My first panel of the day was, “If I Only Had Some Funding”, which included Sellaband founder Dagmar Heijmans. I had never heard of Sellaband until I researched the panelists a week before CMJ.
Browsing through my notes from the panel, the main thing that sticks out underneath Dagmar’s name is my afterthought stating, “fans…the new labels???” I said this because Sellaband is a site devoted to having fans or “believers”, as Dagmar likes to call them, directly fund a musician’s recording making musical creation more of an interactive, participatory experience between fans and musicians.
Breaking the pretentious barrier between musicians and fans is necessary. Talking to fans, communicating with them, and opening them up to discover who you are as a person is necessary to remind them why they believe in your music. Sellaband easily allows this transition to take place. Once the musician finishes the record, each person who invested gets a copy.
Since its conception, twenty-seven bands have reached $50,000. The average investment in a band is $500-$600. In addition, one believer has personally donated over $5,000; however, Dagmar did not solicit the exact amount.
Another interesting topic that was brought up was corporate sponsorship. A musician on the panel, Jon Robert, whose sole Sellaband “believer” for his first record works for Frito-Lay and half-seriously, half-sarcastically said he would, “wave the Frito-Lay flag as long as he’s alive.” His funding was a fluke in that a big wig at Frito-Lay saw one of his shows and fell in love with his music. More power to him for finding someone that passionate and financially secure enough to be a modern day benefactor for him. However, musicians should NEVER assume that this will happen to them.
Jon stressed the importance of solidifying a business plan with your band and/or manager before approaching corporate sponsors because that shows intent and conviction to succeed and grow as a band. He suggested that you should NEVER WAIT for opportunities to happen, but instead to make them happen, which is certainly something that I strongly believe in as an industry professional. Nothing I have ever accomplished in this business has ever come to me. You gotta make shit happen if you wanna get anywhere in life.
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Day 3 — Can I have money please?
17 12 2008My first panel of the day was, “If I Only Had Some Funding”, which included Sellaband founder Dagmar Heijmans. I had never heard of Sellaband until I researched the panelists a week before CMJ.
Browsing through my notes from the panel, the main thing that sticks out underneath Dagmar’s name is my afterthought stating, “fans…the new labels???” I said this because Sellaband is a site devoted to having fans or “believers”, as Dagmar likes to call them, directly fund a musician’s recording making musical creation more of an interactive, participatory experience between fans and musicians.
Breaking the pretentious barrier between musicians and fans is necessary. Talking to fans, communicating with them, and opening them up to discover who you are as a person is necessary to remind them why they believe in your music. Sellaband easily allows this transition to take place. Once the musician finishes the record, each person who invested gets a copy.
Since its conception, twenty-seven bands have reached $50,000. The average investment in a band is $500-$600. In addition, one believer has personally donated over $5,000; however, Dagmar did not solicit the exact amount.
Another interesting topic that was brought up was corporate sponsorship. A musician on the panel, Jon Robert, whose sole Sellaband “believer” for his first record works for Frito-Lay and half-seriously, half-sarcastically said he would, “wave the Frito-Lay flag as long as he’s alive.” His funding was a fluke in that a big wig at Frito-Lay saw one of his shows and fell in love with his music. More power to him for finding someone that passionate and financially secure enough to be a modern day benefactor for him. However, musicians should NEVER assume that this will happen to them.
Jon stressed the importance of solidifying a business plan with your band and/or manager before approaching corporate sponsors because that shows intent and conviction to succeed and grow as a band. He suggested that you should NEVER WAIT for opportunities to happen, but instead to make them happen, which is certainly something that I strongly believe in as an industry professional. Nothing I have ever accomplished in this business has ever come to me. You gotta make shit happen if you wanna get anywhere in life.
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