Gary Lockhart: Web fund raising hits a musical new high
The increasing popularity of the web enabled them to establish a closer, stronger link with their fanbase - podcasts, conventions, interactive websites. Indeed, their web-cottage model set the benchmark for others to follow.
Without a label to sustain them, though, it wasn’t long before Marillion began appealing to their many followers; to help fund their albums, launches, tours and so on.
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Hide AdHowever, while there’s no denying the internet has benefited Marillion (and millions more) in allowing greater artistic freedoms, there seems to be an ever-increasing number of musicians lately – especially established musos with a successful track record – getting the begging bowl out in an attempt to have the public (never mind fans) fund their vanity projects.
If I was a newcomer, I might be prepared to look the other way. Still, those with the pedigree ought to be like everyone else: working hard, saving their pennies, and doing it off their own back. No-one funds my band’s activities – so why ask anyone else to contribute their hard-earned? I’ll tell you why. Because it gains you respect.
It could be argued that no-one is forcing Marillion’s fans to part with their cash – to be fair, they’re an innovative, forward-thinking band in terms of music, too.
That said, I would love to see a new Steely Dan album recorded and get the chance to ask Dan’s Donald Fagen and Walter Becker a few questions about the song-writing process. I’d gladly pay for the album itself, but I’m certainly not going to pay them – a couple of millionaires – to fund its recording.