January saw the recorded music industry announce another set of grim figures while waving a white handkerchief. An International Federation of the Phonographic Industry report showed that the growth of digital music halved over 2010, with its chief executive, Frances Moore, stating that digital piracy remains the biggest threat to the future of creative industries.
But away from the crumbling of traditional structures that have for decades supported musicians, film-makers et al, there's been a feelgood story brewing online that suggests that our enthusiasm for giving money in exchange for creativity has far from disappeared. Crowdfunding is a modern spin on the ancient system of patronage, and the polar opposite of file-sharing; if we're fond of what someone's doing, we give them some cash. Sometimes we get something in return, but more often it's just for the karmic glow of having helped a project to come to fruition.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Crowdfunding: raising money from strangers - Features, Gadgets & Tech - The Independent
