Hi Pianosociety!

I'm planning a new CD project to record in the studio this summer. It is interesting, entertaining and accessible music by three well-established composers and three up-and-coming new composers. To cover studio time, licensing fees and production costs, I'm doing a pre-sale of the CD through Kickstarter. (There are also some fun extra rewards for anyone who wants to pledge more generously.)

Kickstarter keeps track of pledges, but no one will owe any money unless enough pledges come in to fund 100% of the costs. A pledge of $9 buys a digital copy of the music, $14 buys a physical copy, and delivery will be in September. The pre-sale runs only through the month of April so have a look!

Here's a link to the project on Kickstarter, including a video with more about the music and some audio excerpts:
http://kck.st/XSw59D

Heather,

I had a gander of your kickstarter page, this looks very cool and I wish you the best! Ps. I love your performance of Homage to Henry Cowell by Harrison. At 10 seconds, it takes quite a sharp turn from a 2 step to a triple jolly jig!

Really? It's in 2/4 the whole time... maybe my tempo slipped a bit? it's been known to happen.
Anyhow, thanks for the good words! I really hope this project can happen. If not, well, all the licensing stuff has been very... educational.

Just stopping by to say, April is half over and this is 83% funded, so I'm hopeful it will happen
I suppose this means I now have to polish, polish, polish to prepare for actual studio dates

Good news, Heather!

Aaaand we're funded.
And I have studio dates.
And I have to practice!!

Congratulations ! Very exiting, and good to know Kickstarter actually works (in the sense that you get enough people to chip in).

Heather,



No I just mean, it seems like a very simple piece and then, all of a sudden, those cluster chords... I would be very interested to see the score, it must look very dense with notes. Never really seen cluster chords notated, actually.



Excellent! Look forward to the final product!

Chris,



I have to disagree. My project was only about half funded, when it failed. Not sure if it was the video, or the page. I think my book wasn't very popular. But I think kickstarter is something where you need to have a support base before you start, then, others who are just browsing increase the amount donated by said base, but if it's just your family members and a few others chipping in, it's unlikely to get funded.

I have no idea if my experience is typical, but this was my experience: Maybe 90% of the donations came from people who hear me play the piano on a regular basis. Some of those are family and friends. Others are piano students and their families, members of the church I play for, etc. etc. A couple of them are people I know only online, and a couple of them are friends of friends of friends. Most are real-life acquaintances at least. Basically, I knew all the names, although many of them are not people I know particularly well. Most of the other 10% came from people who listen to compositions by the featured composers on a regular basis. I only had 2 or 3 backers who were not regular listeners of me or of the composers. Also, I vigorously touted the kickstarter via every online network in which I have listeners, and at least five or ten people (composers, composers' friends, my friends, my pastor, a church member, a friend of my wife's) really liked the project and took it upon themselves to tout it in their own networks.

It's probably a mistake to view Kickstarter as a place random people visit to see where they'd like to donate some money. It's more of a useful platform that you and your supporters can employ to get a project off the ground without inordinate risk to the donors and with an easy way to track donations (both for you and for the donors). And yes, the people who fund your project are likely to be people who already enjoy what you produce and want to see you produce more of it.

I was also able to show that I've already recorded and released one CD, just in a very low-budget manner, so I'm looking to do something that I've already done before with a bit more funding. Track record may help.

Heather,



Thanks for sharing your experience. There were only about 4 people who I didn't know who backed my project. Really, mine was a long shot. But for yours I would also point out your video was demonstrative of your piano playing abilities and definitely made me interested. Not sure there is a hard-and-fast approach to effectively launching a kickstarter campaign, but I think building up a support base before launching it is a must. That and demonstrating the product. In my case, it was hard to "demonstrate" my book, admittedly writing is not as immediate an art form as music or movies.

Agreed. I wonder if there would have been a way to post an excerpt? (ie write a small part first, on a gamble, enough for people to see your ability, then wait for funding before writing the rest)
Anyway, don't let the kickstarter situation discourage you from writing more if it is what you love!