As you know, my Kickstarter.com fundraiser for my new album Long Before the Wheel was a complete success — 90 fans banded together to help me raise enough to record and release my newest creation. Thank you.
That said, I’m proud to say that the story is getting some media attention in the wake of a press release issued just a couple days ago.
This fundraiser was not an easy task in the least so I hope you’ll read this piece about the process and how I used it to fund my passion for songwriting and recording. Read the full article below or by clicking here.
Tyler Stenson on MusicBizCenter.com
THE ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY:
Tyler Stenson – A Fan Funded Success Story
Ever get that feeling that you are the only person in the world who actually
believes in your music? Sometimes, when you get in that pinch at the end of the
month when you skipped work to go on tour or had to buy a new amp and your CD’s
aren’t selling, it seems like the music business may have been a bad career
decision. It’s okay. You can admit it. We all have those days.While it may seem like giving up is the only option, there are always
alternatives and the success story I am about to share with you demonstrates
just how much the fans care about our music and why you need to keep pushing
long after you feel like giving up.A few weeks back, I wrote a blog piece about Kickstarter.com, a website for
creative individuals like musicians to find funding for their projects. Since
that time, I’ve been watching the buzz around the Internet and the music world
for examples to show you of the site in action. This morning when I was checking
my email, I found just such a story and I want to share it with you now.The story involves Tyler Stenson, a very prolific independent folk
singer/songwriter from Portland, Oregon who, like the rest of us, faced those
sharp moments where the cash flow wasn’t matching the time he needed in the
recording studio. He had a slew of great songs he wanted to record and deliver
to his fans but the money was hard to find. So he gave up?…. NO, I’m just
kidding. He didn’t give up. He got creative.Tyler had heard of Kickstarter.com and their unique funding platform so he
got on board and created a project. Then he used social media and other online
networking techniques to help him advertise his project. His original goal for
the project was simple: Earn $3,500 in pledges in 60 days to fund the recording
and production of his eighth album, Long Before The Wheel.Sixty days later, a group of 90 fans had signed on and pledged their support
to the project. What is even greater is the fact that these 90 fans exceeded the
goal of $3,500 and Tyler actually made almost $4,000 to fund the creation of his
album with the final count being $3,924. That means, on average, his fans
donated over $43 each.How many fans do you have? Most bands have at least fifty fans. How far would
an extra $2,000 go towards helping your band be successful in releasing an
album? The amazing thing is five of Tyler Stenson’s fans donated at least $250
to the project. Does your music have that kind of effect on people? Does it
create such a powerful response that they believe in your music career enough to
put $250 of their own money down as an investment in your career? If not, why
not?So, here’s what I want you to do. Take a look at Tyler Stenson’s “Long Before
the Wheel: Recording Tyler Stenson’s Next Folk Album” project on Kickstarter.com
(I included the link at the end of this post) and see how he set it up and the
awesome rewards he offered to his backers. Look at what worked well for him and
what things you could imitate. Then, decide if this is something you could do.I believe that each and every one of the people reading this post, including
you, have the potential for this kind of success. I want to see how much you
believe in yourselves and how many of you are willing to put in the work to be a
success. Please leave your comments here and make sure to include the links to
your own Kickstarter.com projects so we can follow your success as well.See the project here: http://kck.st/clPNkY