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things, and they can make significant contributions. And I think we can be a really big help and have a really big impact.” JAYSON GREENE is international editor of eMusic and the former associate editor of Symphony.
Got an opinion? Join the discussion! Has your orchestra supported commissions or other projects using crowdfunding? What sort of endeavor do you think is best suited to this kind of funding model?
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2011–2012 season sept 30– may 5
be rnard haiti n k conductor emeritus
What happens, however, when a crowdfunded project doesn’t cross that magic finish line? Strickler points out that 56 percent of Kickstarter projects do not reach their goal, and a quick perusal of Kickstarter’s database will acquaint you with a chastening graveyard of stalled efforts. “Of the projects that don’t make it, there are some common things that we see,” says Strickler. “First, they never tell anyone about their project. Of all the projects that fail, over a quarter of them never get a single dollar. The other big failure we see is when someone says, ‘I’ve woken up today and decided to be a documentary filmmaker. There’s nothing at all I can point to in my past that says why I should do this, but I still think you should give me 25 G’s.’ We’ve also seen people asking too much for rewards, taking more of a PBS-style, ‘$100 tote bag, $500 Ken Burns DVD set’ approach. These are consumer actions people are taking. The most common pledge on Kickstarter is $25. So you might think like a fan. Would I buy my own thing? It’s an important check to do for yourself.” As yet, few orchestras have found a way to squeeze their way into the Kickstarter keyhole. Bergman says the Minnesota Orchestra briefly considered using the forum, but decided in the end to keep it in-house: “I think Kickstarter is great for individuals and small groups that don’t have a lot of resources, “ he says. “We have a professional development department, a professional marketing department. We are in the unusual position of being a relatively big-time organization with a multimillion-dollar budget.” “I was talking to someone lately about orchestras,” says Strickler, “and he expressed surprise that there weren’t more orchestras using Kickstarter to fund travel, make specific recordings, or sell a specific concert. And also, you have that advantage of, you know, 50, 60, 100 musicians and other people connected to the organization who can all help lead this drive. You can really spread it pretty wide out into the world. “The internet isn’t leaving everything behind in the way that we fear it is. There are still people who care about these
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Thinking Like a Fan
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