The journey of an aspiring musician is a rigorous road that takes years to gain exposure. Even with an established fanbase, artists struggle to pay expenses to chase their dreams. Traditional labels provide financial backing and promising opportunities, but all too often at the cost of creative freedom and percentage ownership of catalogs. Despite popularity and followers, independent artists struggle to see capital gains from their music. Fringe is a revolutionary new platform that bridges the gap between music and finance by offering an opportunity for fans to invest in revenue shares on streaming.
“Artists still have to pay rent. They still have to buy groceries. They can’t just quit their jobs and commit to being full-time artists but they have all the talent and capacity to be,” CEO Anthony Davanzo shares, “In Silicon Valley what you say when you see this kind of situation is ‘Hey let me invest in you!’ I just didn’t see anything like that in music.” Offering term-limited revenue shares, Fringe provides fans with the ability to invest in rising talent. The talent then directly receives that investment to use however they see fit.
@fringe.market We’re on a mission to empower artists and their fans. You can now join your favorite artists every step of the way by investing in their journeys and supporting their growth. Together, you can be more than just a fan and earn on every stream. Learn more via fringe.market ✨ #musictok #songrecommendations #artist #investing #thingstodo #fyp #viral
Fringe has already signed 31 acts last quarter, surpassing their initial goal. One of the platform’s top-performing artists, Nat Lefkoff saw a 245.32% return on his latest single, “Damn.” Singer/songwriter Joel Ansett is approaching a 70% return on his releases. The monetary gain isn’t the only benefit artists see when joining Fringe. Sleeping Lion member Nate Flaks has cultivated a deeper connection with his listeners. He describes, “With a label, the fan-artist relationship is pretty surface level – the fan gives money and supports the artist and in return, the fan gets a t-shirt, a new single, but with Fringe they’re building a community.”
The idea of investment portfolios for musicians can be jarring, but providing fans with a tangible system to contribute to artist success aside from merchandise and show tickets is alluring. Davanzo has seen the consumer behavior of music fans and helped create a lane for artist investment. He states, "You’ve got a great voice, you just got a whole audience of people to give you a standing ovation, and then you sold them a pair of socks for $100. There’s something weird going on. These consumers are acting irrationally. They want to do whatever they can to support you. They just don’t have that channel.” Fringe gives fans another opportunity to support developing acts while also providing talent with a reputable revenue source.
Founded by three Sofar Sounds alums, Fringe was born by asking one question, “What would combining Spotify and Robinhood into a single application do for artists?” The answer lies within the platform’s capabilities, creating a partnership between artists and listeners. The impact is quantifiable through extensive reporting and portfolio analysis. Fringe is simplifying the complexities of the music industry and putting food back on the tables of starving artists.
