Well, unfortunately the project, Further Up the Stairs, didn't fund. It really means a lot to me that you pledged and believed in this idea to get involved and even though the project didn't succeed I feel blessed by your support. Kickstarter is an all or nothing way of fundraising, so no funds will be collected or credit cards charged.
As to where Further Up The Stairs goes now, I'm really not sure. I will continue to look for ways to move the cd forward and I may even try Kickstarter again in the future, but for now it goes to the back burner.
You can keep up with me, this and other projects at https://johnmichaelthornton.com, my newsletter and Facebook.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
John Michael Thornton
I first read about Kickstarter a little over a year ago on Neil Gaimen's blog. I didn't really get it then, but he posted a great little introduction, " If you don't know about Kickstarter, it is a wonderful thing that helps people get projects off the ground. If you want to support one of their projects then you pledge money. If the project reaches its funding goals then the money changes hands. If not, it doesn't."
It's that last bit that's kinda scary. You do all this work and you don't know if it will be rewarded or not, it's an all or nothing venture.
It provides a deadline - March 8th!
I don't know about you, but I am hard pressed to get creative projects off the ground without a deadline. Heck, it's hard for me to get around to cleaning the kitchen without threat of visitors, and as much as I like writing and recording it is too easy to put off til tomorrow and tomorrow again. You have this short period of time, they recommend less than 30 days, to get the word out. Talk endlessly about your project and give all your friends meaningful looks.
I hate begging for money and Kickstarter is not about begging – it is about providing real, tangible rewards for contributions. Creative rewards that you might never even think about outside of this framework. You find yourself sitting in front of the "rewards" form trying to think of creative and interesting stuff you can give away that is different for what you have for sale. Some people offer crazy stuff like the vegan artist offing to eat a pound of bacon for one reward. Bizarre, but it gets your attention. One thing that I am offering (for just $17) is an autographed photo from the cd photoshoot. It seemed a bit egomaniacal, but last year at ULE this woman asked for a autographed copy of one of my fliers, so what do I know?
While people can just make a donation, for as little as $1, to get the project off the ground, most every donation gets you something worth as much or more than what you donate. It’s a great deal and gets us creative types to be creative.
It's Venture capital for artists.
What I liked most though is that it is venture capital for artists. Crowd sourcing small donations to create something bigger than what you were managing to do on your own and getting lots of other people involved in the project.
The world needs more art and beauty and meditation and music and this is a way to make it happen.
That is why I chose Kickstarter and I hope you choose to get involved in my Project – Further Up The Stairs and make it happen. Without your help and involvement I don't know when or if this cd will ever get made. Together we can bring it into the world with a really good start.