Last year, Kickstarter released the option for creators to opt into what they are calling “Late Pledges.” While Kickstarter still retains its “all or nothing” policy for creators (wherein if they don't meet their goals by the funding deadline, they get nothing) Late Pledges gives successful funders a chance to continue offering a selection of rewards for an extended period of time after the campaign ends. Some artists are using this as an album pre-order system similar to what Bandcamp offers, while others are continuing to offer most of the campaign perks they began with, something sites like Indiegogo have done for some time. This month’s column brings you projects by three artists who are participating in the Late Pledges system. The oldest of them funded in May, while the newest just completed their campaign this month.
Danny Frank & the Smoky Gold- Dedication (click here to view campaign)
Minnesota-based Danny Frank spent years as a solo artist, touring his brand of classic folk-tinged roots music. Now, after successfully crowdfunding his solo debut album Smoky Gold in 2021, Frank decided to create a full-time band and name it for that album. Now a quartet, Danny Frank & the Smoky Gold have successfully funded the creation of their debut album and are continuing that funding with the Late Pledges program. For this Late Pledges campaign, Frank has chosen to keep all of his campaign's backer perks active. You can pre-order the album in digital, CD, or vinyl formats. You can also get physical merchandise like stickers, a t-shirt or tank top, and earrings made using strings played by the band. Other experience-based perks include a one hour lesson with Smoky Gold fiddler Erin Aldridge, a custom song written by bassist Joe Scarpellino, and a “Musical Wilderness Adventure” with Frank.
Mary Kate Walton- Words That Rhyme (click here to view campaign)
While multi-instrumentalist Mary Kate Walton has been making music for much of her life, she has only recently begun the process of recording an album of her work. For that, she ran a $5,000 Kickstarter campaign in May to bring her debut EP to life. She was able to exceed that goal before the end of the initial campaign so set a stretch goal of $10,000 to record a full-length album. While she did not reach that goal, she was able to raise over $1,000 more than her original funding goal so it makes sense that she would enroll her campaign in the Late Pledges program. She's kept most of the merchandise and experiences from her campaign live for this Late Pledges campaign. You can get a pre-order of the EP in digital format. You can also get an activity book filled with things like coloring pages and crossword puzzles, a mystery box of merchandise, a virtual or in-person concert, or a custom written song.
Foggy Memory Boys- Foggy Town (click here to view campaign)
By far the newest campaign on our list, having only ended its initial run on 9/12, Foggy Memory Boys have just begun their time in the Late Pledge program. The Taos, NM band's mix of traditional and progressive bluegrass allowed them to pull in a whopping $4,000 above their initial $20,000 funding goal, almost reaching their stretch goal of $25,000. Foggy Memory Boys are using their participation in the Late Pledges as a pre-order campaign so have deactivated all of their merchandise-based backer perks in favor of offering just two items, the album in digital download and CD formats.
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