Kickstarter...

...is dead. 

Or dying, at least.

If nothing else, It has crested the peak of greatness and is on a downward slope to irrelevance.

Why?  I hear you asking...

(which is really weird, 'cause this is a computer...  I hope I don't have a paracusia)

(look it up, genius)

It's quite simple, really.  Rich people are co-opting and stealing it from the poor, starving artists. 

I'm not terribly surprised by this, and it's not like this just started; it's been going on for a while now.  It is only just recently that I really noticed it.

(and considering how behind the times I am when it comes to social media and crowdsourcing, the fact that it caught MY attention means it is probably a good three to five times worse than I think it is)

You see, once upon a time there was this fabulous idea that artists and creators could hit people up for money directly with the promises of rewards in exchange for providing the capital necessary to accomplish their next great works.  It was like during the renaissance when artists would get a commission from some wealthy benefactor who would dump a load of cash on them and say "Here's some cash, I would like some art, please."  And then the artist would go off and sculpt or paint or both and then give that thing to the person who gave them money.  Then they'd go back to begging or something until someone else came along and the process would repeat itself. 

The really great artists would have people lined up to give them money in exchange for art.

The mediocre artists had to go around and advertise or otherwise hit people up for work.

So Kickstarter was like the unknown artists saying "I have this great art I wanna make, but I don't have the means or materials.  If just, like, a thousand people give me just one dollar, you'll all get some art and I'll get to make it.  Sound like a deal?"

It's digital panhandling at its finest.

But then, like they always do, the richers had to come along and fuck it all up.

When an already-wealthy artist, musician, or creator pops up online and says "Hey everybody!  Give us money and we'll do what we're already fabulously wealthy for doing!" it kinda ruins the whole vibe of it. 

The realization hit me when I noticed a Twitter from Scott Kurtz (yes I have a Twitter, I just suck as posting to it, shut up)  talking about how his Kickstarter campaign was just about to hit the $30,000 mark and let him publish another book.

Now frankly, I love Scott Kurtz.  I've read all of PVP more than once, I've met the man in person and he is an absolute sweetheart of a guy who's super nice, super friendly, and super cool. 

(he drew a sketch for me for free once!  GLEEEEEEE!!)  

But he's also the creator and sole proprietor of what is arguably the second most popular webcomic in existence.  He runs two websites now with two comics.  He has a whole store full of posters, shirts, messenger bags, and has already published his collected strips several times over.  He is so cool that Penny Arcade asked him to move up to Seattle from Texas to share an office with them so they could all hang out together while they work, and he did it.

(although really, that couldn't have taken much convincing -- Texas and Florida are in a non-stop competition for who gets to be named the tenth ring of hell, so how much does it take to say "Move out of a shithole to one of the best places in the US?")

I could go on, but I think you get the picture.  The guy is wildly successful and I wish him even more success because I'm a fan and I love his work.

But he doesn't need a Kickstarter campaign.

If he wants to publish a book, all he has to do is call one of the publishers he's already worked with and say "Hi, I'm hugely popular and I wanna make a book.  If you want in on this cash cow, publish it for me" and then throw down the phone and walk away like a badass because he's SCOTT FUCKING KURTZ.  And on the off chance that the publishers say no, he can take his own money and just self-publish. 

(and then laugh at the moron who is undoubtedly now turning tricks in dark alleys to pay the rent after being  fired for saying no to SCOTT FUCKING KURTZ)

(seriously, I love the guy so much that I think from now on that's just how he should be addressed.  Maybe I'll hit him up and see what he thinks, he once responded to a tweet I sent about him!)

I've also seen Kickstarter campaigns for big name bands, like Pearl Jam. 
(shut up, I like Pearl Jam, and considering the fact that rock and roll peaked in 1994, I don't see this as a problem or reason to make fun of me)

(especially when there are so many more reasons to make fun of me)

Again, Pearl Jam doesn't need Kickstarter because they're Pearl Jam.  They're already fabulously wealthy rock stars (like Scott Kurtz) who already get paid a ton of money to do something that they love and are good at.  I'm not trying to take anything away from them or even dare to say they haven't earned every penny of it.  I'm just saying that they've already reached a level of popularity and success where they can either already afford to do what they want any time they want to express themselves creatively, or they can find someone to bankroll it for them.

