GoFundMe to Pay for Gear?

[rob2966]

I am fine with it for funding albums. Generally, you pay them $20-25 bucks and get the album at the end of the day. Maybe a slight markup over the store but if I like the artist I am happy to do it. For a shiny new musical instrument it just seems lame. Now, if their gear has been stolen or something then that changes things.

Later
Rob

 

[Lesfunk]

Virtual panhandling.

More like actual panhandling.

 

[MDBass]

1. Get off my lawn

2. I don't care if it has a catchy, new name

3. Okay, it's more like virtual "let me squeegee your windshield for spare change"

4. Seriously, get off my lawn

1. As more than one person has mentioned, it's an exchange of goods (like albums, concert tickets or merchandise) or services (album appearances, personal concerts, personalized/commissioned songs) for money from a known commodity. Very few people contributing to a crowdsourcing effort isn't already a fan of the band or artist.

2. There's nothing "new" or "catchy" about offering private concerts to fans, and few people would refer to $500 as "change".

3. This is the internet, not your lawn

 

[electracoyote]

Asking for a handout is not illegal, and highly debatable as to whether or not it's ethically or morally corrupt. A pretty controversial and slippery slope no matter how you intellectualize it.

Rather than focus on the beggar, I tend to put the emphasis on the donor, for they are equally complicit in this scenario and have free will to make the decision. Some people feel charitable and philanthropic acts are a moral obligation and don't question it very much; who am I to argue with them or question their motives and intelligence?

 

[Antisyzygy]

So, the fans put the band on retainer.

What happens if the album sucks? What if there IS no album? Do you get your money back? Do you get a say in their career, since you are an investor?

You release the product, then the audience gets to judge if it's worthy of their money. That's how it works.

Do you go to work, and get paid before you do anything, or do you get your pay after you've performed?

I'm thinking GoFundMe is more of a straight up donation.

Kickstarter is different. The premise there is you get something for the money, but there is a chance you don't if they fail.

Kickstarters is good in my opinion. It's used a lot for creative works like video games, art, movies, music, etc. that would never get off the ground if it weren't for people like me or you deciding to "donate" a little.

The Kickstarters I've funded have been for board games. Every one of them shipped me a game at the end of it all. They often include special extras for the people that back them. For example, you might get the "deluxe collector's edition" and no one else ever will.

Board games are going through a Renaissance right now though. Lots of good work is being done making new board games that are quite fun, and also often more complicated than the old Monopoly or Chutes and Ladders days.

Oddly enough Kickstarter is becoming the way many board game companies fund the creation of their products.

 

[jeffbassguy]

wish i could use gofundme to get some nice custom tailored suits for a job interview..no different really

 

[punchdrunk]

I find the whole thing distasteful, but at least they are offering rewards for the funds. It's a legit form of congress, just "different".

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I think people who grew up in the era of "I pay you for a finished product, once you've finished it" have a harder time with this model than younger generations who grew up with the "you fund me now, and I'll give you a product tomorrow" model.

That's because my generation got their allowance AFTER they did their chores. (I'm kidding, I'm kidding)

 

[elgecko]

1. As more than one person has mentioned, it's an exchange of goods (like albums, concert tickets or merchandise) or services (album appearances, personal concerts, personalized/commissioned songs) for money from a known commodity. Very few people contributing to a crowdsourcing effort isn't already a fan of the band or artist.

2. There's nothing "new" or "catchy" about offering private concerts to fans, and few people would refer to $500 as "change".

3. This is the internet, not your lawn

The labor to provide a private concert is much greater than the labor required to squeegee a windshield so it follows that it would cost proportionately more.

 

[bolophonic]

I'm mostly amused by the amount of people who are clearly missing the basic concept of crowdsourcing: it's still an exchange of goods or services for money, not even remotely related to "panhandling" or "begging".

The advent of the internet opened up a huge number of new consumer markets, and this is one of them; being mad at someone for utilizing that market makes about as much sense getting angry at someone on Etsy for selling homemade soap or jewlery.

Even less actually, since with this type of market you actually know how the artist is spending your money.

You've never seen someone begging or panhandling online? Ok.

 

[40Hz]

I'm mostly amused by the amount of people who are clearly missing the basic concept of crowdsourcing: it's still an exchange of goods or services for money, not even remotely related to "panhandling" or "begging".

The advent of the internet opened up a huge number of new consumer markets, and this is one of them; being mad at someone for utilizing that market makes about as much sense getting angry at someone on Etsy for selling homemade soap or jewlery.

Even less actually, since with this type of market you actually know how the artist is spending your money.

In theory yes. But in practice it isn't. And you don't really know where the money is going. There've been enough examples of people taking the money and running - or changing their mind about what they were expected to do for it - that it's become a real problem with crowdsourcing.

Interestingly enough, in one famous incident where a game designer made a number of grandiose promises and then used the money to fund his move to Seattle instead of delivering, (and the delivered the usual "don't be mad at me" series of excuses before he vanished off Kicktsrater completely) the AG in Washington state began a process of determining whether to pursue a charge of wire fraud.

Even more interesting was Kickstarter wringing it's hands and stating while they weren't happy with what went down (and also reemphasized that Kickstarter could in no way be held legally responsible - please read our terms of service!) people needed to understand that this wasn't a traditional funding or investment thing Kickstarter provided the mechanism for,. This was different. This was then - the people who are upset the campaign outright lied just don't undertstand this is the Internet. Exepecting people to do what they said in exchange for what people pay them was then. This is now! Good intentions and apologies are how it works today if something falls through.

