We designed an event that we would enjoy attending and tested the waters to see if others felt the same. If they didn’t, the only thing we would lose was our time.
In this endeavor, I found myself stepping into the role of a producer, this time for a festival organizer rather than an album. I am increasingly comfortable in these changing roles.
From the start, musicians have utilized platforms like Kickstarter to fund their tours, such as Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman’s five-city tour and Kim Boekbinder’s Impossible Tour, which featured ten individual projects aimed at testing local audiences.
Interestingly, no one seems to have flipped the concept around by commissioning musicians to perform for fans. Many bands already play at corporate events and private parties, so why not have fans pool their resources to bring an artist into a more personal setting? For fans, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience their favorite artist up close. For musicians, it would provide worthwhile compensation without the tediousness of corporate gigs.
Commissioned works don’t have to be confined to music. They are ideal for collaborations, such as pairing a favorite indie comic artist with a video game creator, or teaming musicians with authors. Imagine hiring an illustrator to create art based on a cult classic film that resonates with you and your friends.
Projects of this nature come with three main requirements.
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Strong, Achievable Concept: The commissioned work should be realistic in scope while still captivating enough to engage other fans.
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Organizer: Although the funding may originate from the crowd, a single person must oversee the project and address logistical details.
- Due Diligence: The organizer must secure a clear agreement with the artist regarding timelines, payments, and any specific requirements. If the project yields a tangible product, it’s essential to establish ownership rights before fundraising begins.
Clarifying the rights in advance is crucial. In my previous project, it was a work-for-hire arrangement; I compensated the artists fully and retained ownership of the final album for future sales.
A new wave of commissioned projects has emerged that seeks to release works into the public domain. Recently, two classical music initiatives funded through crowdfunding platforms announced their works would be available without copyright constraints.
Though many compositions from the Baroque period are public domain, modern recordings are typically protected by copyright.
Crowdfunding is transforming into a hub for collective aspirations, enabling individuals to collaborate on creative ventures. For instance, the Musopen project raised over $68,000 to hire the Czech FILMharmonic to perform original recordings of classical symphonies, which were then shared for free, marking a significant cultural contribution.
Another project focused on reimagining Bach’s Goldberg Variations, culminating in a new score and recording that were also released into the public domain.
Both initiatives were driven by classical music enthusiasts who conducted the necessary research and funded the musicians, working collectively to enrich our shared culture, much to the displeasure of traditional record labels.
Day by day, the crowdfunding landscape seems to be evolving into a place where the dreams and visions of individuals resonate with their communities.
If this represents the future of fan-supported projects, I wholeheartedly support it.