General Kickstarter Discussion

[BlobVanDam]

I thought it would be interesting to start a general topic for Kickstarter projects. Have you backed any? What kind of projects have you backed? How did they turn out?

I've only backed a couple of projects myself, both of them for scifi shows/movies. Surprise, surprise.

What made me think of this was that the Kickstarter for the new Pebble watch was just posted, and in a couple of hours has already made $3m. Crazy.

[Chino]

I love Kickstarters. I've backed several. I'm waiting on my Glowing Plant seeds to finally ship (they've been severely delayed). I saw the Pebble Kickstarter. I backed the original Pebble, and currently have a Steel that I wear everyday, but this new watch, I don't know. It's not doing it for me. It looks almost childish. I'm not interested until they release the Steel equivalent..

[Cool Chris]

I have kickstarted three projects, all computer games, all successful. Two of them were pure nostalgia kicks. The makers of two of my favorite video game franchises (Tex Murphy and Gabriel Knight) came out last year with new projects and it was a cool way to help them get.... yes, back in the game.

Video games are the only projects I have spent any time researching though.

[BlobVanDam]

I have kickstarted three projects, all computer games, all successful. Two of them were pure nostalgia kicks. The makers of two of my favorite video game franchises (Tex Murphy and Gabriel Knight) came out last year with new projects and it was a cool way to help them get.... yes, back in the game.

Video games are the only projects I have spent any time researching though.

It seems like everyone has come out in the past few years to either revive old game franchises, or in the case of not owning the IP, the original creators are creating new games in the same style. I haven't backed any myself, as I'm not much of a gamer these days, but I always check them out, and it's great to see so many of them.
I have seen a few of those fail when they were a bit more obscure / old / niche, but most seem to do really well when they have known teams involved.

[TAC]

WTF is a pebble?



I could never see me donating to a kickstarter cause.
Maybe I don't understand what it is exactly. If a band is recording an album and I donate, do I still have to buy it when it comes out?

[Lucien]

Kickstarter does seem to come up with a lot of crap though. This guy has 65 episodes of shitty kickstarter project reviews 

[bl5150]

WTF is a pebble?



I could never see me donating to a kickstarter cause.
Maybe I don't understand what it is exactly. If a band is recording an album and I donate, do I still have to buy it when it comes out?

A pebble is a small ,smooth stone  -often related to wear from water. 


As far as Pledge and Kickstarters go ........it varies but at the lower end you can usually get a CD (often weeks in advance of official release) and maybe a bonus track etc....... for not much more than what the CD would cost in the store.  The artist still makes more by cutting out the middle men .  Pay more = more goodies like a shirt , name in the booklet etc.....

I don't make a habit of buying that way but if you were totally obsessed with a band there can be some very cool high priced items too..............signed guitars ,tickets to release parties etc...

                         

[bout to crash]

I could never see me donating to a kickstarter cause.
Maybe I don't understand what it is exactly. If a band is recording an album and I donate, do I still have to buy it when it comes out?

Not usually... if you donate $5, probably, but if you donate enough you will get a copy of the album when it comes out. That's what I've done for a few friends' bands (like Thank You Scientist). If you donate more, you get extra stuff. Just depends on the campaign; they're all different but there are different reward levels based on how much you donate. Like $20 gets you a CD, $50 gets you a CD and shirt, $500 gets you a credit in the liner notes, $1000 gets you a meet and greet with the band, whatever.
So it's usually worth your while to donate.

Most of the ones I've donated have been music-related, but right now my friend has one (from a similar site, gofundme) to try and fund some of her cancer treatment expenses. She's almost to her goal in a short period, which is awesome.

[rumborak]

I backed something called "Coin", which was supposed to be a credit-card sized device that would encompass all your regular credit cards. With a button touch you would switch the " identity " of the Coin.

Well, it all looked good in the beginning, but then updates for sparser, and deadlines were missed ... at this point the project is DOA, but I think for legal reasons they prefer to pretend it's still alive. I got my backing money back from them, but I don't think I will bank another thing in the future.

