FANS, FUN AND FORTUNE:
WILL PSYCHOSTICK BE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK?
Known for onstage antics that involve rubber chickens and kick a** metal riffs, the satirical Metalcore/Humorcore act, Psychostick, (Rob “Rawrb” Kersey /vocals, Josh “Guitar Ninja” Key /guitar, Jake “Jakermeister” Reynolds/guitar, Jimmy Grant /bass and Alex Preiss /drums) maintain a grueling touring schedule. Gigging covers the costs for life on the road but leaves little time or money to satisfy fans demand for a new release.
Solution? Give the fans what they want and reap the rewards.
Psychostick fans are paying $50 to have their names included as a lyric in Psychostick’s soon to be recorded song – working title “400 Thank Yous” on their (hopefully) upcoming release, Sandwich.
Formed in 2001 and assembled from several states across the country, Psychostick found Tempe, Arizona to be the place they call home. After releasing several demos (2002's Don't Bitch It's Free and 2003's Die.... A Lot) the band was signed to Rock Ridge Music and released their debut album We Couldn't Think of a Title in September 2006. By this time their homemade flash video for “Beer!!!” had become a hit on Ebaumsworld.com.
Soon the song found its way into the hands of Evil J, bassist for Otep, who in turn introduced it to XM Radio where it eventually became a
#1 single for seven weeks.
Becoming virtual road-dogs, the members of Psychostick found themselves in a touring cycle that didn’t allow enough time to properly record a new album. It was decided that when their Terrible Shirt Tour ended, they would hit the studio.
Guitarist Josh Key explains - “The problem we kept running in to was that we could make enough money to survive on the road, but not enough to survive while we record. We could get day jobs while we’re home for those four to eight weeks, but who’ll hire us for that short a time? Besides, this is our livelihood and we need to focus on our band if we want it to succeed – which we do.”
Going into the six-week May-June tour, the members of Psychostick felt confident that this was the tour that would earn some actual money.
The game plan was to put all of the profits towards the recording of Sandwich.
Ultimately the financial strain of day-to-day survival would leave little for the piggy jar. With few options available, the band turned to their fans for help in raising the needed $23,000. The idea, described as “genius” by Rock Ridge Music President, Tom Derr, had never been done before. In fact, it seemed so ridiculous that if anyone was going to try it, Psychostick was the band to give it a shot.
The idea, borne from the musings of manager Anthony Caroto / Elepractic Entertainment, was simple: Any fan who donates $50 will have their name – first and last – used as a lyric in the song “400 Thank Yous”. To sweeten the deal, each person will also get a signed copy of the CD and a poster. One lucky winner will get a pair of tickets to the CD release party with airfare and accommodations included.
To strengthen this fan-fueled endeavor, the band uploaded a video of their pitch onto YouTube. Armed with their Canon Powershot SD1000 (Side note: This camera is great for touring), the band put together a humorous collage of bad acting, questionable facts and a pile of kittens. It has since been viewed over 12,000 times.
On July 14th the fundraiser was launched and Psychostick turned to MySpace for its promotion. By responding to each Friend Request with a fundraiser message, posting specifically timed Bulletins and “mentions” tagged onto outgoing fan mail, the band had the social site covered.
Also Rock Ridge Music got involved by providing Skye Media & Design for additional publicity. Their press release was now showing up on music websites all over the country. The word was getting out – which in turn was exposing the band to new audiences.
“There was definitely a difference in mail once the fundraiser started. There was mail from new fans, fans who had donated, and also mail from the fans who couldn’t afford it, but who wanted to wish us luck and encouragement,” says vocalist Rob “Rawrb” Kersey. “That in itself is very rewarding.”
The fundraiser was not without its problems – albeit small ones.
“Aside from a lot of fans being broke like us and unable to donate, we got quite a few emails from fans who thought they had to send more than $50 if they also wanted the signed CD and poster,” says Rawrb. “That’s where we would stop and think - I wonder how many people aren’t donating because they think it’s more than $50?”
Once a fan has donated, Psychostick provides a fancy .jpg for their MySpace page that reads “My name is going to be in a Psychostick Song. Click here to be awesome like me.”
