Opinions on Patreon, GoFundMe, Kickstarter, IndieGogo and other crowdfunding?

Do any folks here have experience with these crowd-funding systems, and can I get your opinion about which (of any) of these I should consider?

For nearly a decade, I have had a tiny business recording concerts. I bring in eight cameras, place them everywhere, tie into the sound board and produce a fully edited concert video. The majority of my work, more than 300 1.5 to 2 hour shows, has been for various locations of the School of Rock. The schools have three seasons a year, and I have been delivering the edited shows on DVD for $25 each.

Here's the problem - people don't appear to want physical media any more, and my sales have been declining. Some of the younger parents may never have bought any optical discs or may not have any way to play them.

I'd love to deliver digitally, but obviously as soon as I put a file up, it is going to be shared everywhere. Even the password-protected sites like Vimeo offer no special protection, and a password would be shared on Facebook as well.

So I've been thinking about a crowd-funding system - "If I get enough of a commitment, I'll put the complete show up on YouTube and/or Facebook." I have a long history of quality work and have established my trustworthiness.

Most of these sites seem to be oriented towards continuing support for an art project or band, or a single album.

In the schools, some kids are only involved for a single four month season, some are committed for years - but most would only buy DVDs 3 times a year, spending $75 a year.

So, what is your take? If you had a child in a music school, how much would you consider fair as a monthly continuing contribution, or requested donation. Should I do it per season, and is that an option with the systems I mentioned?

Please: I would ask that this thread not be derailed over issues of copyright. Thank you.

 

First off, besides purchasing a few items off of a crowdfunding site, I cannot provide any insight regarding those you mentioned... Sorry.

In general, hearing that you take meticulous care and time in setting up your cameras and capturing the optimum sound quality, I’d think $25 is the minimum someone should pay for such a product - it’s more than a fair price for a great physical memento of a beloved child’s performance.

(I’m also basing this upon your posts here, and your attitude/perspective towards live and studio music.)

Yes, I realize that many young parents no longer desire for DVDs of any kind, let alone of their child...
However, presumably the performers do have Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts that are still mired in the physical product past.
And actually still have the hardware to play DVDs!

Depending on the time of year, it could be a great holiday gift.

Given that, perhaps you can offer for sale what I’ve seen on at least one site - a bundle of goods.

For example:
Sell a DVD bundled with a Download code.

Sell a password along with a DVD bundled with a Bumper Sticker with a password.

Etc - bundles can include a variety of items... perhaps a coupon for a $5 or 20% discount on the next season’s DVD ?
A school baseball cap, shirt, or mug?

Special credit in the DVD booklet as “kind contributors, whereby without their valuable support, the DVD could not be available...”

(These options allow for sone parents to “contribute” to the captured event, and ease any marginal guilt about “free viewing/downloading” a product that most realize has intrinsic value, and didn’t materialize out of the blue.)

Just some random thoughts...

 

Last time I approached the parents, one of them suggested that I lower the price! Generally, I spend most of a day capturing a show - travel, two hours to set up, and hour to tear down, then each show represents 8 to 12 hours of editing.

I think the younger parents just don't even think of DVDs. Given the addresses I mail discs to, I think most of them are already going to grandparents. But even they have smartphones, which is where they want to see their grandchildren's performances.

Thanks! My problem is that physical shipment is time consuming and expensive. I've been charging $2.95 for shipping a DVD - and postal rates have risen to $3.00 for one disc, so I'm actually losing a nickel per disc. So I really need to go to digital delivery if at all possible.

 

Bump?

 

I got @Craig's Story a Jemeel Moondoc CD (The Zookeeper’s House) which was funded through Kickstarter. He loves it, I found a great gift, and we helped support Jameel. From my perspective, crowd sourced music is great for everyone, especially young emerging artists. Obviously there is a questionable demand for physical music, but it certainly offers a new form of distribution, and potential for growth.

I think $25 is a pretty fair price, obviously you put work into it, if you were selling huge quantities, you could drop that, but for your situation, that’s fair.

 

Bumping with update: it seems Patreon, started as a wholly creator owned system, is now maximising it's users from both ends, so to speak. A lot of the people I follow are upset to the point of dropping them completely in favor of other funding methods, like paypal and a lot of eyes are on Kickstarter's new bought venture 'drip'.

Patreon has been a good income method, with a great infrastructure based around how the creators wanted to interact with their patrons, but this now looks to be in jeopardy since many on both sides are bailing out.

Maybe there'll be better news soon, or not, this is a today story coming from the cartoon people I read on Twitter.