The Roaring Crowdfund features Austin's Johnny Chops

What does it take to run a successful Kickstarter, PledgeMusic, or Indiegogo campaign? The Roaring Crowdfund, a five-episode podcast from Berklee Online, takes a look by following the campaigns of artists including Austin-based guitarist Johnny Chops, best known for his work as bassist for the Randy Rogers Band. His recent PledgeMusic campaign raised funds for the sophomore album by his side project, Johnny Chops & the Razors.

In examining the issues these musicians face, host and creator Pat Healy, senior writer/editor at Berklee Online, gains insight from top brass at these major platforms, as well as other popular musicians who have had crowdfunding experiences, both negative and positive. Lending expert commentary are artists like Ted Leo, Gift of Gab of Blackalicious, Meredith Graves, Brian Rosenworcel of Guster, Mark Kelly of Marillion, and Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing. Berklee Online instructors like John Kellogg, entertainment attorney and director for Berklee Online’s Music Business master’s degree program, also weigh in.

Each of the featured acts struggle in their own ways to meet their goals, and what The Roaring Crowdfund does most successfully is champion independent musicians and their difficult plight in the current landscape of the music industry. The first episode introduces the four artists and many of the experts, and gives an overview of crowdfunding and its history. Subsequent episodes delve into the artist’s campaign videos, perks and rewards, marketing efforts, campaign results, and the future of crowdfunding.

Catch up on episodes at TheRoaringCrowdfund.com.