MILKING THE COMMUNITY ~ A first for the music industry
Multi-award winning, 2 x UK beatbox champion and live looping pioneer, Beardyman today announces the launch of a ground-breaking new project with Patreon, the membership platform that makes it easy for creators to get paid directly by their fans. His Milking the Community project redefines the way artists collaborate, connect and give back to their communities, offering patrons the opportunity to be remunerated for their invaluable contributions to his creative process.
His new membership tier, available to patrons at a deliberately affordable cost of £6 for the monthly subscription, offers fans the opportunity to present their track ideas and collaborate with Beardyman as he produces his forthcoming album. Beardyman will choose 15 of the most inspiring ideas and in return, his chosen collaborators will receive 10% of the master rights to their track, a producer credit, and a one-off vinyl dubplate of the piece they make together. Only those who are part of Beardyman’s Patreon community will have access to both a limited edition vinyl pressing of the album, and exclusive Beardyman merchandise, and all patrons will receive a copy of the album digitally along with exclusive bonus tracks. The Milking the Community project is a first for the music industry and a continuation of Beardyman’s collaborative approach to music-making, as well as testament to the engaged community of fans he continues to build on Patreon. Beardyman said: “These last two years had been so isolating for everyone, and our wonderful community with it’s stupid banter andawesome music that we all made together gave me a reason to carry on making art in lockdowns, when everything seemed impossibly bleak. It feels only right that I give something back. No-one’s ever done anything like this before, and I really want to get this right.” He adds: “My mission is to create the most interactive music and music-tech community in the world. I count my Patreon community as a partner in this mission.”
Beardyman’s innovative approach to the creation of his new album redefines the concept of music ownership and who reaps the rewards of creative work. The launch deconstructs the boundaries between artist and fan, inviting these 15 fans to be true creative collaborators, share the ownership of the work they co-create, as well as physically own their creation in the form of a unique vinyl dubplate. Patreon is hyper-focused on providing the platform and infrastructure creators need to create on their own terms and be successful in growing and running their creative businesses, and Beardyman is taking his community along with him. Gee Linford-Grayson, UK & Ireland Creator Partnerships Team Lead, Patreon, said, “Beardyman is the epitome of what Patreon was built to do: give creators a platform to create on their own terms and bring their loyal fans closer to the process. This is a particularly innovative approach to music-making on Patreon, breaking down the barriers that traditionally separate artist and fan to collaborate together and share in the final success of the album. We’re inspired by what Beardyman and his patrons have achieved so far, and excited to follow this path with his new tier. I can’t wait to hear what is created through this exciting new collaboration!” Beardyman will be taking the technology and collaborative mission on the road for his first tour since 2019. He will be playing over 30 dates in the UK and Europe taking ideas, suggestions and live samples from the audience as he improvises a new musical and audio visual set every night.
Beardyman is one of Patreon’s 250,000 creators globally. Since its founding in 2013, Patreon has built a community of 8 million members, and more than $3.5 billion has been paid to creators since the company’s inception. The platform achieved a $4bn valuation in early April on the back of a $155m funding round. Fans can sign up to Beardyman’s Patreon here: Beardyman. See all tour dates here: https://www.beardyman.co.uk/