Tim Nekritz nekritz@gmail.com
Crowdfunding Transforms Ways for Local Creatives to Find Support ‘The rise of crowdfunding platforms, such as Kickstarter, IndieGogo, GoFundMe, Patreon and the late PledgeMusic, has changed the game of funding projects’
TIM NEKRITZ is director of news and media for SUNY Oswego, where he spearheads telling the stories of the campus community.
Local authors, artists find a way to raise money online for their projects
T
hrough much of the modern pop culture era, if you wanted to record an album or undertake an ambitious artistic project, you either needed a) the support of a record company, publisher or wealthy patron or b) to scrape together the cash to do it yourself. But the rise of crowdfunding platforms, such as Kickstarter, IndieGogo, GoFundMe, Patreon and the late PledgeMusic, changed the game and turned the beat around. You don’t have to look far around Central New York to find folks who have turned this direction to transform artistic dreams into reality. Platforms vary in use, duration and rules. For example, if you run a Kickstarter campaign trying to raise $5,000 to make a record, and you raise $4,999.99, Kickstarter won’t enable funding on the project. This encourages realistic goals and for participants to really hustle to fulfill their campaign. Patreon has become increasingly popular with people who have ongoing work. Musicians might use Kickstarter for a record, but Patreon for year-over-year support where patrons get a variety of rewards and the satisfaction of allowing their favorite artists to focus on creative work. Gina Holsopple — a musician, music teacher and owner of Gina Marie Music Studio in Oswego — has used Kickstarter and Patreon in these ways. “I’ve seen a good deal of success, at least meeting the goals that I set for myself,” Holsopple said. “I used Kickstarter, which had a finite goal with a deadline. It was more work and higher stakes, but the pressure made me do the work. I’ve also done Patreon. Its ongoing nature makes it harder to sustain, but it was a fun way to engage with folks.”
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Crowdfunding is far from a magic bullet, as it involves ongoing effort, especially if perks include new unreleased songs or other items per month or year. “It does take a lot of work and energy to maintain the crowdfunding source and engage in a sufficient enough manner to make it lucrative,” Holsopple said. “When done correctly, I think it is a brilliant way for artists and audiences to engage. As an artist, I had to make sure that I was showing up fully and completely, which isn’t always easy especially for the longer-term crowdfunding platforms.” But crowdfunding opportunities also allow artists to better know their fans and build communities. “I was not expecting the lovely community feel that popped up around the crowdfunding moments,” Holsopple said. “It is not just about asking for money, and also not just a way to give artists money,” she added. “The most successful crowdfunding stories are ones where a community is engaged, created and led by the artist to begin with, but then supported and fed by the entire community as it goes. It becomes a living, breathing experience. I was new in my understanding both times I used crowdfunding platforms, but I loved the moments it created.”
Tim’s Notes
Crowdfunding music education Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers is a CNY singer, songwriter, teacher and performer who literally wrote a book on the craft, “The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour’s Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording and Business.” Rodgers has funded an album release through Kickstarter, but uses Patreon to offer music as well as guitar and songwriting
