Of course, tons of musicians (and other creators) have jumped on the crowdfunding bandwagon over the past few years, so just seeing "yet another" project isn't newsworthy by itself. But what struck me about Erin's approach was that some of the tier offerings solidified an idea that had been bouncing around in my head lately about these kinds of projects: the ones that work are somehow uniquely personal to the artist in question. Figuring out what goes into the tiers is always something of a challenge, but I think going with purely generic tiers doesn't do much. I've said before that it's important for artists to understand the kind of relationship they have with their fans and build on that, and it appears that Erin does exactly that with her tier options. Some of them are just amusing, like offering her first Spotify check to a backer, or the anti-SOPA petition video she did during the SOPA fight.
But then there are some that seem like they're totally out of left field... and many of them really show off Erin's personality. Things like having her buy some books for you. Or spending an hour fixing your fantasy baseball game. Or actually going to a baseball game or a museum with her. Or, best of all, getting to play a game of wiffle ball with her and some friends (she seems to like baseball).
Now, again, quirky tier options aren't a new idea. We've been writing about them for years, and I know how some of our usual critics will react: with horror at the idea that Erin has to help people with their fantasy baseball teams to get them to support her music. Hell, we heard exactly that criticism three years ago when we highlighted Josh Freese's hilarious tiers, which included things like playing mini-golf with you, or getting lunch at PF Changs, having him wash your car, or giving you a tour of Disney land. To this day, one of our usual critics still brings up the mini-golf example derisively, arguing that if the new business model means musicians have to play mini-golf with their fans to get their support, the new model is a failure.
But that totally misses the point. No one is arguing that playing mini-golf or wiffle ball with your fans is the future of the music business. We're saying it's all about the kind of person you are and how you connect with your fans. That is, what works has to be something that is unique to the artist's personality, and which fits well with the kinds of things that make fans like that artist in the first place. One assumes that Josh chose minigolf and Erin chose baseball/wiffleball not because it was some horrific thing that they didn't like, but precisely the opposite: because those things are fun to them and they wanted to offer up something fun and unique that they could share with their fans as well. And, in both cases, it seems like they're succeeding.
These kinds of offerings help the artist not just make money, but to better connect with their fans by letting their own unique personality shine through. It's that kind of personality that makes people want to support the artists. It's not because they want to play mini-golf or wiffle ball, but that they like supporting the artist in a manner where the artist gets to have fun as well. And that's pretty cool.
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