BUILDING AN ARMY OF FANS FROM THE GROUND UP: Self-Funding p.2
MARCO
In 2006 Marco, aka Marquito Polonia became a believer of his brother’s Rap group IGT on Sellaband.com and then convinced his friend Lily Vasquez to post her music at the site. Paying the bills with a day job and as a professional salsa dancer, Marco now hopes to become a recording artist.
Encouraged by Lily and her success, Marco recently began to write his own songs and just last month sought his own investors on SAB quickly raising $3150 with the help of 48 “believers”. How did he do it? Recognizing that talent is not enough, Marquito is active on SAB forums, charming and encouraging fans & potential new investors.
AP: You are relatively new to the music biz – why did you take
the plunge and solicit money from investors to record?
MP: Well, I've been writing songs for the last 3 years. My friend Lily
Vasquez was HUGELY inspirational - she always told me “Don't think,
JUST WRITE!!” I've been recording for the last few months, but I had
to re-evaluate my sound and take a break, so right now I’m focusing
on raising funds for my first release...I'm using Sellaband to achieve
that goal.
AP: Why did you decide to seek independent funding?
MP: I just figured that I want to do music my way - as much as I'd
love to jump into the life of pop stardom, I don't want to just be
another cookie-cutter pop star. So, in an effort not to compromise who
I am, I figured doing it Indie was the best way to go!
AP: How did you first learn about SAB?
MP: Through my brother, Frank (Cheech) Polonia. He is a recording engineer
and works with a lot of underground Hip-Hop - IGT in particular. They
were on SAB and he asked me to "believe", so I did. That was in '06 -
at the time I had no idea that I would be putting myself on that site,
but I figured I'd introduce my friend Lily to it because she would make
it happen.
AP: Did you investigate other, similar services or look for
friends & family to help you raise money to record?
MP: I actually didn't - my intention when I started recording was to
make an album and then get a band together to start gigging.
Eventually I'm sure I would've earned enough money doing that, but
the costs associated with such a project were monumental -
considering I still have to pay student loans, rent, puppy food,
etc...and I don't know of any other site that has a similar business
model to SAB. It really should be a lot bigger than it is in the US.
AP: Was the Sellaband contract easy to understand? Did you
show it to an attorney or accountant before you signed it?
MP: The contract is relatively straightforward, but since I consider
myself a newbie, I showed it to an attorney friend of my brother's. She
said it seemed pretty standard, so I figured I'd go for it. However,
there technically isn't any obligation until you've reached the $50K
goal, so if I wanted to leave SAB I could, no questions asked (However
I’m sure the people who have believed in me so far would KILL me)!
AP: How much have you raised so far?
MP: So far I've raised $3,150. Not bad considering I only joined about
a month ago! From what I've been hearing, some artists have been on
for over a year and still haven't gotten that far!! I'm at almost 6% of
my goal!! Things have slowed down a bit, but I expect them to pick up
as I have very imaginative believers who are giving me TONS of ideas
on how to keep promoting. Plus I have my website launch in a few
weeks, a very important gig in about a month and other exciting
things that should rush me along to $50K.
AP: When do you think that you’ll reach the magic $50,000 so
that you can begin the recording process?
MP: I'm hoping that by Christmas I'll be fast approaching $50K. By
that time I'll probably have 2-3 albums worth of material so it should
be relatively easy to get the album concept down. Great way to start
2009!!
AP: Why do you think that others are willing to invest in your
career?
MP: I think that the music industry is going through massive changes
that they don't know how to deal with & people are weary of seeing
the same glut of characters being produced. SAB is a great opportunity
for people to get to know artists personally, get to hear different types
of music from all over the world and ultimately feel as if they are a
part of the music industry! I think of it like this...How incredible would
it be if I could say that I talk to Ricky Martin or Marc Anthony at least
3 to 4 times a day? That I was instrumental in getting them to record
an album? That they thank me personally?? In my eyes, that's friggin'
AWESOME!!
