The Kickstarter effect
After a successful Kickstarter campaign for David Hoffman’s Protest! Colin from Image & Reality contemplates the impact of crowdfunding on photography and other creative arts.
The screenshot shows the most funded UK photobook on Kickstarter. (In fact the most funded worldwide in the history of Kickstarter). It is not typical by any means - the average funding is nearer to £10k with around 200 backers - but it is an eye-catching example of the power of crowdfunding.
As most of you know, I have used crowdfunding, specifically Kickstarter, since 2014. The first book I raised funding for was Peter Dench’s The British Abroad - a very steep learning curve that relied almost solely on Peter’s extensive contacts. We scraped through thanks to sponsorship from Olympus cameras and the experience was positive enough for me to use the platform again … and again (over 30 times).
I have learnt a great deal about the process yet I am constantly surprised by how little has been published about the crowdfunding effect. Kickstarter claims it has raised $8.25 billion from 639,000 projects since it started in 2009. This is a worldwide figure for all categories including gaming, technology and product innovation which are the most heavily backed - but it is clearly an impressive figure.
My research is restricted to UK photobook projects - which gives a more specific result. Kickstarter took time to get a foothold here but, to date, 497 photobook projects have been launched in the UK (although other categories such as Publishing have been used - as I did for a couple of books - and are not included in my stats). Of those 497 projects, 295 (60%) reached their target, meaning books - by photographers such as Brian Griffin, Tish Murtha, Jim Mortram, Homer Sykes. Marc Wilson and many more - have been published and added to our appreciation of photography.
Across all creative forms - photography, literature, music, dance, design etc - this effect has been quite profound, giving people a different channel for funding work. What I find surprising is that there is no book available about the crowdfunding impact on the creative sector. You can dig around the internet and find bits of information and statistics but there is no single published analysis of how it has contributed to our creative output with personal testimonies, statistics and practical advice. With the ever-present likelihood of cuts to public art funding - there is a rewarding opportunity here for an enterprising researcher/writer to explore an important but under-appreciated contribution to our creative landscape.
Colin