Kickstarter Pledge Rewards

I was talking to some one that is thinking of doing a kickstarter campaign for an album. I told him some of my experiences, my likes and peeves. It made me think of asking everyone here what they liked and didn't like about kickstarter campaigns. So, what have you liked, what have you hated, and what would you like to see from your favorite band?

I like to see my favorite bands release sh*t on their own & then I'll pay for it. I avoid these kickstarter things like the plague.

Honestly I pledged on a project in '13 that was supposed to be released in September of that same year and nothing's come out of it. I honestly think the dude used it to pay for his college tuition that year and what's worse is on his FB and Twitter pages he'd always post stuff about being in one part of the world one day and two days later somewhere else, etc and has released next to nothing on the progress of his album. At least pledgers got a demo of a song upon pledging I guess... it would be nice to be able to file a complaint.

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I like to see my favorite bands release sh*t on their own & then I'll pay for it. I avoid these kickstarter things like the plague.

^^ What he said. I've never Kickstarted, GoFundMe'd or IndieGoGo'd.

I will admit that I was tempted to take part when Raven ran a Kickstarter fund to defray the costs of recording their last album, ExtermiNation, but I never pulled the trigger on it.

I've only done a few, myself. Trick is, you need to go with someone who has already put something out - ideally on their own. Those people know the game, know about production delays and real world costs. Where people seem to get taken are with bands used to someone else (labels, etc.) handling that crap for them.

If someone new to the scene wants to genuinely get trust from the outset lacking that knowledge and experience, the best I can suggest is to offer some sort of download EP (as an example) for free as an instant reward so at least backers know they're getting something for their trouble.

Also, keeping the cost of the product reasonable is essential. I have no interest in paying $50 for a single CD. Nope. Not even once. And yet, there are bands that ask this and it's absurd. Now, if we're talking $25-$30 because you're subsidizing a limited run and the studio time, it's expensive, but it's reasonable. If you're charging that for a double disc like Devin Townsend did when he ran his Casualties of Cool kickstarter, you're really cooking with gas.

So, keep it realistic on the pricing front and make sure people know you've got skin in the game and won't just walk with the cash. Best advice I could offer to someone looking to use it as a tool for the first time.

Oh, and COMMUNICATION. Let people know you're still aware of them even while you're working on the project.

I would not pledge anything for a band to record a new album, even if they are one of my favorite artists/ bands as I just don't trust the process. Like Runicen said, if they are un experienced then too much can go wrong too quickly; and you have simply made a donation to someone in the hopes of getting something back. At the risk of sounding like an a hole, some part of me feels that if you have to resort to this then your time has passed and you should call it a career. But, I know that applies mostly to older bands and not a new artist.

To answer the op's original question, I would say constant updates, a timetable that is followed, and a perk or bonus like exclusive EP or shirt, and maybe even autograph all pledge member copies.

I've participated in two so far, and for the most part received what I paid for. There were a few hiccups, but nothing bad. I've learned enough in this day and age, that nothing goes as planned and that there usually is going to be a delay.

I did tell him that communication is key. One campaign went silent for a while and took time to answer a question I had.

What are things that you would like to receive besides a CD?

I did it once for the last Raven album. While it was an overall decent experience, I'm not likely to do it again. Just not really my thing.

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What are things that you would like to receive besides a CD?

Nothing really. I did the Raven one because they kicked in an extra exclusive cd of cover tunes. The signed stuff, patches, etc. were nice, but nothing I really need or want. Just gimme the cd!!

The KS for Kobra & the Lotus includes a workout session with Kobra as one of the rewards. Lol.

deathisgain wrote:

I've participated in two so far, and for the most part received what I paid for. There were a few hiccups, but nothing bad. I've learned enough in this day and age, that nothing goes as planned and that there usually is going to be a delay.

I did tell him that communication is key. One campaign went silent for a while and took time to answer a question I had.

What are things that you would like to receive besides a CD?

That's tough because your friend is the "new kid on the block." When you've got a fanbase established, you can do things like offering a "deluxe" version with covers, demos, or jams. That was the appeal of the Devin Townsend setup for me.

Basically, if I were your friend, I'd start the thing up, keep it modest (i.e. JUST downloads and CDs), and keep the door open where if enough interest is drummed up, there could be stretch goals and bonuses for people. If the price is low enough, people may jump on board just to see if it pans out and keeping the goal modest makes that a lot more possible. Get one or two of those projects successfully completed, and then your friend can look at t-shirts and other kinds of merch.

Keep it simple (and cheap enough that people are more likely to be willing to take a chance) for the first run.

This actually is for an established artist that has a fanbase. He hasn't done anything in 20 years and is thinking about going this route.

Thanks for all the input so far.

I've only pledged for the upcoming Gary Numan album, although he is very much behind, so I doubt it will be released on schedule. I'm getting a signed lyric sheet. It is with PledgeMusic.

I've given to a couple Kickstarters, but not for music. One was for an Atari 2600 version of Star Castle and another was for a magazine issue with t-shirt. Got my rewards just fine.

I did hear that Matthew Sweet had a Kickstarter for one of his albums quite a while back and fans have been complaining about not receiving their rewards. An established artist like that. Strange.

I've backed 13 Kickstarters thus far. I'm a big fan of the process. It does get abused at times but I've had great luck overall.

The thing people fail to understand is that Kickstarter is not a content delivery system. Its for fans who want to support the artist building something. Don't want to pay $20 for a CD? Don't kickstart it and don't complain about it, it will be available on release for $12.

