While this conversation is started because of the Project 86 announcement it kind of falls into place for any group that chooses this route.
Streaming music has certainly changed the music industry maybe for better maybe for worse I really don’t know.
I do know that I still buy CDs. Though I have a rule that you must have at least 4 solid track on the album for me to purchase it.

Well Project 86 one band I enjoy has announced their final album after 25 years.
Going to be crowd funded and must make at least 60k in preorder stuff for the album to happen.
Of course they throw all sorts of different options and incentives to get you to preorder.
Project 86 put out Drawing Black Lines in 2000 and happens to be arguably one of my absolute favorite albums of all time.
But while the subsequent albums were good they were nowhere near Drawing Black Lines and honestly for me without that album I am not sure I would have enjoyed the other albums as much.

Now this being their “final album” they are offering some incentives for each level of money you spend.
For example you spend $100 on merch and preordering the album you get a piece of Project 86 memorabilia from the lead singers collection. So honestly I am likely in for $100 of stuff to include a new book, the CD, a shirt, and hoodie should put me over the top. But what happens if they don’t meet their 60k goal???? I loose my money. Sure I still get my merch (I think) except maybe not the book as they need 100 copies ordered to print.

I have been a fan of the band a long time, also a fan of the lead singers graphic art, and a couple books he has written.
So I am very likely to take the $100 gamble as they have provided me years of enjoyment. And probably spent $350 total on shirts concerts, and albums over the last 25 years. I stream them too so I don’t know how to quantify that. So sending them $100 even if the album does not happen is not too bad for the 25 years of entertainment they have provided me.

There are only a couple of bands I can think of where I would even pre order a CD.
Most bands not a chance I would even spend a penny if the album might not come to be.

For $300 you can have lunch or dinner with the band but it makes no mention of where they will be. They are from Nashville which would be worth the drive to hang out with these fellas.
You also get a digital MP3 copy of the album. Low quality MP3 copy. I mean come on at least hook a brother up with a lossless format for $300.
If this album were a guarantee and so was lunch or dinner I’d drop the $300 in a heart beat but not so much for a maybe.

I understand that Project 86 is by no means a main stream band and am very lucky they have lasted this long in the music industry but man I just really don’t like this crowd funding stuff.

Curious to your thoughts on crowd funding music as a whole and not necessarily Project 86 specifically
https://project-86-merch.mysho...llections/all?page=2

And just for good measure this is the song that holds most for me. I know this style of music is not many folks cup of tea but their music is real.
As Christians we sometimes feel life should be all pretty and bright and the whole sappy praise and worship sappy stuff but in reality life can take us to some really really dark places and we need a way to deal with that darkness and remember that God is our light in that darkness and maybe that is why this band has meant so much to me over the years knowing that other folks, Christians in particular are also stuck in dark places at times.

I'm into different Genres of course, but I know a few folks who have crowdfunded albums and other things, and a few more who stitch a living together via that as well as Patreon, and do similar VIP events.

I'm a big direct supporter of independent and smaller artists I enjoy. I love Willie Nelson and Pink Floyd, but they don't really need my money as much so I make the extra effort to support the little-r guys/gals.

Especially in lesser popular Genres, whatever they may be.

This sounds cool for their fans. Enjoy... the industry is in a bad spot for most, as much as ever. They're probably just doing whatever it takes to get it done in today's market. Fret not...

Numan used a service, cannot remember if it was Patreon or another, to fund his last album,

he also does VIP type meet and greets for extra $$ at some if not all his shows,


Dweezil Zappa was doing Guitar School type events the day of his shows for a while, not sure if he still does, for a fee

My thoughts? We've turned into a bunch of panhandlers.

"Spare change? Spare change, sir? I haven't released an album in six months."

