Kickstarter continues to prove that its serious about music. Late last year they hired respected indie label and digital music veteran Molly Neuman, as their first head of music. Now Neuman is making her first major move, announcing the relaunch of Drip.fm.
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Last year Kickstarter rescued artist and label subscription platform Drip.fm, which had just announced that it would be shutting down. Since then, while the Drip platform has remained available to artists using it, Kickstarter has been silent about future plans.
Now comes word that, while details are vague, Kickstarter will relaunch the platform, as early as later this year, as part of a greater effort to be more music friendly. “We want to have a way for our creators to connect: especially ones with large fanbases who will continue to be independent and self-releasing, but who would want to have an option and opportunity to have a digital fan-club and a direct connection to their fans on an ongoing basis,” Kickstarter’s head of music Molly Neuman told Music Ally.
Launched six years ago by Ghostly International founder, Sam Valenti IV and partner Miguel Senquiz, Drip.fm allowed artists and indie labels including Domino Records, Fool’s Gold, Ghostly International, Stones Throw and Sub Pop, to sell monthly subscriptions. Fans enjoy early access to releases, rare tracks, unique experiences, visual art, exclusive video and more; and the labels and artists get consistent monthly income.
Like competitors Patreon and PledgeMusic, many considered Drip a game changer for artists and indie labels, particularly in an era of declining music sales.
“The main message we have been trying to share is that we are a resource for the entire community of music stakeholders – artists, managers, labels, publishers, distributors,” says Neuman. “There are opportunities for us to be collaborating and developing things together on many different levels.”