is raising funds for a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, there is a 25% reduction in Indiegogo\u2019s fees, and your funders may be eligible for a tax write-off.<\/p>\n

CONS:<\/strong> Indiegogo collects 9% plus processing fees on all contributions. If your campaign reaches its goal, it refunds 5%, for a processing charge of 4% (plus the 3 to 5% charged by the credit card companies). It holds 5% of your funds until you reach your goal.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> to learn more about Indiegogo<\/p>\n

Music-Specific Platforms<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Platform #3: Volume.com Fan Club<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When it comes to giving back to your fanbase, Volume has found an easy way for musicians to create a community for their fans, and allow fans to give back monetarily and also show their support through connecting via livestreams.<\/p>\n

All you have to do is sign up for a Volume account<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and from there you can set up a Fan Club account and start earning money through that and your live streams!<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

PROS:<\/strong> I love this platform because they are exclusively dedicated to musicians and music and their staff is kind and approachable.\u00a0 So if you want help or tips you will be able to get direct support from them.<\/p>\n

CONS:<\/strong> Volume.com is a livestreaming platform so unless livestreaming is part of your strategy this won’t be a love match.<\/p>\n

David Cook who launched into stardom following his American Idol Season Seven win has a very active fanclub on Volume and you can see how he built it here.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Single<\/h4>\n

Platform #4: Single<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This article<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> on Hypebot\u00a0By CEO Tommy Stalknecht\u00a0and the team at\u00a0Single<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> grabbed my attention when it came out years ago and I have since connected with Tommy, who was generous enough to walk me and my whole team through two separate demos of how Single works.It’s another great option, made even better by them not taking as high a percentage as other platforms!<\/p>\n

PROS: <\/b>They take a flat fee vs. a percentage, so you stand to keep a lot more of your hard-earned crowdfunding cash.<\/p>\n

CONS:<\/b> The one caveat is that you need to master Shopify and install it on your site. If this is daunting, you can hire someone on Fiverr to assist you – there are dozens of vetted VAs on Fivrr<\/a> <\/b><\/u><\/span>to help you. You will need to create and build a lot yourself, and thread many levels for your campaign together.<\/p>\n

To re-create the “mockups” like Pledge (remember them?) or other platforms used to have, you will need to get them from a third party.<\/p>\n

I recommend Envato<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> and Placeit<\/b><\/u><\/span>.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Note: there are dozens of designs to choose from for almost anything you want to offer – here is a T-shirt and a tote example:
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Here is an excerpt from the article that gets to the heart of Single:<\/p>\n

How would I build my own \u201cdirect-to-fan\u201d campaign?<\/strong><\/p>\n

People build and maintain e-commerce storefronts using Shopify. The owner chooses a starting \u201ctheme\u201d, then customizes that theme to build out a store. Shopify has\u00a0excellent articles<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0about how to do all of that. Today we\u2019re focused on the Jumpstart theme<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0– a free template to create a crowdfunding campaign using Shopify.<\/p>\n

Shopify is amazing for generalized selling, but artists running their own campaigns will need music-specific features.\u00a0Single Music<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0powers pre-orders, bundles, digital downloads and SoundScan reporting.\u00a0Create a digital<\/b><\/u> <\/a><\/span>release in\u00a0Single and have it automatically sent to Shopify as a product. Add the release to any physical product in your Shopify store to create a bundle.<\/p>\n

What about other crowdfunding features?\u00a0<\/strong>Well\u2026 these are easy to replicate too. In fact, there are\u00a0a handful of 3rd party Shopify apps<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0that add functionality to your DIY crowdfunding campaign. Using\u00a0CrowdFunder<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0you can create multiple simultaneous campaigns, complete transactions regardless of your campaign meeting its goal, and create product pages that look nearly identical to those on traditional crowdfunding platforms.<\/p>\n

Why is this solution better than Bandcamp?\u00a0<\/strong>Whether you offer a digital standalone album or a digital album as part of a bundle, Single Music only charges you for album delivery, which is 15 cents \/ track (capped at $2 \/ album). This pricing is comparable to a service like\u00a0Bandcamp<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a0(and half the price of iTunes). Except, Bandcamp takes\u00a010% from your\u00a0physical merch\u00a0<\/em>sales<\/strong>. Single does not.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an ongoing pre-order campaign<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> for Todd Snider (these are great b\/c they contribute to your day 1 sales where you can make an impact on the charts.<\/p>\n

Take a look at Avril Lavigne<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> as well.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/b><\/u><\/a><\/span> to learn more about Single.<\/p>\n

\"Bandzoogle<\/h4>\n

Platform #5: Bandzoogle<\/strong><\/h3>\n

With their crowdfunding template, you can take album pre-orders, bundle digital music with CDs or vinyl, and create custom merch bundles and experiences for your fans. Like Single, these will be recorded with SoundScan. To do presales, you will have to become a Bandzoogle Pro plan member.<\/p>\n

This video walks you through the options:
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