I tell people all the time, especially people who have invested in me
"Now is your chance to get in on the ground floor - I will accept
nothing but utter success!!" I think people feed off of that type of
energy and hopefully they're investing in my dream because they can
read my sincerity. I keep them updated constantly on all things
happening in my life, personal & professional. I don't hold anything
back! My life is their life!! I'm building a fan army from the ground up!
I think that's why people invest in me.
AP: Do you think that SAB could work for all styles of artists?
MP: I think it can work for any type of artist that is willing to really
give it his/her all. This is a chance we get to talk personally with
potential fans. We can't keep expecting to be discovered singing in a
subway (I'm guilty of this) or singing in a nightclub. It's just not going
to happen - and if it does, the deals are not what they used to be.
So, where else do you get to make a bigger profit off of your CD sales
as well as develop personal relationships w/ your fans? It's all about
word of mouth. As big as the world is, the Internet has made it
extremely small! I know people who are HUGE as artists just based on
the fans/friends they've made online. So SAB can work if you are not
afraid to interact with people and sell yourself. You'd do it in person
no? So why not the Internet?
AP: Do you think that talent alone is enough to engage
believers or must artists do more to engage them?
MP: Unfortunately, talent is not always the deciding factor. You have
to interact on a personal level with people. You have to get them to
feel your passion through a cold Internet connection, so it's tough. But
it's definitely rewarding! You have to have a personality and a thick
skin as well!
AP: Since SAB monies are for recording costs only, how will you
fund promoting your release?
MP: Whatever monies I raise doing gigs will be put aside for
promotional purposes. I'm also saving my pennies from work!
AP: What are the pros & cons of choosing the Sellaband route?
MP: Pros: You are talking to fans on a one-on-one basis. You get to
meet other incredible artists - this fosters great friendships and even
greater collaborations. You get worldwide exposure. For someone like
me who has a 9-5, you get to focus your energy on your job as well as
your passion (I wish I could just resign and focus on music 100% of
the time - but living in NYC that's just not a reality! And I REFUSE to
move back in with my parents!!)
Cons: Some believers are not so nice. Some believers are frank to a
flaw on whether or not they like you or your music - it can be tough at
times. There is no promotional budget - which isn't too bad if you've
been gigging and already have a fanbase. They aren't really marketed
too much in the USA or Latin America (which are my primary targets).
It's difficult to get the info you need at times.
All in all I'd say it's worth it. There's really no risk involved until you
reach $50K. That's when a contract gets involved, etc.
AP: How has asking fans to invest in you affected your
relationship to them – are you closer or do you feel a
responsibility to them?
MP: It's done both. I definitely feel a lot closer to them and I definitely
feel that I have a responsibility to them. I want to make sure that they
get back what they put into me. And I love to get their feedback on
what they like about me, hate about me, etc. Like I said before, when
do people ever get a chance to be this close to their favorite artist? It's
great!
AP: Will you continue raising money thru SAB or will you
pursue another source?
MP: For now I'm going to continue raising funds through SAB as well
as other methods. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket. As I
said before, SAB is a great way for me to put myself out there while
doing other things. I can maintain my account on SAB as well as do
gigs and earn money that way as well as keep my day job.
AP: What are your career goals?
MP: Hmmm...I want to release my first album within the next year or
year and a half. Then I want to tour, get my name out there & win a
Grammy/Latin Grammy.
AP: What is your definition of success?
MP: Success for me is being able to make music for a living. I want to
be able to do nothing but create songs - that is what the universe
intended for me. Even if God forbid I don't get to the Grammy’s/Latin
Grammy’s, If I can make a decent living through music, it'll all be
worth it!
AP: What advice do you have for other artists seeking to self-
fund their careers?
MP: My advice is to trust your instinct. Never give up and don't doubt
yourself for a second! You have to believe that you are doing the right
thing and that success is yours!! Don't worry about when or where,
just worry about believing it for yourself! The universe will take care of
the rest!!
Marco’s new website www.marcomusica.com should be up & running
in May. In the meantime you can find him at:
www.myspace.com/marquitoNYC and
www.sellaband.com/marquitonyc - feel free to go to the
sellaband page and click BELIEVE!!!
