PAPAROBBIE said:

Many of you have it twisted. They aren't "broke" and haven't fallen off. I invested in the project well over a year ago. It's simply a different business model that involves the consumer more. They have different packages, one includes producer credits, another gives you that and unlimited backstage access and a limited edition PE tour jacket. PE has always been on the cutting edge of changing the business model (ala Prince). They actually have the courage to innovate and do a project for the people that matter, their fans! Change your mindsets people!

OK OK OK... I got it now.

Someone did point that out here.

That said, Prince never did this.

Well he did but it was for the site itself lol

Other artist have done similar, why are PE taking heat? I heard of one previously popular artist funding an entire tour from her fans and asking the fans for bed and shelter during the tour. I think it was the original Kiss The Girl artist whose name escapes me right now.

A) I agree that anybody should (could) be able to make an album for less than that. It just depends on what your sound/product goal is, I guess.

B) PE may have $75K to spend. Shit, they may have $7.5 million to spend. But putting up your own money is a risk as you may never see a return on it. That's does seem doubtful with PE. It seems to me like they should be able to record and produce an album (as in the actual product) themselves and then tour behind it. But maybe I'm wrong. Chuck is usually pretty honest about this stuff, though. So hopefully there's an answer out there, or one forthcoming. Anyway, getting the investment from fans (which I think is fine) allows them to record without the risk of losing a bunch of their own money. Stress free, as it were.

C) Many other people have followed this same path - fan based fundraising. Again, I'm fine with the idea. It allows fans to feel like they were involved with the art being made by the artists they love. Think of it like commissioning a painting on a community wide scale.

[Edited 11/4/10 23:37pm]

PAPAROBBIE said:

Many of you have it twisted. They aren't "broke" and haven't fallen off. I invested in the project well over a year ago. It's simply a different business model that involves the consumer more. They have different packages, one includes producer credits, another gives you that and unlimited backstage access and a limited edition PE tour jacket. PE has always been on the cutting edge of changing the business model (ala Prince). They actually have the courage to innovate and do a project for the people that matter, their fans! Change your mindsets people!

I think what they're doing is great, but to me if artists wanted to change the recording industry, they'd have to all do a mass exodus from the major labels and take their master tapes with them, and create a "by artists, for artists" business model. Most musicians aren't businessmen, but some become savvy at running a label. But it's a very, very small handful of people.

sosgemini said:

Other artist have done similar, why are PE taking heat? I heard of one previously popular artist funding an entire tour from her fans and asking the fans for bed and shelter during the tour. I think it was the original Kiss The Girl artist whose name escapes me right now.

The artist you're thinking of is Jill Sobule. Fans donated $89K through a website she launched, which enabled her to release an indie album in early 2009.