We Want The Funds: A Crowdfunding Update

FREE THE COPPERTONE - Claim Yourself - crowd funding campaign! from The Coppertone on Vimeo.

Name: The Coppertone
Project: Free her from her record label
Current Status: 119 pledges, 46.8% ($9,367) of $20,000 goal, nine days remaining.

Ontario based musician Amanda Zelina, who makes music as The Coppertone, signed a record deal a couple of years ago that she has come to realise isn't a particularly good one. In fact, by the sounds of things it totally stinks. She wants to get out of it, but she owes them a shit-tonne of cash, so she's turned to the internet in the hope of getting bailed out.

She admits that she has screwed up, but wants a new beginning, so she's hoping to appeal to people who are willing to help chip away at the $20, 000 she needs to be free in the hope of helping out. She offers fairly standard perks for those who want in; Skype music lessons or hangouts for $500, handwritten lyrics for $200 or a custom mix CD for $25. If you have plenty of cash, then $5,000 will get you a guitar made by Zelina herself or if you're a little skint but have an adventurous spirit, $30 will get you a “secret incentive” that she reckons you'll like.

She has just over a week to raise over half of her goal – she's gonna need some serious help to get over the line.

Name: Simon Walshe and Jessica Middleton
Project: Flow – a documentary about DJ Angus
Current Status: 52 pledges, 80.6% ($6,455) of $8,000 goal, 38 days remaining.

The passing of DJ Angus – aka DJ Bribe – really shook the nation's electronic and hip hop music scenes when it happened and his legacy certainly won't be forgotten by those who knew him or were able to witness him in action. He was one of the country's first really highly respected DJs and became renowned around the world for his skills behind the decks.

In order to preserve that legacy, Simon Walshe is looking to make a documentary about Angus' life and career and is almost at the funding goal with plenty of time to spare. People have recognised the importance of telling the story of an artist like Angus and dug deep to make sure the film happens. They've also been won over by incentives like stickers, signed copies of the DVD, invitations to screenings, artwork and even a couple of DJ lessons.

Name: Zo Gay
Project: Keep veri.live afloat
Current Status: 28 pledges, 18% of goal achieved, 78 days remaining

The publishing game is very, very tough and when you're committed to writing about a niche topic like indie and punk rock music then mere survival can be an incredibly difficult proposition. For the past couple of years veri.live has been pumping out an issue every couple of months, with some good writing and a split 7” single attached, all at a pretty decent price. It's a high end kind of zine and it has become pretty well known, but they need a bit of a kick to continue to exist.

So they have taken to PledgeMusic to offer a heap of back issues, some original photos and even some test pressings of the vinyl records they have released (notably featuring Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Mark Of Cain) and signed copies of the magazines.

Also, in crowdfunding this week:

Kickstarter responded to criticism directed towards them for allowing a book encouraging sexual assault to be funded through their platform.

“Some of this material is abhorrent and inconsistent with our values as people and as an organization,” they said in a statement, as reported by blogger Casey Malone.

The book, received $16,369 in pledges (over 800% of its goal) and the crowdfunding service received a huge number of complaints after they neglected to deny the project's funding. They responded to the criticism in a post titled We Were Wrong and have banned similar projects in the future, as well as donated $25,000 to anti-sexual violence organisation RAINN..

A cached version of the initial campaign is available to view here.

If you've ever wanted to develop your own infomercial product, then As Seen On TV are able to get you that one step closer. The company are launching a crowdfunding platform that will allow inventors to pitch their prospective products to the world and hopefully see them come to life. It hasn't officially launched yet, but it's going to be pretty hilarious and probably shamefully addictive when it does.

If you're crowdfunding then get in touch below and we'll see if we can't help you out.