JAVS Spring 2014

S TUDENT L IFE J OIN THE C ROWD ( FUNDING )

Crista Kende Bergendahl with the viola funded by her Indiegogo campaign by Crista Kende Bergendahl

Before I dared to advise others, I thought it wise to run a campaign myself to fully understand the crowd funding process. I used Indiegogo to fund a viola pur chase, since I had previously relied on a loan from a foundation that wanted their viola back. As expected, my campaign elicited a broad spectrum of public reactions—from musicians who were excited by this potentially groundbreaking new model to those voic ing vehement disdain for what they saw as a desperate attempt at panhandling. Either way, I was happy to get people talking about crowdfunding! With any thing new, it’s natural for there to be fear and miscon ceptions, which is why I would like to dispel a few of the most pervasive crowdfunding myths. “With so many musicians struggling to make their way, why do you deserve my help?” Crowdfunding isn’t about who is and who isn’t deserving of help, because it’s not about asking for help. It’s about having the courage to tell your story, presenting your idea to the crowd, and inviting peo-

In the spring of 2010 I had just received my Master’s from The Juilliard School, and I was headed to Switzerland to play with the Verbier Festival Orchestra; ready to embrace the life of a freelance musician upon my return to New york. Just a few months later, my excitement turned into frustration as I experienced the scarcity of job opportunities first-hand. To relieve some pressure, I sought part time employment at Indiegogo, a global online crowdfunding platform. I knew nothing about crowdfunding, but within my first few days on the job I realized that Indiegogo was providing a tremendous opportunity for artists to take control of their careers instead of lamenting the status quo. Today, I am the Performing Arts Specialist at Indiegogo and offer personalized (free!) coaching for campaigners while raising general awareness of crowdfunding in the arts.

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