Pledge Music

[Monkey Steve]

I've a fairly frequent backer of projects on Pledge Music, but it's not been without some hiccups.  The last Gary Numan album project took my money about two years before the album appeared (although, in fairness GN himself kept everybody regularly updated on what was happening) and the Symphonic Killing Joke is already 30 months past the original fulfilment date (to say nothing of the half abandoned KJ 40th anniversary project...it seems that KJ have some form for this sort of thing).

A couple of recent projects have left me a little frustrated.  One was simply pre-ordering a Saxon album, the last in the latest re-issues.  That one was cancelled, but I was able to buy it from another source, so it seems odd that they took my money and the items were still pressed, just not issued through PM.  Then a Status Quo re-issue of some early 70's albums, due before Christmas, but showing no sign of being sent out, and this time no contact through PM to explain it.  So I chased it up, and got a very bland "yes, we can understand you're disappointed, we hope to have news in the next couple of weeks"

Undeterred, I assumed that this was down to the bands and not PM themselves, and I backed a project yesterday - pre-ordered the debut album from Hands Off Gretel.  This morning I get a message to say that despite having hit almost 250% of the money for the project they are withdrawing it from PM because they have no idea when they will actually see the money.  They will honour all orders, but are switching it to their own website because it seems that PM have a history of not paying the artists for quite some time after the project closes.  Google led me to this:

https://completemusicupdate.com/article/pledgemusic-issues-statement-amid-latest-artist-payment-problems/

So I'm now wondering if Status Quo simply aren't sending out anything until they actually get paid, and i can understand that this would be a massive problem for a new band like Hands Of Gretel, who are left either trying to find the money to fulfill the orders themselves ahead of PM paying up, or delaying their album launch, or disappointing their biggest fans in waiting what might be three months or more after the promised fulfilment date

Anybody used PM as a band?  

[NickD]

I saw this from Danny Vaughn last week. Doesn't sound good.

 

[Monkey Steve]

there seem to be quite a few bands now withdrawing their projects from Pledge Music, or asking fans to stop backing them through PM and instead shifting their stuff to their own websites

Need to keep my fingers crossed that they don't go belly up before the last of the projects I've backed (and have paid for) actually get released...

I noticed that they were no longer accepting PayPal...the same also applies for HMV.  Clearly PayPal ain't stupid and can sense when a company is circling the drain...