We Came As Romans is one of the coolest bands out there. So many people hate them that it sort of cracks me up. Get over it. We interviewed Joshua Moore years ago and we found him to be articulate intelligent and honest. Oddities in the ego fueled world of rock.
He is currently under fire for his opinion of Kickstarter. Kickstarter is an online services that allows bands (or anyone) to fundraise for themselves to support a project. Highly successful with Amanda Palmer netting over a million and setting the bar pretty high with B level hardcore bands demanding nearly $350k to record. Someone needs a new car on that one. But where does the line get drawn? How much can a fan give?
The profit margin must be pretty high for Kickstarter vs regular album sales. So funding is the way to go. Its also very non traditional and a great glimpse into the 'deserving' disposition we have today. Pay me to entertain you and then pay me again. No one wants to put out the risk in a volatile music industry- so pure donation is pure profit.
Not to Joshua Moore though.
"When my band was broke and wanted to record an EP, I went and got a job and put almost all of the money I earned towards it. Everyone in the band did. Then we gave it away for free. I'm not trying to bash anyone, but I don't get this Kickstarter trend. Making sacrifices and having NO money was part of trying get somewhere in the industry. My tour friends and I have all been there before. Sorry for the rant. But I just don't get it. I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else, and I'm not trying to speak for anyone else… But at least I know we never took the easy route, and did a majority of it with empty pockets but full of pride in what we were doing. No I'm not subtweeting any band. If I had an issue with a specific band or person, I wouldn't put that on Twitter. It's just the idea of it."
Thats going to ruffle some feathers- thats for sure.