How Musicians Can Ask Followers to Support a New Project

Musicians can ask followers to support a new album, EP, video, or tour by naming the project, itemizing the cost, setting a visible cash goal, and sharing one direct link in their bio, social posts, email list, and at shows. The ask should explain what each contribution helps complete and provide progress updates. A Goal is one named goal with a progress bar: followers make one-time contributions and every contribution is yours whether or not the goal is reached — no deadline unless you set one, and nothing to ship.

This guide is about wording the ask as a musician: what the money pays for, why it matters now, and how to keep supporters updated. If you still need to choose a project or plan the full process, start with the guide to funding your next creative project with follower support.

What can musicians ask followers to fund?

Pick one real cost that gets the song, record, video, or run of shows closer to done. That might be studio time, a producer’s fee, video production, a vinyl or CD run, tour transport and lodging, or a release campaign. The goal works best when it names one finishable expense instead of a broad line like “support my music.”

Strong goals can include:

• Recording costs: Studio time, mixing, and mastering for a single, EP, or album.
• A producer or session musicians: Paying named collaborators to work on a particular track or release.
• A music video: Production crew, locations, equipment, editing, and post-production.
• Physical releases: Vinyl or CD pressing, artwork, packaging, and shipping materials for a defined run. Manufacturer Disc Makers lists 100 copies of a 12-inch vinyl LP in Euro jackets starting at $999, a 100-unit double-LP run starting at about $1,999, and 100 duplicated CDs starting at $159 (Disc Makers FAQ and Disc Makers vinyl pricing).
• Tour costs: A van, fuel, lodging, rehearsal expenses, or backing-band pay for specific dates.
• A release campaign: Promotion tied to a particular single, EP, album, or video.

The useful pattern is a project people can picture reaching completion. You might say a $500 goal covers part of a mixing invoice, or that a goal covers the van and fuel for five specific shows. Use your own quote, invoice, or booking plan. Studio, session-musician, and producer rates are set by each engineer, player, or facility, so recording and tour goals should come from your real costs rather than a generic estimate.

Why can direct follower support help alongside streaming?

Streaming usually pays after the work is already out. It does not pay the studio deposit, video crew, pressing plant, or gas money before the release exists, and for many artists the later amount is small. A Goal lets supporters make one-time contributions before the work is finished, while streaming, merchandise, licensing, and live income can still arrive later.

Spotify paid the music industry more than $11 billion in royalties in 2025, bringing its lifetime payouts to nearly $70 billion. Those payouts are concentrated near the top of the catalog: in 2025 the 100,000th highest-earning artist on Spotify generated just over $7,300 in royalties from Spotify alone, and more than 13,800 artists generated at least $100,000 for the year. Spotify also reports that more than 1,500 artists generated over $1 million in Spotify royalties in 2025.

Spotify does not pay artist royalties at a fixed per-play or per-stream rate; it distributes recorded-music revenue by streamshare, and Spotify’s own support documentation states royalty payments “might vary according to differences in how their music is streamed or the agreements they have with labels or distributors” (Spotify: Understanding Spotify royalties). Spotify additionally requires a track to have reached at least 1,000 streams during the previous 12 months before that track enters the recorded-music royalty-pool calculation (Spotify for Artists: Modernizing our royalty system).

Selling the finished record has its own deductions. Bandcamp charges a 15% revenue share on digital sales, dropping to 10% once an artist reaches $5,000 USD in sales, and 10% on physical items, with payment processing billed separately at typically 4% to 6% per transaction (Bandcamp: What are Bandcamp's fees?).

With Brillay Goals, the ask can stay simple: one named goal, one-time contributions, and no reward tiers to fulfill. There is no all-or-nothing cutoff. You can add a deadline as a countdown, but supporters’ contributions are not returned simply because the displayed goal is not reached. Kickstarter, by contrast, applies a 5% fee to every successfully funded project, uses all-or-nothing funding, and limits a funding period to between one and 60 days, noting that “projects lasting 30 days or fewer have our highest success rates” (Kickstarter Creator Handbook: Funding). So a pressing goal that closes at $900 of its $1,200 target still leaves you the $900 followers contributed, before fees (how Brillay works).

As of September 2026, a musician can create a Brillay page with no follower minimum (pricing). That means a goal can sit beside streaming royalties, merchandise, licensing, and live income instead of trying to replace them. For a broader overview, see the Brillay playbook for musicians.

How do you ask followers for support without sounding like you are begging?

Keep it factual. Name the project, name the cost, explain what finishing it unlocks, and give people one link. A clear budget feels different from a vague plea because supporters can see what their contribution helps complete and decide without pressure.