That being said the artist needs to have an incentive for backing. If you are offering a CD, have it signed. Offer something exclusive. I've seen artists have pledge levels for effects pedals, lyric sheets etc. Something unique that you can't get anywhere else.

80s Metal Lady wrote:

I've only pledged for the upcoming Gary Numan album, although he is very much behind, so I doubt it will be released on schedule. I'm getting a signed lyric sheet. It is with PledgeMusic.

I've given to a couple Kickstarters, but not for music. One was for an Atari 2600 version of Star Castle and another was for a magazine issue with t-shirt. Got my rewards just fine.

I did hear that Matthew Sweet had a Kickstarter for one of his albums quite a while back and fans have been complaining about not receiving their rewards. An established artist like that. Strange.

Wow. Matthew Sweet had a problem with fulfillment? That's weird - I always had the impression he was very fan-focused. Any chance that's old info and people have long since gotten their stuff?

Oh, and not to veer too far off topic, but how is the Numan campaign shaping up? I gathered he was behind schedule, but how's it going otherwise? Music shaping up to be interesting?

Runicen wrote:

Wow.  Matthew Sweet had a problem with fulfillment?  That's weird - I always had the impression he was very fan-focused.  Any chance that's old info and people have long since gotten their stuff?

Oh, and not to veer too far off topic, but how is the Numan campaign shaping up?  I gathered he was behind schedule, but how's it going otherwise?  Music shaping up to be interesting?

I saw some comments on his Facebook page not long ago. I don't know when the awards were supposed to go out. Seems like the Kickstarter was a long time ago, but I don't think the album is even out yet. I don't follow him closely, but his Kickstarter was the first I heard of such a thing. I remember thinking, "Why does Matthew Sweet need fans to help finance his album?" Guess there were really cool awards, though.

Gary Numan finished one song so far. It was pretty good. I remembered it well after first hearing it. Actually caught myself humming it. Always a good sign. It's still that heavy, dark, industrial sound he's been into the last couple decades. He's very far behind. He has a lot of other projects and obligations that get in the way. He realizes his October goal is probably unrealistic.

I get that you can't schedule creativity, but it seems really weird that Numan isn't enough of an old hand at this to keep things rolling along.

Then again, I think he needs to stop trying so hard to be Trent Reznor and just unclench a bit, but that's a whole different topic of conversation.

Runicen wrote:

I get that you can't schedule creativity, but it seems really weird that Numan isn't enough of an old hand at this to keep things rolling along.

Then again, I think he needs to stop trying so hard to be Trent Reznor and just unclench a bit, but that's a whole different topic of conversation.  

Yeah, he even said his wife questioned his album release goal date,

80s Metal Lady wrote:

Runicen wrote:

I get that you can't schedule creativity, but it seems really weird that Numan isn't enough of an old hand at this to keep things rolling along.

Then again, I think he needs to stop trying so hard to be Trent Reznor and just unclench a bit, but that's a whole different topic of conversation.  

Yeah, he even said his wife questioned his album release goal date,

Haha. That poor woman. Helping to raise three young girls AND living with Gary Numan. That's gotta be an experience.

I sometimes wonder what would happen if you took these veteran acts and gave them a month to record an album. No do-overs, no remakes, no second chances. Would they reclaim that sort of "can do" attitude from their youth or not?

I've done a number of these. Some are just like pre-ordering where you get nothing but lame updates until the album is released, but others have been a really cool experience. I like when bands do a lot of video updates, show the recording process, talk about the album, share demo clips, etc. It's like a live documentary of sorts.

Runicen wrote:

I sometimes wonder what would happen if you took these veteran acts and gave them a month to record an album.  No do-overs, no remakes, no second chances.  Would they reclaim that sort of "can do" attitude from their youth or not?

Gary Numan has also been handling the business side of his career. He mentioned in one of his update videos regretting not having a manager to handle such things. It takes a lot of his time. They recently released the live recording of the show I went to at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery back in October 2013. That release was still taking up his time when he started the PledgeMusic project.

When my friend's band, Unbidden, recorded their album in 2010, I donated $10 to them towards making the album. I don't think they were using Kickstarter, but I donated $10 and got thanked in the album booklet.

I pledged $10 for Kevin Max's new album and got an advance digital download of 8 songs and the rest to follow which slaked my thirst for new music by him.

Required Fields wrote:

When my friend's band, Unbidden, recorded their album in 2010, I donated $10 to them towards making the album. I don't think they were using Kickstarter, but I donated $10 and got thanked in the album booklet.

You might want to give them another $10. They don't seem to be able to release any music without it.

This might be a stupid question (and I know it won't apply to everyone) but what about a fan club? I know that Maiden's FC is ridiculous so they are probably a bad example, but what about another long time artist with a cult following like Dream Theater? They release a ton of FC exclusive CD's (of which I own 4) which are only available through the club membership. I guess what I am saying is hit up the FC first (if you have one) or maybe turn kickstarter into a sort of fan club? Idk? This sounded better in my head.

the sentinel wrote:

This might be a stupid question (and I know it won't apply to everyone) but what about a fan club? I know that Maiden's FC is ridiculous so they are probably a bad example, but what about another long time artist with a cult following like Dream Theater? They release a ton of FC exclusive CD's (of which I own 4) which are only available through the club membership. I guess what I am saying is hit up the FC first (if you have one) or maybe turn kickstarter into a sort of fan club? Idk? This sounded better in my head.

Pearl Jam's FC is amazing. My buddy has been a member since '96 and he has a score of swag from them. Every Xmas they send a 45 vinyl of unreleased shit.