As with many fundraisers, some people give the hairy eyeball regarding where exactly these funds are going. Psychostick was prepared for the scrutiny and a special page on their website has been made available (www.psychostick.com/newalbum) which details the money trail. Studio time, mastering, guitar setups, new drum pedals, heads and cymbal stands are all listed among their virtual wish list.
“We could go into the studio and record the album with what we have - but what we have isn’t as good as what we want - and what we want will make our album sound that much better and fuller,” says Psychostick guitarist and studio engineer Josh Key.
A gauge on the webpage also details how much money has been raised. Fans and friends have until October 30th, 2008 to participate – or until all 400 spaces are taken – whichever comes first. At the time of this article, there were still 188 spaces available.
“As of right now we’re a little past the 50% point, which is great. We’ve been able to acquire most of the stuff we need to really make this next album sound great,” according to guitarist Jake McReynolds. When asked what becomes of any donations beyond the 400, McReynolds said that “fans will be offered a full refund, but we’re hoping they’ll at least pre-order the album first. In which case, they’d still get a refund, just not the full $50.”
While this particular fundraiser has been Psychostick’s most challenging effort to date, they’ve nearly mastered the smaller avenues as well. Most recently, drummer Alex Preiss sold his old drum pedals on eBay, netting him $88.00 to put towards new equipment.
“Putting them on eBay didn’t even cross my mind until we got a bunch of mail from fans who wanted to buy them,” states Preiss.
Rawrb’s first wireless mic system has also been introduced to the eBay audience. With the starting bid at a modest $50, diehard fans put it up over $183.00.
Psychostick has also introduced the “audience participation” drunken webcast. In what has now become a fan-favorite, the members of Psychostick will chat via webcast while doing shots of Jagermeister – all paid for by the fans via PayPal. Fans are buying shots for the member of their choice, while chatting it up about whatever comes to mind. They’re also buying CDs and t-shirts since the band was could sign them right then and there.
“When Flesheating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride came out last year we did a webcast that gave fans a chance to buy it directly from us and have it signed,” says Rawrb. “By making ourselves that available to a worldwide audience has been beneficial all around. We’re connecting with our fans and they’re connecting with us.”
“What I think a lot of bands don’t remember, and what a lot of bigger bands forget, is that the time you spend with fans can be a lifelong highlight - especially the younger fans that will tell the story in school the next day and add your songs to their MySpace profile,” says Caroto. “It’s amazing to see how many fans will use a photo they took at a recent show of them with the band as their MySpace (or social network of choice) default picture.”
And when touring, Psychostick will do what many other bands do: place a donations jar at the merch booth. At every Psychostick show you’ll find a red gas can, resting on the table.
When asked for advice on successful fundraising, Rawrb had this to say: “Get to know your fans and appreciate each one. They didn’t have to buy your album or come to your show – but they did. Show them the respect and attention they deserve; and they’ll be there when you need them most. Also with fundraising, it’s important to be practical and reasonable. Don’t insult the fans.”
Adds Caroto – “Doing this fundraiser and all of the other things we do to raise money, has been an incredible learning experience on marketing. It’s one aspect of the industry that many bands don’t consider enough. Proper marketing is how any good business will survive and excel - we’re in the business of music.”
Over the years Psychostick has created a solid bond with their fans. On their most recent tour, The Terrible Shirt Tour, they asked their show-attending fans to wear the most terrible shirt they could find. The response was impressive to say the least.
“Making that connection with fans is great. It’s so rewarding. It’s the sigh of relief you get in knowing that what you’re doing is worth it,” says Rawrb. “Our fans are metal fans and introverted nerds – just like us.”
After spending September and October in the studio, Psychostick will hit the road in November to headline The Holiday Hate Tour: Season Two with Screaming Mechanical Brain and Retard-O-Bot. Going into 2009, the band will launch a massive national tour to promote their new album – and ready to face the next round of touring challenges. And while the experience of this fundraiser has provided numerous rewards, Psychostick hopes that with the release of Sandwich, financial success is just around the corner.
Sandwich is expected to be released in March 2009.
Psychostick website: www.psychostick.com
Psychostick MySpace: www.myspace.com/psychostick
Elepractic Entertainment: www.elepractic.com
