SOUNDFLY MAINSTAGE
Crowdfunding for Musicians
Master the art of crowdfunding as a way to build a more engaged, supportive fanbase for your musical career.
Making music for a living is every musician's dream. Crowdfunding could be part of the answer. Crowdfunding is one of the most effective and rewarding ways to raise money for your next project, while building a sustainable community around your music in the process. But it takes creativity, artistry, and lots of careful planning!
And that's why Jay Coyle, co-founder of Music Geek Services, project manager for Sloan, Barenaked Ladies, and other great bands, and former marketing exec at EMI Nashville, is here to help you through it! This four-week course combines fun instructional videos, step-by-step guides, downloadable resources, and personalized weekly support from an expert in music business to help you reach your goals. Who's ready to get their project funded?
Jay Coyle
Music Geek, Business Consultant, Educator
Jay is a manager, consultant, teacher, and music geek who has managed or contributed to dozens of successful crowdfunding and direct-to-fan initiatives. After a stint in Marketing and Special Projects at the EMI CMG label in Nashville, Jay turned his focus toward consulting in a Direct-to-Fan & Fan Engagement role when he founded Music Geek Services in 2009. He's worked with such notable acts as Barenaked Ladies, Sloan, the Presidents of the United States of America (PUSA), Mindy Smith, John Oates, the Figgs, Veruca Salt, Odds, Holly Williams, Jeremy Fisher, Carbon Leaf and Jars of Clay. Jay also makes time to teach Music Marketing and Music Business Strategies courses to a new era of music business students for Berklee Online.
More About Jay
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6 Weeks Left to Join the Next Session
- Unlimited access to interactive and video content
- Weekly feedback and support from an expert Mainstage Mentor
- Downloadable course pack with extra resources
Price $499
Build a sustainable career in the music industry
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to confidently conceptualize, plan, and implement a crowdfunding campaign to support your music.
Cultivate a Supportive Community
We look at how to prepare your audience and invite them into your campaign to create more lasting relationships.
Understand Campaign Basics
We look at different types of campaigns, which platform to use, and other important choices to set yourself up for success.
Explore & Embrace Best Practices
We explore best practices for design, rewards, implementation, and other aspects of your campaign.
Craft a Compelling Story & Materials
We challenge you to practice marketing activities to prepare for implementation and improve your chances of success.
Are you an educator? If so, you can access educator discounts. !
Course Outline
MORE INFORMATION
Who is this course for?
Anyone can take this course at any time, though it is designed and developed for artists looking to raise funds for an upcoming project. Crowdfunding can be used for any imaginable type of project, though the most common music-related ones tend to be recording or printing an album, a film or music video, a particularly costly tour, and to replace stolen gear or cover medical bills.
What will I learn?
You'll learn the basics of putting together a crowdfunding campaign, applicable to most available platforms, and what it takes to ensure your campaign will have succesful results. We'll bring you up to speed with current best practices around designing, developing, and implementing your campaign. We'll also provide handy resources to take with you along your journey. Plus, you'll have access to our expert instructor and Mainstage Mentors.
Are there any pre-reqs?
Nope! You can take this course with no prior knowledge about crowdfunding, music business, or even music (though you'll definitely get more out of it if you have a musical project in mind).
What do I get as a Mainstage student?
Mainstage courses are for for students really committed to taking their art to the next level. You get immediate, unlimited access to all the course content, including 10 engaging video tutorials, 33 in-depth lessons, numerous downloadable resources, more than 10 suggested activities, and countless examples drawn from successful campaigns. You'll also get in-depth weekly check-ins with a personal advisor who has extensive experience in the subject. This "Mainstage Mentor" will help you stay accountable to your goals and offer detailed weekly feedback on your work.
What does it mean that the course starts on September 6?
As soon as you purchase a course, you can start exploring the course material immediately. On September 6, the session begins, which means you'll begin a guided experience that includes weekly activities, feedback from Mainstage Mentors, and much more. This is intended to help you stay accountable and get the feedback you need to succeed.
Will there be future sessions of the course?
Yes! Check back shortly for firm dates, or sign up for a Soundfly account to receive email updates about course dates and new course launches.
How do I give the course as a gift?
Soundfly courses make great gifts for the music lover in your life. To purchase a course as a gift, first sign into your Soundfly account, or create a new account for you (the purchaser). Pick the course you'd like to give, click to purchase, fill in your information, check the box below the credit card form saying you're buying the course as a gift, and click to pay. You'll shortly receive an email gift certificate that you can give to a friend.
How do I sign up for a course using a gift certificate?
Create your own Soundfly account, navigate to the course you've been gifted, and click to "buy now." On the check out page at the bottom of the form, you'll see a field where you can enter the code on your gift certificate. Enter the code, no credit card info needed, click "Apply," and enjoy the course!