Three Signs Crowdfunding Has Reached a New Level

When Kickstarter announced it received $35 million in pledges for music projects in 2012, it seemed crowdfunding had gone mainstream. Amanda Palmer's record-setting $1.2-million take certainly turned some heads. But there are signs that crowdfunding is becoming even more mainstream. 

1. Bjork launched a Kickstarter campaign Tuesday to create a Biophilia app for Android and Windows 8. The iOS version is already on the market. She is arguably the most prominent musician to seek funding on a crowdfunding platform. The one asterisk here is the project is not an album or other recorded music release. If successfully funded, the £375,000 project will be one of the 10 most successful Kickstarter technology projects of all time (it is not categorized as a music project). Let's see if Android owners will come out in big numbers.

2. Crowdfunding projects now have publicists. In recent weeks I have received emails about PledgeMusic projects by Pete Ham of Badfinger, Jess Roden andGeorge Benson, and a Kickstarter campaign by indie artist sami.the.great. Crowdfunding is no longer the domain of small hobbyists. This is the stuff of full-time musicians who include a publicist in their team along with manager, agent, etc.

3. The prog metal band Protest the Hero has raised more than $261,000 onIndiegogo, a lesser known crowdfunding platform, making it the second-best crowdfunded music project of all-time behind Palmer’s “Theatre is Evil” Kickstarter campaign. With 16 days left, Protest the Hero's campaign will go even further past its $125,000 goal. The band had released three full-length albums on independent Canadian label Underground Operations before opting to take the crowdfunding route.