The rise of crowdfunding has often been highly acclaimed for ‘democratising’ the world of business, allowing anyone with an idea to start a company and achieve investment without the traditional problem of having ‘the right connections’ to find investors. However, arguably be said that the biggest sector to benefit has been the arts; traditionally underfunded by the government, British music, film and art is now thriving again on the back of crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter.
A prime example of crowdfunding’s success is the Ai Wei Wei exhibition that has just opened at the Royal Academy, after successfully raising enough money to bring his works to the UK. It allowing projects to obtain funding and the British arts industry to thrive; one such project is Roady Magazine. They have just begun a campaign on Kickstarter to raise the £5500 needed to launch their first issue. The concept: an arts magazine “which could serve as a coherent travel guide as well as a crisp coffee table essential”.
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A page from the magazine’s first issue
Elegant design and high quality travel and lifestyle content make this magazine the perfect example of a project worth supporting through crowdfunding. It’s a unique idea with a niche but very interested audience, and “strives to balance adventures with an aesthetic approach and clearly portray that having a budget is an advantage whilst travelling, bringing you closer to beautiful and untouched places”.
The money raised will be directed towards the biggest cost of the publishing – high quality print – and distribution of the magazine; as well as Kickstarter fees and well deserved rewards for those who choose to contribute.
The founders of the project are Karolis, who running public relations and new media operations and is the driving force behid the magazine, and Miglé, its editor, who is in charge of the visualisations and the detailed content.
When asked why they started a crowdfunding campaign, Karolis said:
“After running an online platform and receiving requests for hard copies of the magazine we made a decision to take this step and we believe that crowd-funding is a perfect way to test the market and at the same time your product.
The magazine is already partnered with high-profile brands such as Hovelstay, Wahaca and Portrait. Crowdfunding in the arts industry is something that is beginning to really take off, and anything that expands and encourages the arts scene can only be a good thing for Britain.
For further information on how to support this project, please visit their campaign page here.
