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How to Crowd-Fund Your Music Project – How It Works

Stats show crowd-funding site Kickstarter added $13+ million to the music economy in the past two years. Music was one of the most funded categories, second only to film.

uPlaya recently partnered with Microgiving, a crowd-funding tool that’s now directly on your uPlaya Press Kit. Microgiving goes a step further than most other crowd-funding tools by encouraging project owners to donate a portion of their gains to a charity of their choice.

This means you not only get the perfect opportunity to give back, but your fans will also feel good about the fact that they are donating to your band and an important cause the band supports.

We understand a crowd-funding project can be intimidating, so we’d like to help with a series of how-to posts on the uPlaya Blog.

In our first installment, we provide a “musician’s version” of an infographic Zippycart created on how to use Kickstarter to crowd-fund a project.

Step 1: Come up with an idea.

Develop a very specific idea of what you would like to raise money for. Is it a new album? To fund a music tour through the Southeast? Even in the initial stages, it’s important to be as detailed as

Step 2: Create a project page.

There are a lot of useful and effective crowd-funding tools out there, but we recommend uPlaya artists create an account with Microgiving. This way you can use your uPlaya Press Kit, which already showcases positive information about your music, to help you raise money.

Step 3: Set goals.

Determine the amount you would like to raise and also give yourself a deadline to reach those goals. We recommend a lot of research and planning to ensure your goals are realistic. You also need to hold yourself accountable to your donors and be able to tell them precisely how you intend to spend the money.

Step 4: Set Rewards.

It’s important to show appreciation to the donors and fans who believe in you. Come up with a rewards system that will not only excite your fans, but also be something you can live up to. Sample prizes include backstage passes and autographed t-shirts. Make sure the prize matches the donation amount.

Step 5 & 6: Showcase your project.

Put yourself out there and promote your cause. Your uPlaya Press Kit makes this easy – you can display a link to your Microgiving project so fans can find it after seeing your promotional material. Email your uPlaya through e-blasts to fans, friends and family and to potential investors and music professionals who you think should see your work.  Do what you can to encourage other donors on Microgiving to check out your project (studies show that more than 10% of donors will give to multiple projects).

Step 7: Keep investors updated.

Throughout the building of the project, you must send updates on your progress. This lets the donors feel like they are involved and also gives you an opportunity to engage with them and keep them excited.

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