To crowd fund or not to crowd fund?

So lately I've been working hard on the core writing for my next album.  It's going very well and I should have the next full length release done by the end of the year!  One of the biggest reasons I choose to stay an independent artist is the fact that I can release my music whenever I feel it's ready.  I also really, really enjoy writing songs and do it a lot.  This makes me hyper productive so in many ways I have to write, release and move on to the next collection of music. It genuinely makes me happy to do so.

With all that said I've been thinking a lot lately about crowd funding.  I've never liked the idea of presenting a music project to fans and asking for them to pay to make it happen.  If I ask fans for money it would not feel honest because I don't need their money to fund my next album..  I'm independent and can keep my own development costs and overhead very low.  (This allows me to afford to release music when I want to without worrying about money.) Please understand I'm not making judgments on others who do use crowd funding (some of my favorite artists use it).  I'm merely saying I honestly don't need the money from it to fuel my own music production since my career is very small scale, manageable and just the way I like it.

What does intrigue me about crowd funding is the fan interaction with the artist.  Letting them see my progress and overall process, making them feel involved as the album develops.  That's great but the question comes up, does that have to require an exchange of money?  Couldn't I just provide that for free on social media to those who care to see it?  If my posts are compelling and the slices of music are enticing wouldn't that work just as well to engage fans and get them to support the final product when it's done?  Maybe the crowd funding locks the listener into buying first and keeps them engaged in a more consistent way?  Maybe it's a good promotional tool to get the word out about the project?

Here's where you come in. What do you think about it? Should I try a crowd funded campaign for the next album?  I'm leaning towards not doing it but maybe I'm missing something?  -Enzo

enzosprigg.com

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