Do websites with intrusive ads and impossible to access pages give you a headache? As someone who’s both worked for sites like this and *attempted* to scroll through them every day, a site that’s impossible to access without getting more viruses than Limewire handed out isn’t a great idea. Luckily, there’s good news for any and all creative types out there – a Patreon campaign. Since we don’t want to infect your computer any more than it might already be, we’re stoked to announce that TNF has joined the Patreon fray. You can access the campaign right here, or read below for a bit more about why we’re launching the Patreon – and how you can help increase its visibility.
Welcome to the official Patreon of New Fury Media. Why should you contribute to us? Read below.
Hi. Bradley here, I run New Fury Media. For those who may not know us, we’re a music website dedicated to bringing you the latest music news, in-depth interviews with your favorite artists across the spectrum, and our specialty – in-depth editorial pieces about classic albums, most of which have had a profound influence on what you listen to now. Founded in 2013 after the dissolution of Introduce Yourself Magazine, New Fury Media aims to promote intelligent conversation by going in-depth with both new and established musicians, highlighting the albums you should be listening to, and looking back at the albums that shaped the music scene. We also cover video games (mainly retro, but also newer games!) and sports, to a much lesser extent.
We do all of these things and more on a, well, tiny budget. I personally work full-time and then some, and much of what you see on TNF was written at 4 AM during a 12 hour shift while working. All of our staff is volunteer, and they are highly appreciated. While I’m blessed to work in a field that allows me to multitask, it’s also not a profitable one – running this site has not made me much in the way of money. Hell, I don’t really know how to code or really do more than primitive web design. If anything, it’s been the huge influx of traffic and the bands we work with that keep us going. We have a vast staff of excellent photographers and writers, some of which have gone on to write for bigger sites like Get Alternative, Post-Trash, and many more.
At the end of the day, our mission statement is to enable music fans to discover the latest music other publications won’t cover, dissect and discuss classic albums that changed the music scene, and write longer-form editorials and breakdowns that often go unseen with smaller publications. Nobody likes paywalls, and even fewer people enjoy being bombarded with intrusive advertisements. Unfortunately, one (or both) are necessary to bring in any kind of funding to websites that aren’t already massive in scope – so that’s where Patreon comes in.
Here’s the breakdown of where the money goes to, and/or where we want it to go.
*Server fees and hosting – we’ve outgrown our server already, and are in need of a dedicated, private one to work with our growth and growing ambitions.
*Paying staff members – TNF is a volunteer force of people who believe that high-quality photography and writing are paramount. With more contributions, our staff members would be able to get out to shows more often, and dedicate even more time to writing.
*Advertising – growing our reach, especially on social media, costs money.
*Podcasting Equipment – currently, we have very primitive equipment right now. Even an upgrade would be huge, and would help secure high-profile guests, as well.
What we want to do with the money, if there’s enough interest:
*TNF Merch – printed t-shirts, buttons, stickers, patches, all that fancy stuff.
*Dedicated podcast space/office – a bit of a pipe dream unless (or until) we get as big as, say, Kerrang! – but working out of a space that’s not my bedroom would be beneficial to all.
Luckily, that tide is starting to shift. TNF is growing at a very fast rate, and I take pride in knowing we do things differently – but to gain even more headway, we need a bit of support. I personally dislike sites that have intrusive ads plastered all over, but I do realize it’s a necessity to make any kind of money. However, I just can’t bring myself to enable them. I also don’t like hiding content behind a paywall.
I know I speak for all of our staff when I say that doing this for a living would be amazing. I personally want to pay all of my hardworking staff members who dedicate their time and energy to something greater. Beyond this, there are also server fees and domain hostings that need to be paid, and we’re in great need of a dedicated server to help support all of this. If you are interested in extremely high-quality music writing and want to see us cover even more amazing music, consider whether contributing to our campaign is the right move for you. If not, that’s okay too! You sharing our articles around and being a fan means the world to us. But with just a few hundred dollars a month coming in, we might be able to even the score – with a full-time weekly podcast, mini-documentaries, newsletters, and even more of the editorial coverage you’ve come to expect from us, the sky is the limit.
There’s plenty of incentive for you to contribute. We’re starting a podcast and have a list of bands, musicians, and industry people both established and new ready to hop on as guests. We want to expand, grow, and become a leading light in the scene by doing it the right way – avoiding clickbait. By supporting us with even a $1 donation every month, you’re helping to keep the lights on, and with further support, you’re enabling us to pay our writers, provide even more high-quality content, and even get a few exclusive cool experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.
Even if you’re not into supporting this or you’re on the fence, we’ll continue to stay on. We’re not going anywhere. Even sharing the campaign helps a ton. But if you do choose to contribute, we’ll make it worth your while by upping our game even more. A monthly (or even weekly!) newsletter? Exclusive guests on our podcast? Giveaways? All of the above. By contributing, you’re supporting our continued efforts to provide high-quality music writing. You’re also inspiring us to create more interesting articles. And isn’t that something to feel good about?
We’re also heavily into what our customer and fanbase wants to see for possible rewards. So, if there’s something you don’t see offered with the perks that you think should be, drop us a line at newfurymedia2014@gmail.com. We want to hear what you want.
