A House For Lions Success Gives Musicians Hope with Crowdfunding

LA-Based indie rock band A House For Lions spent months thinking through how they’d go about crowdfunding their debut album. When they realized they wanted to try it on their own, without going through one of the many services available, they decided IgnitionDeck would fit their needs.

So what did A House For Lions do to make their crowdfund a success? How’d they hit their goal, without the help of a ‘built-in audience’ that some of the crowdfunding websites might have?

They got real.

In each aspect of their project, you can see their personalities in the details. The humour in their excellent video (check it out! https://ahouseforlions.com/debut/ ) is very enjoyable. The pledge levels contain fun rewards that aren’t just about the album itself – they’re also about having fun with the band. With level 12, you pledge $200 and get everything from levels 1-7 plus the opportunity to hop on stage for a song and play the tambourine like a mad man.  They’ve got CD’s, Postcards, T-Shirts, Posters, Totebags (!!), Surfing lessons, an iPod Shuffle, Guestlist for LIFE, and lots more.

A House For Lions also put thought into how they’d approach the press about their project. With only 1,100 fans on Facebook they knew they’d have to go beyond their core network of fans to make this project a success. So the first thing they did, was release a cover of the great Tina Turner tune ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ for free on their site, and start to get the ball rolling around that (this has 27 plays in my iTunes as I type this). Then they got together with some kids, and shot their video (you watched that already, right?).

They planned their moves like a chess game, and when they went live, A House For Lions was ready to hit their goal no matter what. In working with IgnitionDeck while in beta, their Guitarist Mike Nissen found numerous bugs for us to fix, and helped us discover new possibilities we hadn’t examined before.

A House For Lions did all this when they knew they’d keep the money they raised even if they didn’t reach their target. Because ultimately, they knew that hitting their goal and going beyond meant a more active fan base, a better album, and more money to the charity they’ve chosen to support with 10% of post-pledge profits – MusiCares.

Thank You A House For Lions

We’re honoured that A House For Lions chose to use IgnitionDeck to achieve their goal – because we know it’s not IgnitionDeck that did it for them. Without all their effort, planning and heart – it wouldn’t have happened at all. Kudos to the boys of A House For Lions, and we can’t wait for our t-shirts and albums to arrive in the mail!

Here’s a few of the places A House For Lions was featured in the press:

• Digital Music News: Indie Band Figures Out How to Raise Money Without…
• Tunecore: A House For Lions: Raising Money Their Own Way
• Hypebot: Indie Band Uses IgnitionDeck For Crowdfunding Without The Middleman