Since it launched only two years ago, the website Kickstarter — a catch-all fundraising site where anyone can pledge money to a variety of projects in the works, so long as they are approved by Kickstarter — has dramatically and quickly changed the fundraising game. And the effect it has had on community projects cannot be overestimated. But here comes the rant: If we see one more band trying to get their record or video paid for on Kickstarter, we’re going to vomit.

Here’s why: As you are no doubt aware, we live in a time when funding for both arts and culture and community projects (especially in less well-to-do communities) has reached a point beyond crisis. It’s an endangered species. What Kickstarter has been great for is shoring up (or attempting to) this very divide. There’s currently 147 Philly-based projects up on Kickstarter, and the success stories are all around us.

But your indie rock band is not one of them. Why? Well, for one, the glut of indie bands trying to Kickstart their rock ‘n’ roll dreams arguably takes buzz/heat away from other (more worthy, and we’ll get to why in a moment) projects going on directly within the communities so many bands would say they love. There is a finite amount of money in the pockets of locals who will help other locals out on Kickstarter, and it’s not cool to go toe to toe with something that is, quite frankly, more important than you singing about your feelings. Real life is not like Fugazi, as we’re fond of saying on this site, but in Kickstarter, we see the potential for it to be a little like Fugazi, and in a quite nice way — if only you’d keep your Animal Collective fantasy out of it.

Here’s another reason: There is a time-honored system for indie bands to get their records made, which basically amounts to day jobs, paying gigs and hustle. It’s a bar for entry that has worked for most — some would simply call it “paying your dues” — and it’s something that, quite frankly, makes you a better musical artist. And the fact is, music exists in a realm of commerce that most of the other arts (and, to be sure, arts-related projects on Kickstarter) simply don’t enjoy. At the same time, music is everywhere: Throw a rock in Fishtown or East Passyunk or West Philly and you’ll hit someone who’s in a band. The need for music, thankfully, has almost always been well-served here in Philly. But for a wide variety of projects, from community centers and projects to dance or visual art, well, not so much.

Which brings us to the last bit here: There’s also a distinction to made between “high” arts and “low” arts. Or “fine” and, er, “not fine.” Because of that interface with commerce (i.e., “gigs”) we just discussed, music is a separate beast from, say, visual art or performance. This is for a reason: As low as your band’s chances are for wealth and international fame are, it’s even lower for your neighbor who does, say, site-specific installation or one-off dance performances in warehouse spaces. For artists like this, it’s either grants or patrons, and both are in shorter supply now than ever before. When you allow your vanity to ignore the way art and commerce works in this country and put your band on Kickstarter, you’re guilty of a kind of ignorance that spreads across not just your community, but also your solidarity with other artists who literally don’t have the same means as you. So cut it out already. Take your goddamned band off Kickstarter and just pay your dues like everybody else. You’ll be better for it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 1:57 pm.