Music

Vancouver writer slams bands for 'begging for money' through Kickstarter

by Nicole Villeneuve

Fundraising sites such as Kickstarter have become an increasingly popular way for artists working within smaller means to raise money for their newest film, album, tour, etc., over the past couple of years, and while on the surface it’s a tangible, gratifying way for fans to support artists they like, not everyone agrees with it.

In this week’s Georgia Straight (a Vancouver alt-weekly), writer Michael Mann tells bands to “Stop trying to get me to fund your fucking album with a Kickstarter campaign.” While he very briefly acknowledges that crowdsourcing can lend itself to otherwise doomed great ideas, he’s quick to name band names in his purposefully baiting, highly sarcastic dig at digital panhandling.

“We’ve reached the point where we have bands begging for money so they can get the hell out of their shithole towns in the Maritimes and summer in Vancouver (I’m looking at you, Paper Lions), or hire a publicist to get them more pixels of coverage on the blogs (take a step forward, Brasstronaut).”

Both bands posted the article to their Facebooks; fellow Vancouverites Brasstronaut seemingly let it roll off their backs (“HAPPY GEORGIA STRAIGHT DAY!”), and PEI’s Paper Lions calling Mann a “little man” (not sure if that pun was intended).

There’s room for more than Mann’s snide remarks—which do have their merits—in the Kickstarter debate. Does Kickstarter contribute to a sense of entitlement on either side? Or is it good in the way it levels the playing field? Read Mann’s take here.