GOATWHORE NEED YOUR HELP TO RENT A NEW VAN FOR SUMMER SLAUGHTER
The bigger that sites like Kickstarter grow and the more commonplace direct fundraiser campaigns through them become, it’s interesting to watch the different ways in which the services are utilized and the moral gray area that results. For example, what will happen to the nearly $8,000 Byzantine successfully solicited through Kickstarter to fund the recording of their new record now that the band has been picked up by a record label? Do we have any way of knowing how the funds fans sent through PayPal to, for example, James Murphy’s medical fund, Gods and Queens’ van wreck fund and The Ocean’s highway robbery fund were ultimately 100% spent on what they were supposed to be spent on? This is not to call into the question the integrity of any of the aforementioned, but merely to point out that there’s a whole lot of trust with complete strangers happening here, and that these campaigns’ objectives are not always cut and dry.
Goatwhore are the latest band to attempt to solicit funds directly from fans through a Kickstarter-like service called ChipIn. What I find so interesting about the Goatwhore campaign is that they haven’t been in a van wreck, haven’t had any serious medical emergencies and aren’t trying to self-fund a new record; they’re aiming to buy a nicer touring vehicle so they’re “much more comfortable,” more eco-friendly and more energy efficient on the road, namely this year’s Summer Slaughter trek. Here’s their pitch:
We are embarking on a 7 week long national tour later this summer that will take us all over the United States and parts of Canada. While some people may think that being active in the music business and going on tour may be financially prosperous, that is not always the case. Our goal is to be able to rent a new and different touring vehicle for this upcoming tour. Our usual mode of transportation is a 15-passenger van which gets roughly 9 mpg pulling our loaded trailer. This new vehicle will be much more comfortable and take some of the stress of the road off of us. More importantly, it gets upwards of 20 mpg pulling a loaded trailer. This will account for considerable fuel savings as well as a reduction in emissions due to the vehicles clean burning ultra low sulphur diesel engine. We are inviting fans to chipin to our cause to be able to feasibly rent this vehicle from mid-July to late August.
Here’s the ethical dilemma created by Goatwhore’s campaign: what if this new van rental ends up saving Goatwhore so much money on gas through the duration of this tour that they actually end up spending less total money than they would have if they’d just gone the traditional 15-passenger van route, and as a result Goatwhore end up with more money in their pockets at tour’s end? In that case, are the fans who “Chipped In” entitled to a return on their investment? I’m not necessarily going to argue that they should be, but it’s worth discussing, as it’s a strange paradox created by this particular direct-giving campaign. Or should any donations simply be treated as a one-time gift with no expectations in return? Unlike with Kickstarter, campaign backers aren’t promised anything in return.
I expect that a lot of fans will take issue with Goatwhore trying to raise money to buy themselves something nicer when they don’t really need it. I’m not; I think that if there are people willing to donate to this cause, then Goatwhore have earned the right to accept whatever’s given to them. I also expect that many fans will be surprised a band signed to Metal Blade isn’t getting tour support from their record label, a sentiment some commenters on Metal Underground expressed. News flash: labels rarely give bands tour support anymore. Oftentimes bands gets “indirect” tour support in the form of steeply discounted or free CDs from the label, which they’re in turn allowed to sell for whatever they want on the road and keep the profits. And, for all we know, Metal Blade might even be giving tour support but it’s just not enough. Or they could be contributing to a general Summer Slaughter fund, or they might’ve had to commit to a certain $ spend on ads to get Goatwhore placed on the tour.
It’s also worth pointing out that I think the whole direct solicitation thing has a shelflife for any band that chooses to utilize it; this is just conjecture, but I don’t think that most fans would be willing to donate to more than one campaign like this. It’s kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card; once you use it, it’s gone forever.
In any case, Goatwhore haven’t set any particular target for the amount of money they’re trying to raise. The campaign launched on May 4th and has raised $192 to date. You can donate here or via the widget below.
-VN