Kickstarter ever went on to say how if people made a habit of regularly calling outright fraud on a shady campaign for what it is - and sought legal recourse, that could jeopardize the entire economic future of America. And possibly make people who might want to fund through crowdsourcing (regardless of the merits) reluctant to do so. And then where would we be? Where will the next Facebook come form?

Yeah. Right.

The incentives offered alone make me leery of those sorts of campaigns. They're not saying I'm a professional with a working plan that needs investors. All it says is "Hey peeps! Please like me?

Enough already.

(With apologies for the hemisemidemi rant.)

 

[elgecko]

One of the GFM campaigns says he'll write a haiku on any topic you chose for a $5 donation. Maybe I should have him write a haiku about using GFM to buy a new bass.

BTW, he's raised $2,745 of $5,000 goal, so fair play to him. His fans like what he's doing.

A freeway offramp

bucket and squeegee in hand

Have any spare change?

 

[48thStreetCustom]

Guys, let's keep one thing in mind. One of the GFM guys is a bass player (no, I'm not going to post a link to his campaign), so he might be a TB member.

So let's make sure not to insult anyone.

 

[MDBass]

You've never seen someone begging or panhandling online? Ok.

I never said anything to that effect.

Begging and panhandling are asking for money is exchange for nothing. A crowdsourcing market is asking for money in exchange for goods or services.

You could call it "bartering", since the goods and/or services are essentially being commissioned, but it's neither begging nor panhandling by definition.

 

[MDBass]

In theory yes. But in practice it isn't. And you don't really know where the money is going. There've been enough examples of people taking the money and running - or changing their mind about what they were expected to do for it - that it's become a real problem with crowdsourcing.

Interestingly enough, in one famous incident where a game designer made a number of grandiose promises and then used the money to fund his move to Seattle instead of delivering, (and the delivered the usual "don't be mad at me" series of excuses before he vanished off Kicktsrater completely) the AG in Washington state began a process of determining whether to pursue a charge of wire fraud.

Even more interesting was Kickstarter wringing it's hands and stating while they weren't happy with what went down (and also reemphasized that Kickstarter could in no way be held legally responsible - please read our terms of service!) people needed to understand that this wasn't a traditional funding or investment thing Kickstarter provided the mechanism for,. This was different. This was then - the people who are upset the campaign outright lied just don't undertstand this is the Internet. Exepecting people to do what they said in exchange for what people pay them was then. This is now! Good intentions and apologies are how it works today if something falls through.

Kickstarter ever went on to say how if people made a habit of regularly calling outright fraud on a shady campaign for what it is - and sought legal recourse, that could jeopardize the entire economic future of America. And possibly make people who might want to fund through crowdsourcing (regardless of the merits) reluctant to do so. And then where would we be? Where will the next Facebook come form?

Yeah. Right.

The incentives offered alone make me leery of those sorts of campaigns. They're not saying I'm a professional with a working plan that needs investors. All it says is "Hey peeps! Please like me?

Enough already.

(With apologies for the hemisemidemi rant.)

I've yet to see or hear of a single music related crowdsourcing campaign doing anything fraudulent.

It's been successful for bands and artists ranging from more mainstream like Andy Allo to more niche like Protest the Hero, Twelve Foot Ninja & vulfpeck, and is very arguably a much more viable model for bands and artists than a record deal.

 

[MDBass]

So let's make sure not to insult anyone.

We crossed that bridge on the first page

 

[elgecko]

We crossed that bridge on the first page

Wait...are you the GFM guy in question?

 

[48thStreetCustom]

In theory yes. But in practice it isn't. And you don't really know where the money is going. There've been enough examples of people taking the money and running - or changing their mind about what they were expected to do for it - that it's become a real problem with crowdsourcing.

Interestingly enough, in one famous incident where a game designer made a number of grandiose promises and then used the money to fund his move to Seattle instead of delivering, (and the delivered the usual "don't be mad at me" series of excuses before he vanished off Kicktsrater completely) the AG in Washington state began a process of determining whether to pursue a charge of wire fraud.

Even more interesting was Kickstarter wringing it's hands and stating while they weren't happy with what went down (and also reemphasized that Kickstarter could in no way be held legally responsible - please read our terms of service!) people needed to understand that this wasn't a traditional funding or investment thing Kickstarter provided the mechanism for,. This was different. This was then - the people who are upset the campaign outright lied just don't undertstand this is the Internet. Exepecting people to do what they said in exchange for what people pay them was then. This is now! Good intentions and apologies are how it works today if something falls through.

Kickstarter ever went on to say how if people made a habit of regularly calling outright fraud on a shady campaign for what it is - and sought legal recourse, that could jeopardize the entire economic future of America. And possibly make people who might want to fund through crowdsourcing (regardless of the merits) reluctant to do so. And then where would we be? Where will the next Facebook come form?

Yeah. Right.

The incentives offered alone make me leery of those sorts of campaigns. They're not saying I'm a professional with a working plan that needs investors. All it says is "Hey peeps! Please like me?

Enough already.

(With apologies for the hemisemidemi rant.)

Remember Amanda Palmer? She raised $1.2m on kickstarter to make an album. She then got a huge backlash because she went on tour and requested local musicians play her gigs for free... cuz, Y'no it's good exposure for them.

Last I heard from her, she was crying about losing money on the album because she didn't realize how much it cost to mail all the CDs.

So yes, I'm sure there are scammers.

 

[MDBass]

Wait...are you the GFM guy in question?

Nope. I've paid for all my custom builds myself

 

[David A. Davis]

GoFindMeAJob.