We unknowns down here at the bottom don't have that luxury.

That's why Kickstarter was such an awesome idea for us.

I first learned about it at the 2012 Emerald City Comic Con when I went to a panel on "How to get your game published."  I thought I was going to hear from industry experts and editors at major publishing houses on how to brand and market your game to get the attention of the big boys, but it turned out to be 45-minutes of masturbation by people at the front of the room saying "Just run a Kickstarter campaign."  It was less "How to get your game published" and more of "Here's how to beg for money on the internet," but the idea was sound.  If you're poor and have no exposure but really and truly believe in your product, hit people up online and see if you can get them to help pay for it.

Suddenly the world was open to artists of all shapes and sizes in all mediums.  It was wonderful to see so many people doing so many cool things, and hey, for $10 you could get some kick ass games or merchandise or toys or whatever.  Hell, the Metawatch got founded on Kickstarter, raising over a million dollars after all the major manufacturers told 'em to bugger off.

But then things changed...

When rich people discovered that they could simply parlay their already massive wealth and popularity into getting people to pre-buy their stuff, it weakened the structure for all of us nobodies out there. 

After all, if Pearl Jam could simply hit up their millions of fans for $5 each to crank out an album in exchange for a digital copy, they've risked nothing and gained everything -- literally, everything, because they're capitalizing on an established fanbase to pay them.  If I asked a million people for $5 to write my next novel in exchange for a free digital copy, I don't think I'd make the obligatory $5 from my mom.

(but that's probably more because she doesn't know what Kickstarter is, but that's beside the point) 

But I'm willing to bet that if Stephen King promised his fans a free digital copy of his next book if they all just kicked in $1.99 straight into his pockets, he'd have a million dollars in less than 30 days.

Look, Kickstarter isn't dead yet, it's just pooping a little blood.  It can still be saved as the pure, beautiful thing that it was created to be, but it's gonna take you, faithful reader.

(or maybe readers?  I think there's more than one of you out there reading this shit, right?)

Stop financing the popular kids. 

Stop giving money to people who already have it.

Let's not kid ourselves, if you're a fan of someone you're already going to spend your money getting their shit (or pirating it for free), and if they're already popular enough to have a massive fan base, why do they need your money that much faster/easier anyway?  Make them earn it, just a little bit, like those of us at the bottom have to.  Give your money to people you don't know for new shit you didn't even know you wanted. 

Go find someone looking for money to finance their budding, burgeoning webcomic; not the second most powerful guy on the internet. 

(please Scott, if you ever read this, don't hate me).

Go find a band that's still sucking it up in dive bars or garage-gigs to pay for some studio time so they can put out an album; not some household name that defined a generation and is still going strong and doesn't need your money.  

(I'm absolutely certain that nobody in Pearl Jam is ever going to read this blog, so I don't care if they get pissed at me for calling them out)

Go find a new novelist who's looking to create the next Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, not the master of horror and arguably the most prolific writer of the last three decades who could drunkenly scribble on a cocktail napkin and have it be a best seller.  

(there's like, less than a 1% chance of King ever reading this blog, but I'm gonna play it safe and go light on him here - also, he's one of my biggest influences and favorite cool guys to read about and keep up on)

(and now that I've written that last paragraph, I'm gonna have to look into Kickstartering my next novel that I'm working on...  Stay tuned!)

Look, short version?  If you already know and love somebody and their work, just put their Kickstarters on a back burner and support the nobody's first.  Make sure that we're actually encouraging NEW shit to get out into the atmosphere because all those guys you already know and love were there themselves. 

They already "made it."  Help give someone else a chance to become your new favorite.

Please?

Here, start with these guys.  Or these guys.  Or even these guys.  Give it a shot, you never know what you'll find and love.