[Bolsters]

I love the idea of Kickstarter, but as of this moment I've never donated money to one. Most of the Kickstarters I see and think "I'd give money for that" have already ended by the time I find them.

[BlobVanDam]

I backed something called "Coin", which was supposed to be a credit-card sized device that would encompass all your regular credit cards. With a button touch you would switch the " identity " of the Coin.

Well, it all looked good in the beginning, but then updates for sparser, and deadlines were missed ... at this point the project is DOA, but I think for legal reasons they prefer to pretend it's still alive. I got my backing money back from them, but I don't think I will bank another thing in the future.

It's unfortunate that there are projects that don't come through, but you have to remember that Kickstarter is largely for funding startup businesses and projects, and even with funding, many are going to fail through mismanagement, or fall short of expectations. It's not supposed to simply be a shop, and there is risk involved. Luckily you got your money back on that one.

The first project I backed has taken years already, and it doesn't seem it's going to be exactly what I'd originally hoped (at least they are still doing updates regularly, and you can see progress).
But I'd still be willing to fund other projects in future, because I like the idea of crowdfunding, and even have a future project I would need it for myself. There will always be bad eggs, but even a few bucks here and there is worth it to me for the projects that pull through.

I love the idea of Kickstarter, but as of this moment I've never donated money to one. Most of the Kickstarters I see and think "I'd give money for that" have already ended by the time I find them.

I miss a lot of good ones I would have donated to!

[Implode]

I've backed a comic book, Homestuck video game, and Invader Zim convention. All were successful and were done/are under way, but I've heard lots of instances were things never really happened. There definitely is a bit of risk in the site.

[bout to crash]

What actually happens if they collect your money and then nothing happens? I'm sure they must have safeguards against that stuff but I've never had to deal with it.

[Chino]

What actually happens if they collect your money and then nothing happens? I'm sure they must have safeguards against that stuff but I've never had to deal with it.

https://www.geekwire.com/2014/attorney-general-asylum-playing-cards-crowdfunded-project/

[Chino]

Here's a project I backed about 18 months ago. Still doens't seem like I'll be getting anything any time soon. But I'm not mad. That's not why I contributed to the project in the first place. I wanted to back the research. Even if this team failed, I imagine the work they did do would help future efforts with similar work. In those 18 months, the team has provided over 50 updates keeping everyone in check. I'll have a Pandora in my home one day. I'm sure of it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antonyevans/glowing-plants-natural-lighting-with-no-electricit/posts

[rumborak]

What actually happens if they collect your money and then nothing happens? I'm sure they must have safeguards against that stuff but I've never had to deal with it.

That's really the scenario of the kickstarter I funded. What happens now is, I *think* they are legally obliged to give people their money back. But, essentially only when they ask for it! So, their Facebook page had its last post several months ago, and if you comment in that post they will direct you to the refund page. But, they're also not making any more new posts (that would alert people who may already have forgotten about the kickstarter).

[bout to crash]

Right. Well, sounds like the Kickstarter policy (per the article Chino posted) says they're legally obligated, so lawsuits are happening.

[The King in Crimson]

I've backed a bunch of Kickstarters, nothing big just a book, a bunch of video games, some miniatures, a few hot sauces, and a documentary. So far, 6 have fully delivered, one (one of the hot sauce ones) has partially delivered, the doc looks like it might potentially be vaporware (there're updates, but they've been really sparse lately), and I'm waiting on the remainder. Kickstarter is definitely a cool idea and I really do like it for labor of love projects, but you do have to be careful.

[TempusVox]

I have backed several. Some anonymously; simply because I feel that without it a great deal of art might never be shared with the rest of us. Most recently, I donated to the development of the Corner Gas movie.  Simply because I adored that goofy little tv show to pieces.

