sull posted on the videoblogging maillist about crowdfunding, which is a concept becoming more popular with the rise of social sites etc on the interweb. it's an interesting concept and I'd like to try it with some Australian arts/music projects to try raise money for them to complete their projects. the havemoneywillvlog project has been successful in raising money for people to work on various videoblogging projects ranging from a documentary / series, an artistic experiment with travel organised by the contributors, a research project on sustainability, a documentation of issues on immigration and it's social impacts from a selection of people's pov, and most recently raising funds to help convert 8mm films to video to give them a new lease of life.
since upgrading to drupal 4.7, I'll be testing the chipin and ecommerce modules to see if they are of use.
it would be great to be able to help people realise their projects. I think it could also help them to practice making grant funding applications to larger organisations and government bodies. anyway, it couldn't hurt to try. if the people make pledges to support the project, then only pay for them once the full amount of money is raised then it's less risk for them. I've pledged and donated money in this way. $10 a month (or less if I decide to skip a project) is not much for me to pay - it's less than the cost of a cd and is another way to help support a project when you can't attend in person. I figure I've spent more than that on less important things, so it's one way to help give back to the community! also, as these days I don't make it to events I'd like to in person, this could be another way of supporting them without being there.
I wonder if others think this way also. it's hard to convince people to spend their hard earned cash. just as it's hard to get people to come along to gigs. an interesting experiment nonetheless. hopefully some of the projects would be able to offer something extra, an incentive if you will, to the financial contributors. drupal groups modules might be useful for this..
I was thinking of using these systems to help raise money for people to work on projects - small budget amounts. maybe to do a promo cd or put on a gig or get a small book published or attend a conference & report on it etc. the donators would be given credit in the project and maybe get special previews on how the project is going. I could put the documentation on my site.
the project would get to practice applying for grants, so would need to be professional about it, have a definite timeline to work towards, and there would have to be a final outcome they could report on and document so people who donated knew their money went towards something real and was not just lost.
the system could also be used to raise money for charities, or if you can't decide on a charity, then think of the artist as your target for giving.
anyway, here's some sites useful for research about this or showing examples of currently working systems :
http://havemoneywillvlog.com/ = funding site for videoblog projects
http://crowdfunding.com/ = research blog on crowdfunding
http://www.sellaband.com/ = raise $50000 towards funding your band / your fav band's promo/album costs
http://fundavlog.com/ = pay per view / raise money for vlogs
http://fundable.org/ = raise money for any projects, payment site
http://chipin.com/ = raise money for any projects, payment site
http://www.netribution.co.uk/2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id... = article on crowdfunding for independent films
http://www.smartmobs.com/archive/2006/09/19/a_swarm_of_ange.html = a UK film being made via donations
Tom Ellard from 
NUCA - the Network of Un-Collectable Artists - is a nation-wide affiliation connecting those who gravitate towards ephemeral projects, participatory experiences, illegal art actions, and activities that oddify everyday life. Some members make unwieldy installation projects, while others alter billboards, project images in abandoned spaces at night, or exchange ideas rather than objects. Some simply make dead ugly paintings that would never sell.
