Crowdfunding: Do you like an artist? Finance it!

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02.02.2012 | 6:37 p.m.

By Marco Bertolini (Amsterdam)

Cultural enterprises are increasingly appeal to users in order to finance their projects. After musicians, sponsored by their future audience, it was the turn of arthouse films, cartoons and even Napoleon to find in the “crowdfunding” means their ambitions.

They publish comics, they save old pictures and produce albums of young singers and comedians. Who are they? Bankers lot of hobby? Illuminati who want to control everything on the planet? Mafia conscious discreetly launder illegal funds?

No, “they” are citizens like you and me. But they had a heart for a singer who starts and promises. Or have fallen for authors seeking a comic publisher. Or they want to help a museum to restore a historical table.

A social and technological revolution

The gurus of the new collaboration, Clay Shirky or Howard Rheingold, announced worthy social upheaval of those generated by printing in the Renaissance. Nothing will be as before. Citizens are now involved in the creation of encyclopedias like Wikipedia or photographic archives as Flick’r. The more involved in the collective intelligence via crowdsourcing.

Some have understood the advantage they could derive from the meeting of new technologies and crowds. And are said to compensate for the lack of investment in young talent or save works of art threatened by shortage of money in the culture, it was necessary to appeal to a new concept: the “crowdfunding” was born!

Sites, platforms now allow fans to realize their dreams. For a small fee or breaking their piggy banks, they gather for – small streams by large rivers – constitute sufficient capital.

Akamusic: users finance the showbiz

Thus, in March 2008 was born Akamusic, the meeting of two Belgian companies are experts in their respective fields: Tourne Sol Production, specializing in music and Yswood production, SMEs which already has a strong expertise in Community sites like Opendeal first Belgian auction site or Scoopeo first French community information site.

Akamusic The principle is very simple: the artists offer their project on the site. Users can purchase one or more shares to 5 euros. The number is unlimited, which means that if you have a crush on Clara Chocolat, you can buy the remaining shares of 34.100 euros to finance the project. Or you can, as major investors, diversify your “basket” of shares and distribute them among several artists in which you believe.

The production of an album 12 tracks costs 80,000 euros, 16,000 shares, while it takes 35,000 euros, 7,000 shares for an EP (usually 6 titles). Each of the two formulas has a video clip, a promotion and a double distribution: physical (CD) or digital (download platform).

A more equitable distribution

The risk is that the artist does not work and you lose your wager. But you can withdraw your money at any time during the fundraising and the reporter to another artist. If you have diversified your units wisely, you should at least balance your losses and winnings, and maybe even win the jackpot.

Because the artist keeps 40% of the profits, the user-producer also receives 40% of earnings while qu’Akamusic merely 20%, which is much better for the artist in traditional circuits.

SANDAWE: the tribe of the BD

The tribe of comics, this is the name that has attibuée SANDAWE. And this is probably the one that best characterizes this crowdsourcing platform dedicated to the production of comics, particularly flourishing industry in Belgium. But that young – and young authors – access more difficult.

Evidenced by the presence alongside enthusiastic beginners, experienced professionals such Janssens, Maltaite, Zidrou or Eric Albert.

SANDAWE – the name of the oldest people in Africa – was founded “by three specialists in complementary fields” Patrick Pinchart, a recognized expert in BD and former editor of the Belgian magazine Spirou. Lionel Camus, Director Marketing and former financial manager in the humanitarian sector. And finally, Dimitri Perraudin CIO and founder of an e-commerce platform.

The site is open to plubic in January 2010 and now has 652 authors, 2,524 members, and 20 projects in which édinautes have already invested around 344,500 euros!

SANDAWE qu’Akamusic works the same way: the cartoonists offer their projects. Those selected receive a promotion in the form of pitch, movie trailer, raw boards, etc..

The “édinautes” (online publishers) can then invest in as many shares at 10 euros they want. And may withdraw their money at any time before the final amount is reached. When the seed capital is reached, the authors harnessed to the task, while sharing with the édinautes.

“Buzz kit“

Forum SANDAWE also allows many dynamic exchanges between édinautes. These also receive a “bonus”, usually an original album, in addition to the album printed name. More importantly, they receive 60% of profits from sales. The albums are published in paper and digital format and are distributed in Belgium, France and Switzerland. The édinautes also receive a “buzz kit” that allows them to promote themselves around them and participate in the sales momentum.

All genres are covered, humor, adventure, graphic novel, fantasy or historical fiction like “The Emerald Table”, the first volume of “Knight mechanical.” The album was funded to the tune of 25,000 euros per 137 édinautes and released on February 22. The trailer on the bottom of the seventh symphony of Beethoven, sums up the atmosphere of conspiracy that édinautes have discovered throughout the making of this album.

Napoleon saved by the “crowdfunding”

No, this is not a joke: “The Entry of Napoleon Amsterdam” is a canvas due to the painter Matthew Van Bree. It recalls the welcome by the city authorities of the French emperor October 9, 1811. Canvas – one of the largest in the Netherlands, with its 4 x 6 meters – is in danger. The layers of varnish are altered and the nose of the Emperor in poor condition.

The restoration cost was initially estimated at 30,000 euros. However, subsequent analyzes revealed that beneath the veneer, the damage was deeper than a surface analysis were led to believe. And were adding more than 46,000 euros!

The culture budgets have recently been planed and the Museum of Amsterdam, the owner of the web, no longer had the means to finance this expensive business. The management has appealed to crowdfunding: Users were asked to “sponsor” the face of the emperor for 250 euros, his horse Marengo for 25 euros and the portrait of Baron van Brienen van de Groote Lindt to 100 euros!

Is the emperor or his horse, which had the most success? The museum’s management does not, but the operation was a success unexpected: not less than 51,349 euros were raised that way!

Building on this success, the museum management has revived the same process to finance the restoration of part of the work. Cost: 20,000 euros, or 10 euros per centimeter. So it shares the money that are available to users Bonapartist Holland and elsewhere …

Napoleon saved by Internet: this is probably just the beginning. As different as “Alice is amazed” Emir Kusturica or Marbie Star, narrating the adventures of a small town in Hainaut films are financed with the support of you and me. No doubt the “crowdfunding” participate in reshaping the cultural landscape in the coming years.

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