Having been in the music business for 20 years, Napster as many know, really f'd up the music business. Streaming is just a net result of that all this time later. Prior to Napster, yes the music industry was rigged with record labels routinely f'ing artists. They didn't call it signing a deal with the devil for nothing. You signed, you were owned. Only extremely high profile artists had the clout or power, to get some kind of decent contract as it pertains to payout or owning their own master/recordings. But you always had to be owned first with the record label, most times, having creative control. Executives, A&R people, made sure to get their high cuts of cash flow. Streaming today, they get pennies on the dollar. It would make you laugh how little mid or low level bands receive monthly for this. Add to that, the public thinks it is OK to steal music. One person pays that whopping $1.99 for a song then just sends it to all their friends and family. Band makes very little on making new work. The money is in touring, shows, as long as the label they are releasing on doesn't take 50% or more.

Unless you are Taylor Swift or a high profile artist, there is no money in albums. Their money is all made in touring. Say 20 years ago, or longer, bands made most of that money. These days the record labels get a major cut of tour money now also.

C19 hit mid level and low level artists hard as in no cash last year. No touring, no money. So they are broke. I've got friends in the industry who are not much different than you. Just trying to make a living. Pay the mortgage, pay the bills and keep food on the table for children. Crowd sourcing isn't that surprising given this situation. If they don't own their own studio then studio time is expensive. Mastering is expensive. Hiring an engineer is expensive. Unless you do it all yourself, or DIY, it costs money. And with no revenue for the past year that can be very difficult unless they were absolute misers living well below their means.

The guys I last worked for, opening up for them, struggled bad last year. Years and years ago they had the opportunities to sign with major labels. Virtually every one of them. Capitol, Sony, Warner Brothers, etc. But each contract, in the fine print had ownership, creative control, etc and it was straight sign a deal with the devil turf, which they said no to as they would have been slaves. So they soldier on, on their own, releasing their own music. The good thing for them is they own their own small studio and only have to pay for mastering once an album is done. But it's still substantial cost to get it out there, and a lot more to release physical media. Thankfully they are starting to get booked again and shows are trickling in here and there which is better than $0 in 2020.

Not familiar with this band but would doubt it's a ponzi scheme.

If you like the band, why not, Covid rules killed the music touring industry, where it's coming back, it's outrageous ticket fees, nobody I know buys music, everyone streams through Spotify, Pandora, Amazon. There's no valid reason to own a hard copy of any music unless you're into vinyl.

Bought one album where it's difficult to find that artist playing so bought it digitally off Amazon but nothing else in years, been to a couple of concerts in the past 10 years, have to admit it was great to see a live act, one was Steve Miller in a small theater, sat in the 5th row, it was cool to be in a smaller venue, saw the Who at the o-Rena big venue.

Would like to go see Eric Church, platinum experience at the show is $300 a day at Florida Country Thunder, might be worth it with the lineup Old Dominion, Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and others. Lineup link

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Not familiar with this band but would doubt it's a ponzi scheme.

I don’t think it is a Ponzi scheme by any means.
Just one of those I am willing to drop $100 bucks on a maybe in this case but not $300.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
There's no valid reason to own a hard copy of any music unless you're into vinyl.

This statement could not be farther from the truth.

1st and foremost audio quality of most streaming services sucks and is nowhere near CD quality. Granted they are getting better.

2nd you have to have an internet connection to stream it.

3rd there are tons of bands that aren’t on the streaming platforms.

4th albums get pulled from streaming platforms constantly for numerous reasons and cancel culture is in full effect a band you like says something folks don’t like poof they are pulled from streaming and you are left with what??

5th not every streaming platform carries each band/artist so you have to subscribe to numerous services.

The list goes on and on!

I still buy BluRays when possible for all the same reasons.

Same. I stream music on Pandora but pay for it monthly as I loathe having to listen to commercials or watch them on TV. I just refuse to do let that stuff in. Audio, like Black, I buy the CD. Just bought one actually. Streaming quality sucks. It’s why I still rent Blu Rays and 4k Blu Rays, because streaming audio quality is shit.