About a month ago I decided to start work on my newest album. I’ve always considered myself an “indie” musician but this time I wanted to do it without a record label. Why? Because when you really break it down, record labels are just banks handing you a loan. The minute you go into debt it weighs you down and can really derail your creativity. I considered my options and found that crowd funding, Kickstarter in particular, was the perfect answer.
The first time I saw Kickstarter it filled me with renewed hope. The concept was so simple it’s shocking it wasn’t it wide use before hand. Perfect strangers could watch your pitch video and choose to help you with your project by donating, widely known as Crowd Funding. Musicians can offer up rewards in exchange for pledges. The rewards go from basics like cds, shirts and posters to the more unexpected like personal live performances or dinner with the band. After watching about a few hundred videos I made my own video and smiled from ear to ear when the first pledge came in.
At a time when musicians are needed to be ultra-famous in order to succeed by industry standards, it’s good to see a group like the Kickstarter team who are so openly backing the creativity aspect . This might all sound like a one sided love letter but what can I say? They won me over. What also appealed to me was that a musician or band wasn’t stuck just doing one type of project. You can raise money for any aspect of making music from making a single, an ep, a full length album or things like merchandise, gas money for a tour and music videos. It’s a little like playing on the street corner but now that street corner is the world wide web.
Getting a record label deal used to be the brass ring for a musician. Everybody has that fantasy of walking into a big office and having someone tell you that you are a superstar. That you are worth a million bucks or at least an investment on their part. But all that seems to have come to an end in the last few years. Want people to hear your music? Put it on iTunes yourself. Got a video? Post it on YouTube. Want to go on tour? Book the shows yourself online.
The Do It Yourself ethic of the early punk days is back with a new modern twist. With everyone so easily connected thanks to social media it’s become simple for people to find YOU and become a fan. So why bother with a record label? Why have someone give you a loan that you have to pay back with huge interest and in some cases give them a say in how you make your music or even change the songs themselves? The answer is easy. It’s not worth it.
My own album is still slowly working towards it’s goal (which you can see in the links). It takes a little work but still better than going to a record label and jumping through hoops. It’s a wonderful time to be an independent musician. With it’s simplicity and world wide reach Kickstarter may be the final nail in the record label coffin and I for one won’t miss them at all.