Kevin Burtram’s crowdfunding project is remarkable for two reasons that I want to explore today:

1. He raised $7585 without a pre-existing fan base and
2. He did it with rewards ranging between $10 and $100.

If you think you have music crowdfunding figured out, you’ll want to read this…

[box type=”info” style=”rounded” border=”full”] VIEW PROJECT |  GOAL $5,000  |  42 DAYS  |  EMAILS 0  |  FB 1299  [/box]

Two HUGE Music Kickstarter Assumptions Dispelled

This, my friends, is an example that challenges two HUGE assumptions in the world of music crowdfunding.

If I had a quarter for each time I’ve read “if you don’t have a fan base, your music crowdfunding project will be dead in the water” I’d probably have between $1.20 and $2.30.

You read that right. Almost nothing is a guaranteed win or a guaranteed failure when it comes to music crowdfunding. Sometimes conventional wisdom just doesn’t add up.

Disclaimer: before getting too far into writing 100 Music Kickstarters to Learn From with Ian, I found myself making this same assumption.

One thing is for sure though, there are several elements that, if assessed correctly, will allow you to navigate the opportunities that music crowdfunding has in store for your very unique situation.

How Did Kevin Burtram Raise $7585 Without Fans?

Fans aren’t required in order to succeed at music crowdfunding, personal connections ARE required.

What’s the difference?

With the recent rise of crowdfunding, the word “fan” is now interchangeable with friend, family, volleyball teammate, coworker, or any other type of human relationship you can dream up.

Why?

Because the connection you have with each of those people is infinitely more powerful than the best music you could ever hope to create.

Because you’re already connected to those people through other common interests and connection points, they will buy into WHY you’re making art, not the art itself.  This is deep, so ponder this concept and re-read as needed.

This is the reason a non established artist can pull a success out of the hat and leave the critics dumbfounded. I love it when the underdog wins.

Only 5 Rewards Priced From $10 to $100

This is phenomenal. A great example of using simplicity to your benefit.

In just about every flaccid “How To Succeed at Kickstarter” article I’ve read there’s a headline with multiple exclamation points stating “You HAVE to be creative with your rewards!!!”

Bullshit.  You HAVE to know your audience. Period.

In Kevin’s case, his backers are going to pledge at their level of support, not for the product they desire the most.

For an established artist, many more backers will pledge for the product they want rather than the amount of support they want to show.  Make sense?

An interesting note about his $100 reward

For an artist just starting out, Kevin’s $100 acoustic house show is brilliant (he sold 16!). If you’ve been following along with our discussion on using crowdfunding as a regular part of a band’s business cycle, you’ll appreciate how this reward has the potential to build Kevin’s fan base and email list if he plays his cards right.

Twenty new people at every show? That’s 320 new human connections! Get them on your mailing list and engage them regularly!

The Take Away

Crowdfunding is taking off but it’s still very new and it’s inner workings are still very mysterious. There’s an outbreak of assumptions being preached as gospel from every Tom, Dick and Harry whose had success a time or two with music crowdfunding.

Our experience was just the start for us. We’re here to challenge our own assumptions and get to the bottom of exactly where you need to put your energy when putting your crowdfunding plan together.