Crowdfunding is not a plan B when there is no money. Done right, it is a validation tool, a community-building exercise and a pre-sale mechanism that makes it possible to produce projects that would otherwise never happen.
Done badly, it is a campaign that falls short of its target, leaves you exhausted, and damages your reputation with the people who tried to support you.
The difference between the two is not luck: it is preparation.
When a campaign makes sense
Crowdfunding works when you have an audience that already follows you and trusts your work. It is not a tool for finding a new audience — it is a tool for converting an existing audience into backers for your next project.
It makes sense if:
- You have released records, shows or previous projects with a good response
- You have an active community (mailing list, loyal followers, regular concert attendees)
- The project you want to fund is concrete and has a tangible outcome (album, book, show, tour)
- You can explain the project clearly and emotionally in under 2 minutes
It does not make sense if:
- You are just starting out and have no base of support
- The project is vague or undefined (“I want to record music”)
- You cannot dedicate the time and energy a live campaign requires
The main platforms
| Platform | Model | Scope | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kickstarter | All-or-nothing | International (dominant in English) | Music, film, games, technology |
| Indiegogo | All-or-nothing or flexible | International | More flexible, less organic community |
| Verkami | All-or-nothing (30 days) | Mainly Catalonia/Spain | Music, cinema, comics, performing arts |
| Goteo | All-or-nothing + opt-in extra | Spain, social and cultural projects | Social impact projects, open culture |
For most international projects, Kickstarter is the platform with the largest community and greatest visibility. For projects rooted in the Catalan or Spanish cultural scene, Verkami has a specific arts and culture community worth reaching.
The structure of a campaign that works
Define the minimum viable goal, not the ideal maximum. The minimum target is what you need to produce the project in its essential version. Do not include ideal marketing spend, a complete tour or a professional music video if it is not strictly necessary for the core product. People are funding the project, not your ideal budget.
Design rewards carefully. Rewards need to have real value for backers — not just for you. Typical tiers: digital access (£5–10), physical copy (£20–30), exclusive experience (£50–100), special recognition patronage (£200+). Avoid rewards that create disproportionate work: if you reach double your target, you may have to handwrite 200 letters.
The video is 70% of the campaign. A 90–120 second video explaining who you are, what you want to create and why it matters. Professional production is not required — authenticity and clarity are. Many campaigns succeed with videos shot on a phone and well edited. The quality of the message matters more than the quality of the image.
Prepare the launch like a premiere. The first three days determine whether the campaign reaches 30–40% of its goal, which is what creates the sense of momentum. You need your support network mobilised before you publish: talk to your trusted contacts, warn them the campaign is coming, ask them to back it on day one.
Communicate throughout the campaign, not just at the beginning and end. Weekly updates (or every 3–4 days) keep the campaign visible and give people reasons to share. Tell the story of the process: production decisions, guest musicians, first rehearsal, cover design tests. The campaign is the first public narrative of the project.
Watch out for post-campaign management. If you reach your goal, the real work begins: producing and delivering rewards on the timelines you promised. Delays in deliveries destroy the trust you built. Budget realistic production time and communicate transparently if there are problems.
Common mistakes
Setting the goal too high
A £10,000 target for a debut album by an emerging artist without an established community is very difficult to reach. If you fall short of the minimum, you receive nothing (in all-or-nothing models) and the public failure is visible. Better to set an achievable goal and exceed it.
Expecting the platform to find backers for you
Crowdfunding platforms do not work like marketplaces where people browse looking for projects. The vast majority of backers come from your direct network. The platform is the payment infrastructure and visibility layer, not the discovery channel.
Not preparing your support network in advance
Publishing the campaign and waiting for people to find it is the surest way to fail. You need to mobilise your network in the first days. Talk to the 20–30 people you know will support you, explain the project to them personally, and ask them to act on day one.
Impossible or miscalculated rewards
Offering "an acoustic concert at your home" for £50 without calculating the time and logistical cost may seem charming, but it can be financially ruinous if 40 people choose that reward. Every reward needs a production and delivery cost calculated with margin.
Tax and legal considerations
One point many artists overlook: crowdfunding income is taxable. Whether you are self-employed or not, campaign funds generally need to be declared as income. Check with an accountant before launching your campaign to understand how to declare the income and whether the platform will issue any documentation for tax purposes. Rules vary significantly by country.
Crowdfunding as the first narrative of the project
Beyond the funding, a well-run campaign builds the project’s first audience. Backers do not just pay: they often become the first advocates, the people who talk about the project in their circles, who show up at the premiere.
Treat the campaign as the first chapter of your project’s public story, not as an administrative process to obtain funding.
At Ressona we work with artists who want to professionalise their presence and digital communication. If you have a project you want to launch and do not know how to build the narrative around it, talk to us.