We’re big fans of crowdfunding here at Tone Deaf. We love it in all its forms. Whether it’s a Kickstarter campaign to support a specific project or a Patreon account that funds a musician’s continued creative endeavours, we love it all.
After all, what’s not to like? It’s using the internet in an ingenious way for a good cause, it helps musicians make a living and actualise their ideas, it puts fans in contact with musicians, and it’s entirely DIY. We even wrote a guide on how to do it properly.
However, there are some disaster stories out there than can besmirch the sheen of crowdfunding. They’re a warning to musicians as much as fans, really. Musos shouldn’t promise prizes they can’t deliver and fans need to be careful with what they support.
Case in point, Scott Weiland, best known as the longtime frontman of ’90s alt-rock favourites Stone Temple Pilots and later the hard rock supergroup Velvet Revolver, is in hot water with his own fans, who feel like the troubled frontman has ripped them off.
As Stereogum reports, some months back Weiland, who has something of a reputation for being a jackass around his fans and for providing them with more than a couple of lacklustre performances over the years, launched a PledgeMusic campaign to fund an album with his new band, the Wildabouts.
The campaign generated a lot of interest among fans, who gave hefty sums for prizes that included signed items like the iconic megaphones Weiland is known for using on stage. However, it soon became apparent that Weiland and the band weren’t delivering on their promises.
Seemingly no one who handed over their hard-earned money got their prizes, taking their frustration to the Scott Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots fan forum Below Empty, where an extensive thread still operates, packed with comments from irate pledgers.
After uproar from fans, including some who expressed an interest in pursuing legal action, Weiland, who has a well-documented past with substance abuse, took to Facebook to assure fans their prizes were on the way and thank them for their support.
Two months went by and fans still didn’t receive what was owed to them. “This shit is crazy. Not even responses from PledgeMusic anymore. It’s like Scott took the money and ran,” wrote one disappointed fan on the campaign’s discussion page.
However, it looks like the drama may finally be coming to a close. According to Stereogum, a PledgeMusic customer service representative has finally responded to complaints on Weiland’s page, and as it turns out, PledgeMusic are just as pissed at the Wildabouts frontman as the fans.
“We are aware that many of you are still waiting on items and updates on outstanding orders,” the rep writes. “We have been checking in with Scott’s team constantly for confirmed shipment dates and updates and do hope to have answers for you all soon.”
“We want to advise that we will resolve every issue for you in due time, unfortunately it is an increasingly busy time of year and there are many issues on the campaign.” Pledgers who’d prefer a refund can tweet @pledgemusichelp to get in touch with their customer service team.
“Thank you so much for your patience throughout this campaign, we certainly understand and appreciate your frustration and hope any open issues can be resolved for you soon,” the company’s missive concludes.
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And if you think Weiland’s camp aren’t aware of the uproar, Alternative Nation, who’ve been reporting on the saga regularly, can confirm Weiland and his team are very much aware and have even been in touch with Alternative Nation.
“It definitely hasn’t been an easy road for Alternative Nation working with Scott Weiland’s team either, to say the least,” writes Brett Buchanan. “We never had received e-mails with profanity and the term ‘WTF’ from the representatives of any musicians before, or been called ‘an angry baby who can’t have their rattle.'”
“Maybe their time would be better spent communicating with PledgeMusic and fans who haven’t received their merchandise?” Take heed, music fans, if you’re going to pledge to a crowdfunding campaign, make sure you do it with a reputable service where you know you can get your money back. And avoid any of Scott Weiland’s.
