This is a Kickstarter podcast that focuses on the use of Kickstarter as a funding platform for internet radio, community radio or any other type of media. Podcasters and radio stations have already successfully made use of Kickstarter to raise funds for their media ideas.
What Is Kickstarter?
Izabela Russell joins me at the start of this podcast to talk about the purpose of Kickstarter. It’s a place where you can advertise a project that you need funding in order to complete. You make a video and add a description of what you’re looking to achieve then add some rewards and invite people (friends, family and anyone online) to pledge an amount to your project.
Successful Podcast and Radio Projects
99% Invisible on Kickstarter
The most successful project that I have become aware of on Kickstarter is from a podcaster. The name of the podcast is 99% Invisible which has grown to a podcast with over 7 million downloads and, in 2012, managed to raise over $170,000 on Kickstarter. It became the most funded journalism project in the crowdfunding platform’s history.
Asherville Free Media
A radio station that proclaims to be ‘community radio for the world’ gained 158 backers and raised over $12,000 for this locally focused radio station with a worldly appeal.
BBOX Radio
The Beat of Brooklyn, New York got a total of 241 backers who pledged a total of $16,159 to support this radio station’s project. Kickstarter is certainly a place for podcasters and radio stations to raise money and gain momentum. The funding enabled them to do real time audio and video streaming, pay music royalties and upgrade studio equipment.
Dreamers Radio
A Chicago based internet radio station were simply looking for a better website and managed to get their project funded on Kickstarter.
Dabba Radio
The aim of this radio station was to bring free and independent journalism to the airwaves of India. A nobel cause and one that was backed by 90 individuals.
My mrc.fm Kickstarter Experiment
I’ve started a Kickstarter project to fund a refresh for my online radio station for the next 12 months and beyond. I’ve mentioned a little about the success of mrc.fm so far in episode 35 of this podcast. I’d like to do even more with mrc.fm by opening it up to having presenters on the air, produce some fresh radio jingles, add advertisers and improve radio station equipment.
Starting mrc.fm was relatively straight forward and I talk about how to start an internet radio station from episode 16 of this podcast.
UPDATE: Unfortunately after over a week of waiting for approval my Kickstarter project wasn’t approved and I have decided not to proceed any further with Kickstarter. I’ve written a blog post on using Kickstarter for radio here with the full details of exactly what I submitted to Kickstarter.
