Crowdfunding first came to my attention a few years ago when Greg Adams sent an email to fans asking them to participate in funding his next East Bay Soul album by going to kickstarter.com and pledging an amount of money toward the project. He may not have been the first established contemporary jazz musician to do this but he was the first one I was aware of. Adams has always had a pioneer sensibility and been able to roll with the punches the industry throws at musicians these days by coming up with ways to get up, over, around the obstacles, and get his music to his audience so I did a little research and uncovered a growing trend. People with projects are seeking funding from the people who will eventually be the consumers. Every trend has a moniker and the trendwatchers labeled this one “Crowdfunding.” In a sense you've participated in it for years if you made a pledge to your local public broadcasting outlet. Even pledging or tithing to your spiritual community is a form of crowdfunding. It just didn't have a buzzword to define it until now.

What is crowdfunding? You have a project and you need startup capital but you aren't large scale enough to seek corporate or professional investors. Crowdfunding is the process of contacting people at a grassroots level to solicit contributions for funding your proposed project. This is mostly done through websites that organize and mitigate the process but it can also be done by an individual, as it was by Rick Braun when he needed funding to release his new Christmas album. Crowdfunding has been used to finance everything from gadgets to games to fashion to film making and it has become a growing trend in the music community. First it was indie artists and musicians with local following who wanted to record their music to sell to fans at their gigs, then established musicians jumped on the wagon. You are essentially asking the public to become your investors at the level that fits their budget. The difference is that they don't get a monetary return on the investment, instead they get an aesthetic or personal one – they become a part of the project and are usually offered some level of creative participation. It may be access to an insider view of the project as it is done, your name on the credits or liner notes, exclusive product enhancements, a chance to spend personal time with the developer – any perks that the developer decides to offer to sweeten the deal. The safety net for the investor-participants is that if the amount needed is not raised within a certain time pledges will not be collected and the project gets shelved. At first that sounds cold but it assures the people who are making pledges that they aren't going to pay for something that doesn't happen. At least not at that level. If the goal is met it is up to the artist to complete the project and honor any commitments that were made to the funders.

The most active crowdfunding in the artistic realm is still film making. Publishing is up there too, but music is making big inroads, especially music in underfunded genres. Sure a top 40  hit maker can get record company backing but a jazz musician or singer/songwriter with adult appeal? That is very iffy right now. There used to be a lot of record companies in the genre and a lot of them had big rosters, now there are very few and they are very selective. In the old model the label financed the recording process, usually in the form of an advance  that the artist had to at least partially pay back, then the label had a promotion staff working to make sure it was heard. Now most niche artists, including ours, are recording, promoting, and distributing independently. If you don't have cash in your mattress or backers with money it only seems logical to get the fans involved. The artists contacts you with their presentation and you can pledge five dollars or five thousand dollars, whatever you are able to toss in the pot. In exchange you get anything from a signed CD to liner note credits, a chance to meet the artist and often progress reports that make you feel like an insider on the project. Drummer Dave Weckl is using crowdfunding to finance his next project. He has a lot of musicians in his fan base so he is offering master classes and lessons as one incentive. Braun's fan base leans more toward listeners so he offered liner note credits and VIP meet and greets. His partially crowdfunded album came out a few months ago and the people who contributed had to be getting big grins when it was released and welcomed with a series of positive reviews.

As we roll into 2013 you will see more invitations to participate in crowdfunding. It is bound to happen with the industry economy rolling the way it is. There are quite a few credible websites that facilitate it and some artists who are savvy or have managers who are financially astute will do it themselves. It is a chance for you to give back directly to the musicians who have entertained and uplifted you over the years. Trust is a big factor here. There are pitfalls and potholes along the way. Any time something becomes a trend shady websites and questionable solicitations will follow. Do some research, especially if the solicit comes from a crowdfunding website. With this music we are mostly dealing with people we already know by name and often by personal contact. Even if just a handshake and an autograph you can tell who is sincere. We know these musicians are committed. Many of them had record companies backing them until that infrastructure collapsed. Give them a hand. During PBS fund raising they always say that the cost of one cup of coffee a week can do so much, or as the old Depeche Mode song said “everything counts in small amounts.”  So, if an artist you love decides to go this route throw a little money their way. When that CD lands in your hands you'll feel like you gave back and were at least a small part of supporting the artists who give so much in order to play for you.