 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
4 Comments
Rob Gardner
5/28/2016 11:52:11 am
I would say "no" if you don't need the money. I think you could still easily engage with people and involve fans in the album-making process through social media and blog updates like this. To be quite honest, I paid for Gary Numan's next album campaign (where he updates on the progress quite often), and I don't even have the time to watch all of his video updates...(and I REALLY like Gary Numan). So I think if you can afford to make the album on your own, and you can update and engage with people for free...that would be the best for fans, and have the potential for the most engagement.
Enzo Sprigg
5/28/2016 07:56:18 pm
Yeah my thoughts exactly Rob. Engagement with the people who are interested is great and I don't feel it needs a price tag to work.
Teresa Sprigg
5/28/2016 01:16:05 pm
I think deep down you know what you want to do..I was not aware of crowd funding. I do think that your creativity is yours and yours alone. Why would you need other people's opinions or input? Do you want others to influence your message?
Enzo Sprigg
5/28/2016 07:54:56 pm
Crowd funding doesn't allow the fans to change or influence your music or message Teresa. It is a platform for them to see your creative process more closely. As the artist I would do that by posting videos and other content that only the funding fans can see. I would never relinquish creative control of my music and vision for any price. That would be like cutting off fingers for me. Leave a Reply. |
ENZO SPRIGGEnzo Sprigg is an eclectic and creative electronic singer/songwriter. Inspired by a wide range of artists from David Bowie to Bjork, Goldfrapp to Gary Numan, to newer artists like IAMX and Purity Ring. He fuses his smooth vocal style with avant garde elements to craft songs that are as original as they are intimate. Enzo boldly plays with genres ranging from Goth to Synthpop, to electronic torch song ballads, all with a strange yet intriguing twist. Fiercely independent and self published, Enzo writes, records and produces everything, illustrates the album art and has even hand animated music videos for his songs. Archives
May 2017
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