Kickstarter is perhaps the most popular of a series of sites that allow for the “crowdfunding” of projects. The way it works, a person wishing to create something (whether a piece of art, technology or community) pitches his idea on the website where millions of visitors can see it and pledge to donate an amount of money at their discretion. Most creators have different donation brackets in which, if one surpasses it one can get extra “perks”. For example, if I’m creating a video game, I can offer to those who pledge $10 or more, a copy of the game, to those who pledge $20 or more, a signs copy and to those who pledge $1000 or more, a full day with me and participation in the design of a character. 

This technology in some ways revolutionizes the way creations come to be. By not depending on a profit seeking investor(s) or firm, a developer can have greater freedom when it comes to the creation of a project, not burdened by the structure of a production company, shareholders and patrons nor having to pitch a high profitable idea to them. Through communities like Kickstarter, a content creator can focus instead on what he/she wishes to produce, and then let the project itself find a niche market that will sponsor it.  

At first sight this might seem like a way to sponsor small projects, with investors being dedicated fans. However, the presence of donors who pledge quantities in the thousands of dollars, indicate a serious interest in these products a harbinger to a shift in content creation and investment with the priority now being the content created, not future profits.

Arguably, what allows for this shift to occur is the proliferation of the Internet. Because it is easier now to communicate with consumers, the demand for certain products is more visible than ever, thus niche markets for a particular type of art or an esoteric but useful gadget become tangible and easier to reach and thus it is they who can directly participate in the creation of the project, lessening the need for an industry sponsor, thus ‘cutting out the middleman’.