We Want The Funds: A Crowdfunding Update

Before we get stuck into the music side of things, there have been some very unique crowdfunding campaigns outside of music in the news lately.

HELP A DRUG TRAFFICKER

Heroin trafficker Martin Garnett launched a Pozible campaign to raise the $19,287 necessary to have him moved from prison in the US to Australia. Initially spending time in a Thailand prison after being caught trying to fly to New Zealand with almost five kilograms of heroin strapped to him, Garnett was then caught being a part of a scheme to send heroin to the US from his jail cell and as a result ended up being sentenced to more time in the United States.

He has now converted to Islam, is said to be repentant of his past indiscretions and will be out of jail in a few years, by the looks of things.

BRING RONALDO HOME

Fans of the Manchester United Football Club are being called to bring the mighty Christiano Ronaldo back to their team through a crowdfunding exercise; apparently he wants to play there and the club wants him, but there's the little issue of the tens of millions of dollars it costs to buy him. So a couple of guys have decided to source the funds necessary through crowdfunding; you pay around $85AUD and you get a special Ronaldo Manchester United shirt, as well as the knowledge you're helping to bring the player back to the club.

Anyway, let's talk music…

Name: New Empire
Project: New album
Current Status: 132 pledges, 17% ($6,000) of $35,000 goal. 33 days remaining.

Young, clean cut, handsome, pop-rock trio New Empire want to make a new record and they are calling upon their rather enviable legion of fans to help them make enough cash to make it happen. Of course they're offering a series of rewards to these fans; some very cool, some a little bit questionable.

For one dollar, you can see the boys play a special intimate acoustic show from the comfort of your home as they stream it privately over YouTube to a limit of 10,000 fans. This is a great idea – affordable, helpful to the band, relatively inexpensive and easy to pull off.

For one hundred dollars, you can own the album two weeks before anyone else. Now people are going to pay what they think any given privilege is worth and of course they want to support the band, but $100 for a CD just seems a bit wrong.

More personal rewards are available as well; $150 for a phone call, $180 for a personalised YouTube video, $250 for a Skype songwriting session, a grand gets you and a couple of friends dinner with the band (no lobster allowed), five grand gets a private show (and a cake) and for ten grand you can go into the studio and the band will write and record a song about you right in front of your very eyes.

Name: Mystery Blonde
Project: Music Video
Current Status: 54 pledges, 116.5% ($4,660) of $4,000 goal. Ten days remaining.

House music group Mystery Blonde have worked up some tasty remixes of the likes of Kylie Minogue and Zoe Badwi since getting together last year, but the time has come for them to drop their first single I Stand and they want a real fancy video to go along with it.

They've already hit the $4,000 target they set, but you can still make use of their perks for the next few days and you'll be helping the group make their clip even better! Perhaps the best deal here is a full remix of one of your tracks for a $1,200 donation – they will make radio and club edits and help you put it on iTunes so you can make some cash out of it!

Alternatively, you can book the dudes to DJ your party for $900; just so long as you supply a space and we're guessing at least one person willing to jump on the dancefloor, they can take care of the rest. They even say they might play requests, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Name: Saskwatch
Project: Glastonbury Festival
Current Status: 172 pledges, 40% ($8,036) of $20,000 goal. 18 days remaining.

Melbourne soul is booming at the moment and Saskwatch are one of the bands who are leading the way in showing the world that Australian bands can groove with the best of them. What better place to spread that even further than the Glastonbury Festival?

The band want to head to Europe and the UK later in the year so they can be a part of the massive festival, but given they're such a massive band, it is going to cost a veritable shitload of cash for them to make the tour happen. They're estimating they'll need somewhere in the vicinity of $60,000 all up.

They're asking for a third of that from their fans and are offering a selection of items – big and small – for those of you who are willing to make this happen for them.

For $50 the band will make a special, personalised mixtape for you, just give them a theme and they'll make it happen. $250 gets you heaps of merch – three T-Shirts, signed Leave It All Behind LP and CD, all four of their 7" releases as well as badges and stickers, or you can just go all out and buy front woman Nkechi Anele's dress for $5,000 if you're so inclined.

If you want to be a part of this column, just fill out this form and we'll make sure everyone hears about how they can help your dreams come true.