When the CD is produced by the fans

It’s called Musicraiser the last evolution in the musical and digital field. It is not a new model of drum or a super technological mixer but a musical crowdfunding platform launched in October of 2012. Everything clear? The theme may seem complicated for those who are not insiders, but is actually very simple. Crowdfunding is basically a fundraising through which a band asks it’s fans to finance a project, for example the release of a CD, the creation of a videoclip, the production of a tour.

In exchange the financers will have a reward (it goes from the presale of the CD, autographs, dinners with the band, admittance to concerts, personalized musical dedicates etc. .) A tool that is active for years all over the world and that came recently in Italy thanks to the intuition of Giovanni Gulino, singer of Marta sui Tubi, and his fiancé Tania Varuni.

A platform constantly more appreciated by the artist that allows to raise funds: the numbers come from 1,000  to 27,000 €, like the ones of Gianni Maroccolo and Claudio Rocchi, based on the audience’s donations.

On the platforms there are also many artists from Varese: after the group “Il Triangolo” (1056 € raised), even Paolo Frattini raised the money to realise the new cd (1390 €). “Le fate sono morte” wish to produce the new album, while “ La terza pietra del sole” work for  the promotional tour.

A new way to realise projects, remembering that music is made of dreams and not only. To tell us this new digital “challenge” is Giovanni Gulino.

How was project the born?
“It was born from far away. In 2008 me and Tania Varuni, my fiancé,  started to observe the evolutions of digital music and we saw how were created English and Dutch sites that were vaguely close to what is Music Raiser today, but everything was very raw back then. With time, the numbers and participation of the artists grew, just like the fans’. Similar crowdfunding sites were born. When we had the economical resources we decided to create one dedicated only to music. In October of 2012 we opened MusicRaiser.com and in few months the numbers grew at a constant rate.”

Lets’ talk about the numbers..
“We are one of 10 most successful crowdfunding sites in the world. We had a good start, above any expectation. In 5 months we distributed about 150 thousands Euros to the different projects covered by the financing. There are 70 financed projects and we are working on other 70. Until now, the 60% of the projects are covered by the financing and 90% of those lasts surpassed the requested number.”

Every project is accepted or there is a selection?
“We do not make genre distinction, we accept jazz, rock, pop, classical music but the project must be credible and with quality music. The project must be realised, and with prefixed targets. We evaluate everything and we make an idea of the artist, especially of the movement around them, and of the answer of his fans from facebook, twitter etc. “

It seems like Musicraiser is becoming more a promotional stage..
“Sure, we give a tool that allow to create the project with financement but also visibility. We make promotion of the different projects, especially of the ones we believe in or we suppose are really original. I think about Mr. Milk, an artist who is trying to financement to buy a boat for making a tour in the sea ports of the peninsula”

We always speak about crisis , even in the musical market but many Musicraiser projects are successful. In your opinion, what is the process that stimulate the fans to spend money?
“I think is involvement, feeling like a part of the project. The artists, in exchange of the money spill, offer a cd, an autograph, a t-shirt or many other things but I think that the real incentive is being a part of the whole. The involvement of the fans, anyway, depends on the artist’s ability. There are artists better than others in this. We give a space, communication and suggestions, but is not enough. The band or the artist must be the first to believe in the project and promote their own fundraising. Statistically the average investment of a single person is 28 €. Which means that in order to raise 1000 € you have to involve about 30 people.”

When you started with Marta sui Tubi, would you participated to such a platform?
“I would think about it, it would been one of the opportunities. But I believe that when we started, the thing would not been possible. Internet was not the same thing, there were no interaction like today. I don’t exclude that we could use it in the future, but is not in the program now.”