D.I.Y.

“Band With A Plan” Ups Fan Driven Ante

Telling_on_trixie_2 NY indie band Telling On Trixie has dubbed itself "A Band With A Plan" and launched abandwithaplan.com to raise $50,000 and involve fans in the decision making process as they record and release a new album and video.

A Band with a Plan differs from other recent crowd-sourcing models. "In some programs, one-third of the money raisedTelling_photo_3 goes to some company that devised the model, and there’s nothing left for marketing, much less a video," says lead singer Derek Nicoletto. In this D.I.Y. effort every penny goes to finance the album and video. "And instead of just asking fans to donate, as some artists have done, we’re inviting them to hop on board on our ‘Little Engine that Could’ and go with us on the ride."

"Telling on Trixie fans tend to give us their opinion on everything from our clothes to our set list," according to Nicoletto. "So we thought – let’s get their input from the beginning and give them an insider’s view of the process. Depending on the level they select, they’ll be our label, our sponsors, our A&R and sometimes, guest stars in our video and album."


How It Works

At the first, ten-dollar "Trixie" level, donors will receive digital
downloads of Telling on Trixie’s second album. At $25, fans get an
advance copy of the new CD and become a "Green Room" member. Green Room
membership allows fans into the secure areas of the website…

where they
will follow the band’s progress for the entire twelve months, and
participate in decision-making. Interim levels include: Groupie,
V.I.P., Manager, Producer, and Rock Star levels, which have prizes that
vary from free admission to shows, to merchandise, to recognition in
the liner notes. For those willing to make a top-level, $10,000
donation — what Telling on Trixie brands the "Iconic Living Legend",
the band will write and record for the album a song inspired by the
fan, about a person or topic the fan chooses. In addition, the fan can
star in the band’s video, and be a Guest Artist on the album.

Telling on Trixie is a New York rock band whose music was recently
described as "soulful, anthemic powerpop" by Cincinnati’s City Beat. Their first two videos have played on 37 nationwide programs for
millions of viewers, garnering them recognition as "Best of 2007" by
MTV LOGO. Their music has been featured on MTV Real World, Road Rules and Gauntlet.

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5 Comments

  1. If you are a country music fan, we hope you will check out our new song, “Sweet Gravity.” We want people to hear it, so we are giving the mp3 away for free. Check it out! duewestmusic.blogspot.com

  2. at 4pm central time today, this band has 1 myspace play. just saying…

  3. Just a question. Can raising money in this manner be a potential SEC issue or FINRA issue? I ask because it’s like soliciting an investment or soliciting investments in a company? Can someone share thier thoughts with me on this. I thought about a model like this some time ago, but abandoned the idea as I thought it would be to troublesome to navigate the red tape?

  4. Good luck with this guys…
    I manage a band Electric Eel Shock
    We did something similar back in 2006 and raised $20,000 from fans – giving 100 fans guest list for life…
    We have just launched something again – but this time we went through Sellaband.com
    We have raised over $30,000 in 3 weeks
    Come and get involved?!
    Also we invite anyone bands to check it out
    For us one of the most interesting things is the team that we get to work with to help us release our record – Sellaband has great deals in place with Amazon etc
    Anything that lets bands keep control of their careers is great in my book – go for it!

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