I also belong to an angel investment consortium. We're like a whole bunch of Shark Tank investors without the cameras or the egos. We meet every other month. I also do this of course to possibly make money. I'm not an idiot. But also because I really believe that there are incredibly talented and gifted people, who might not have the opportunity to help others without some support along the way.

I think Kickstarter is a brilliant idea that I hope can grow and spread.

[Chino]

I love Kickstarters. I've backed several. I'm waiting on my Glowing Plant seeds to finally ship (they've been severely delayed). I saw the Pebble Kickstarter. I backed the original Pebble, and currently have a Steel that I wear everyday, but this new watch, I don't know. It's not doing it for me. It looks almost childish. I'm not interested until they release the Steel equivalent..

And Pebble just announced the Time Steel. I've already pledged. I was one of the first two hundred to do so. Hopefully mine comes with the first shipment.

[ariich]

I could never see me donating to a kickstarter cause.
Maybe I don't understand what it is exactly. If a band is recording an album and I donate, do I still have to buy it when it comes out?

Not usually... if you donate $5, probably, but if you donate enough you will get a copy of the album when it comes out. That's what I've done for a few friends' bands (like Thank You Scientist). If you donate more, you get extra stuff. Just depends on the campaign; they're all different but there are different reward levels based on how much you donate. Like $20 gets you a CD, $50 gets you a CD and shirt, $500 gets you a credit in the liner notes, $1000 gets you a meet and greet with the band, whatever.
So it's usually worth your while to donate.

Most of the ones I've donated have been music-related, but right now my friend has one (from a similar site, gofundme) to try and fund some of her cancer treatment expenses. She's almost to her goal in a short period, which is awesome.

Yeah I've pretty much only backed albums as well - I think it's definitely safer when it's in the creative arts as there's usually a good chance that, as long as they reach their target, the thing will be completed. Of course it's not guaranteed, but I think it's a safer bet than with technology.

In my experience the perks are usually at a level that means for a digital download you're paying roughly what you would if you bought it when it comes out, for a CD maybe a bit more than a CD would normally cost but you tend to get a special version and maybe your name in the liner notes. That's so far always been the level I've gone for, but some of the perks I've seen have been great, like Protest the Hero had one where you got to have a pizza party with the band for like $1,000.

[Chino]

Protest the Hero

Ew.

[ariich]

Huh?

[bl5150]

This guy is well known in the rock/metal online store community as a bit "less than honourable" and sorta deluded , but anyway...........check out the value on offer here   

"The ONLY RISK is if you do not HELP"     Actually that typing reminds me of ........never mind.
 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/music-importer-new-online-import-music-store

[Counselor of Prog]

Projects I've backed (all music):

Emery
Steve Taylor & the Perfect Foil
The Choir
The 77s
Kerosene Halo
Disciple
Flyleaf

[Chino]

Just backed this.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tiko3d/tiko-the-unibody-3d-printer/updates

[BlobVanDam]

Seems too good to be true. I shall have to investigate further!

I recently backed both of these-
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1193589543/back-in-time-a-back-to-the-future-documentary
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1875383448/out-of-time-saving-the-delorean-time-machine

[Chino]

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/588211199/bubs-busy-board-for-toddlers?ref=category

This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. I love the idea, but this guy wants $12k? If you can't go to Home Depot and make this yourself, your concern should be for you and not for your child.

[XJDenton]

I backed four games, Wasteland 2, Tides of Numera, Carmageddon Reincarnation and Mighty Number 9. Only the first has been released, and I haven't played it due to lack of time. Still. don't regret it. With kick starter you have to accept you might not see any result from the investment so mostly I donated small amounts of disposable income.

As for kick starters, this is clearly the best: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad/description

[BlobVanDam]

Any Banjo Kazooie fans here?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/playtonic/yooka-laylee-a-3d-platformer-rare-vival

This would be an instant back except that I don't do PC gaming (or have any current gen consoles), and I doubt my graphics card could run it anyway.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Banjo Kazooie was awesome, but yeah I'm not much for PC gaming. Looks like they're pretty well set though, so good for them.