Last week I blogged about how the digital age has ushered in a new era of music patronage, where fans finance a band’s album through a service like SellaBand. Bands also appeal directly to fans through their own web sites. This approach proved successful for Jill Sobule.
Slicethepie, another music patronage service, just announced the release of its first fan-funded album. An indie band called The Alps raised enough funds through Slicethepie to professionally record an album. Under this business model, bands retain 100 percent copyright (and publishing rights) of their work and keep all royalties. Bands are also free to sign with a record label at any time.
[Update: Hey, I'm a random blog! Don't The Alps know who I am?]
Somebody thinks Slicethepie’s idea is a good one. The service just received about $2 million in funding, which it will use to beef up current offerings and add more services.
Thinking out loud…
Do Christian music fans camp outside concert venues to get close to the stage and gather around tour buses after shows hoping to meet the band?
Do Christian bands have to deal with stalkers, “zealous” fans who follow the band on tour, and so-called Christian young women (and men) willing to drop their pants to gain access? (So to speak!) Christ followers, eh?
Now that would be an interesting series of articles. Who shall write it? Perhaps I shall.
Watch out for that thin line between zealous fan and groupie.
