In late 2009, Animal Collective‘s Josh Dibb raised more than $25k on Kickstarter to make a new album and book based around a trip to a music festival in Mali. Nearly three years later, there’s no sign of either product, and fans who crowdfunded the plans are unhappy. “You relied on the belief of strangers, who gave you over $25,000 so you could have a fun adventure in Africa,” being one comment that cuts to the heart of the matter. Dibb has now apologised to fans, saying he gave the money to anti-slavery charity TEMEDT rather than spending it himself. And the promised music? “The gifts were supposed to be based around the music that I had been writing at that time, and when I came back, I personally felt really dissatisfied with it,” says Dibb. At least the dialogue with fans is open now, but it’s another reminder that crowdfunding – with its deadlines and promises – doesn’t always mesh with the creative process.
Tools: platforms to help you reach new audiences
Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…