Keep the request to five parts:

1. Name the project.
2. Explain the cost being funded.
3. Say what completing the goal enables.
4. Give followers one clear link.
5. Thank supporters and report progress without pressuring anyone.

Adapt these scripts to your own voice.

For an album or EP:

“I’m recording my next EP and want to give these songs proper studio time, mixing, and mastering. I’ve set up a goal for that production budget. If you’d like to help make the record happen, you can contribute through the link in my bio. Every contribution moves it closer to completion.”

For a music video:

“The song is finished and the treatment is ready. The next step is paying for the crew, locations, and edit. I’ve posted a goal for the video budget, and the link in my bio is there if you’d like to help turn the song into a finished video.”

For a tour:

“I’m booking a short run of shows, and the main costs are the van, fuel, lodging, and paying my band. I’ve set up a goal for that tour budget. If you’ve been asking me to play your city, the link in my bio shows how you can help make the run possible.”

After the first post, update people when the goal reaches a real milestone or when the work begins. That keeps the page tied to visible progress instead of repeating the same ask over and over.

How much should a musician’s goal be?

Start with what you actually need to pay, then include the fees that come out before the money reaches your budget. Add up quotes and invoices for recording, collaborators, video production, travel, manufacturing, or promotion. Then set the target high enough that the finished goal still covers the work.

As of September 2026, here is Brillay's fee for goals. No monthly fee, you only pay a small platform fee when you get paid. 8% platform fee when a follower pays for work, 5% platform fee on tips and goals. Card processing is separate. Stripe’s standard U.S. online card processing rate is 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful domestic-card transaction (Stripe Pricing & Fees), and Brillay deducts that processing cost separately from its own platform fee.

Here is an estimate for several sample contributions toward a $500 goal, using Brillay’s 5% fee and Stripe’s published standard U.S. online-card rate; the actual Stripe fee may differ.

The $25 processing charge is $1.025 before currency rounding, which rounds to $1.03; the resulting net is $22.72. Build both the platform fee and transaction processing into your target instead of setting the goal equal to the project invoice.

Using Disc Makers’ listed $999 starting price and an estimated Stripe fee, 48 contributions of $25 would put a $1,200 goal near the required budget after Brillay’s 5% fee. Check your actual Stripe costs and supplier quote before publishing the target. Setting that same goal at a flat $999 would leave the pressing roughly $90 short.

For a complete budgeting process, including milestones and fee planning, see how to set a realistic goal.

What should musicians do after receiving support?

Show the money turning into work. Post when recording starts, when mixing or mastering begins, when the video is shot, and when the release or tour date is locked. Thank supporters at release. One specific update is more useful than another vague “big things coming” post.

Useful updates include:

• A photo or short clip from the recording session.
• A note that mixing or mastering has begun.
• A behind-the-scenes image from a video shoot.
• A tour-booking or rehearsal update.
• An honest explanation of any scope or schedule change.
• A release-day message thanking everyone who contributed.

Updates should be concrete: “The video is shot and editing begins Monday” tells supporters more than “big things coming.” The recommended cadence and guidance for handling project changes are covered in keeping supporters updated on a creator project.

Frequently asked questions

Is it realistic to start a goal with a small following?

Yes. Brillay has no follower minimum and nothing to apply for, so a musician can start with the followers they already have. Results still depend on the clarity of the project, how much support people can give, and whether you keep sharing honest updates.

Do contributing followers automatically receive the album or video?

No. Goals collect one-time contributions toward one named funding target, with no membership and no reward tiers. Nothing is automatically owed in return. Do not describe a contribution as buying an album, signed item, or other product unless you are handling that separately.

What happens if the full goal is not reached?

On Brillay, every contribution is yours whether or not the goal is reached, and there is no deadline unless you set one. Kickstarter works differently: it funds projects on an all-or-nothing basis and charges a 5% fee only when a project is successfully funded. If less money arrives than planned on Brillay, update supporters and explain whether the project’s scope, budget, or timeline will change.

Where and how should I share the goal?

Put it anywhere people already follow the music: the artist bio link, social posts, email newsletters, show announcements, video descriptions, and onstage mentions. Keep the wording consistent so supporters understand which project the money helps fund.

In short, name one finishable project, show what the money pays for, set a fee-aware goal, share one direct link, and keep supporters informed about the result.

Create a Goal on your Brillay page, name the real cost behind your next record, video, or run of shows, and let supporters contribute by card as guests. Keep the goal beside your other one-time offers in one Brillay link. Create your free Brillay link and put the ask in front of followers today.