Wikipedia states that crowdsourcing is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” While that is a spot on definition, it is not actually “Wikipedia’s “definition. Wikipedia is just that – a crowdsourcing site. Where you, me, and anyone else can set up an account and submit anything we want, to any article.
I could go on right now and submit that Donald Trump was voted Vogue Magazine’s Sexiest Celebrity of 2013. Or that the Boston Red Sox have the most World Series titles in MLB history. Or, that there have been multiple unicorn sightings just north of Reno, Nevada in the past decade.
The Wikipedia definition of crowdsourcing was actually cited from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Why? Because the majority of the people who take part on this crowdsourcing site said it was. It is widely accepted that information about a subject coming from 100 people will usually be more thorough, honest and accurate, than when the information is coming from one or two people.
This type of “power of the people” has not only been seen successful on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, but on other sites where “crowdfunding” is the name of the game. People can now support music, technology, art, film, games, photography, or really anything depending on what they want to see or have succeed in the future.
Investors in businesses, major record labels, film studios, and large corporations shell out tons of cash to create new products and projects. But thousands of startups, independent musicians, and other entities try to get their foot in the door to their industry, and struggle to afford what they need in order to make their idea work.
Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowdfunder are all outlets for people with big ideas, to get the attention of thousands of people who may just want to support them both creatively and financially.
Recently a musician by the name of Kevin Devine was able to fund his project (two albums: one acoustic, and one with his band. “The Goddamn Band”… how can you not support that?) where he raised over $100,000 from over 1,000 people.
Backers could pledge from $1 to $4,000 where each interval of cash would get the pledger a “gift” back. From an acoustic demo of a song, to a “private 60-minute acoustic show at your house, all travel and accommodation included – you pick the setlist.”
Mr. Devine says himself on Kickstarter, “I had a thought-provoking conversation with a friend…about all the pitfalls and dangers of crowd-sourcing/funding ‘the arts,’” He says. “It’s a really easy thing to do badly, or cheesily, or in a way that can feel … compromised, hacky, undignified. “ For an artist, it’s hard to say. It can seem tacky, but over 1,000 fans knew what he was capable of, and he is now fully funded and recording his albums. Independently, Kevin Devine is able to write and record his own piece of art for the fans of his music.
With funding like this comes freedom. No big-wigs looking over your shoulder telling you what to change. The projects and products come straight from the inventors, with the engagement and the help of the backers.
Right now, you can go to Kickstarter and fund projects like a solar panel that can power devices from smartphones to laptops, handmade leather goods, or a 3D printer (almost funded $3,000,000). You can pick and choose what you support, which products you want, and together the world can begin causing change in areas they want to succeed.
So what do you think? Will sites like Kickstarter push a company to be the next Apple? Will Kevin Devine be the next George Micheal? A boy can dream…
