Are you a musician looking to raise money from the crowd for an upcoming project, album release, or concert tour?
Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to get funds from your fans so you can pay the bills.
In any case, it might be time to consider launching a crowdfunding campaign.
Crowdfunding can be an extremely powerful tool for artists like you.
But where do you begin?
The first step is picking a platform to facilitate your campaign and help you get in touch with your fans to raise funds.
There are a lot of great platforms out there, but depending on what your goal is, some of them are better than others.
To give you a sense of what to look for, here are our top 6 crowdfunding sites for artists, bands, and musicians like you to ignite your career.
But before we get started, I wanted to let you know about an amazing book I came across that might you help you out.
It’s called Launch and Release, and it’s by professional musician and crowdfunding expert Ian Anderson.
In the book, Anderson shares all the secrets he’s gathered from his years as an independent creator in the music business.
It offers a really valuable glimpse into what the future will look like for musicians and gives great insight into navigating the world of online crowdfunding so you can make money doing what you love.
Check it out (and listen to my interview with the author) HERE.
Now, let’s dive into the list!
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is the most popular of all crowdfunding websites, with 19 million backers supporting projects on the platform.
In recent years, their Music category has begun to rise above the rest and make a significant difference for musicians all around the world.
At the time of writing, over 22,000 Music projects have been fully funded on the site, making the music sector Kickstarter’s most successful category.
Kickstarter is especially useful for funding individual projects, so if you need to raise capital for something like an album release or live tour, it might be perfect for you.
Indiegogo
With a 9 million backer network, Indiegogo is largely considered to be Kickstarter’s preeminent competitor.
Similar to Kickstarter, Indiegogo uses a traditional crowdfunding model to help independent creators raise funds for individual projects, and its Music category has experienced substantial growth in recent years.
While funding success rates tend to be lower on Indiegogo, the platform does allow for flexible funding — which means that you can keep the funds you’ve raised even if you don’t meet your funding goal.
This well-researched and documented guide, you’ll discover a new way to break into the music business, harnessing the power of music crowdfunding.
Using this unique method, musicians, bands, and artists are making money hand over fist (and you can too).
This is the Music Crowdfunding Secrets. Get the free audio book with Audible’s 30-day Free Trial.
The invite-only site ArtistShare was the original crowdfunding platform for musicians, launching way back in 2003.
Over the years, the Kickstarter and Indiegogo juggernauts have pushed ArtistShare off the radar somewhat, but it continues to serve as a great resource for musicians in particular.
Since the whole site is oriented toward helping artists, launching on ArtistShare means that you won’t have to compete with big-funding categories like tech, design, and apparel.
ArtistShare projects have seen some major accolades, including multiple Grammy wins and even more nominations, earning the site a distinguished reputation.
Launch and Release is a great place to start, but if you’re looking for personalized support, you can book a coaching call with me to get some one-on-one advice for your campaign.
Patreon
Patreon has taken the art crowdfunding world by storm.
It uses a model that differs a bit from traditional crowdfunding platforms in that it isn’t designed to help you raise money for one specific project.
Instead, your fans pay a monthly subscription fee for exclusive rewards like:
- Insights into your creative process
- Merchandise like CDs, t-shirts, posters, etc.
- Access to a community of fans
About 250,000 creators use Patreon, many of which are musicians, and the vast majority have at least a few Patrons providing them with regular funding.
If you haven’t yet looked into Patreon as a means of generating recurring monthly income from the crowd, now might be a great time to start.
This well-researched and documented guide, you’ll discover a new way to break into the music business, harnessing the power of music crowdfunding.
Using this unique method, musicians, bands, and artists are making money hand over fist (and you can too).
This is the Music Crowdfunding Secrets. Get the free audio book with Audible’s 30-day Free Trial.
Rocket Fuel
Rocket Fuel may not be as well-known as some of the other sites on this list, but as a crowdfunding site geared exclusively toward helping musicians, it’s well worth getting to know.
Rocket Fuel begin in 2014 for the purpose of helping budding musicians grow their fanbases and fund their projects. Since then, it has collectively raised over $1,000,000 for artists.
In terms of user base size, Rocket Fuel is on the smaller side, but a small community can be beneficial to those who are trying to stand out and attract more recognition.
It’s also one of the most versatile crowdfunding sites for musicians. In addition to facilitating eCommerce, it allows musicians to raise funds using either traditional or subscription models or crowdfunding.
Ulule
Paris, France-based crowdfunding site Ulule was founded in 2010 to help creators and entrepreneurs make a difference. Since then, it has amassed over 5 million members and fully funded more than 64,000 projects.
As of 2023, Music is the fourth most popular category on Ulule, with around $30,000 in funds collected.
In terms of overall success rates, Ulule beats out most other popular crowdfunding sites, with 79% of music projects meeting their funding goals in 2023.
Conclusions: Which Crowdfunding Platform is Right For You?
So, now that we’ve explored the top 6 crowdfunding platforms for musicians, which one is the best choice for you?
That depends on the nature of your project and what your priorities are.
Here’s a quick summary of what each of these platforms does best:
Kickstarter: All-around best crowdfunding platform; largest community
Indiegogo: Most flexible; allows you to keep the funds you raise even if you don’t meet your goal.
ArtistShare: Music-focused; best for targeting a specialized audience.
Patreon: Best for generating recurring income.
Rocket Fuel: Music-focused; helps with everything from crowdfunding to sales.
Ulule: Best non-US-based platform; high success rates.
At the end of the day, the best platform is the one that works for you.
That’s why it’s so important to do additional research to determine what kind of funding your project needs and how you can get it.
Launch and Release is a great place to start, but if you’re looking for personalized support, you can book a coaching call with me to get some one-on-one advice for your campaign.
Good luck with your crowdfunding journey.
CrowdCrux is always here to help!
