Musicians Turn to Crowdfunding to Support Instrument Purchases
Fund-raising on the web is gaining popularity with cash-strapped string players
Shirley Hunt is smitten with a 1720 bass viol made by Johann Christian Hoffmann, a friend of J.S. Bach. But, Hunt, a freelance cellist and gambist based in San Francisco, has neither the funds to purchase the $90,000 instrument nor the years of established credit history to get a loan.
So, instead of relying on the traditional path of patronage or debt-inducing loans, she has turned to the web, using a site called GoFundMe to raise funds for her dream gamba. “Not only is it an incredible viol, it has a special place in my heart because I’ve heard it played for years by my most esteemed and beloved mentor,” Hunt, 27, wrote on her GoFundMe page. At press time, Hunt had raised $10,000.
Hunt is one of a handful of musicians using the Internet to raise money for the purchase of musical instruments. These musicians are doing something called crowdfunding, or collecting (mostly) small, individual donations for a larger purchase or project. They typically create a page on a crowdfunding website like Kickstarter, GoFundMe, IndieGoGo, or DonorsChoose.
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