An Italian music-focused Kickstarter rival, Musicraiser, is opening offices in London and New York.

To date, the crowdfunding platform has matched funding to over 500 projects, helping artists raise more than €1.6m.

Musicraiser was founded in 2012 by Italian musician Giovanni Gulino, of the band Marta Sui Tubi. It allows musicians to offer fans exclusive rewards in return for helping fund their projects including recordings, live tours and concert DVDs.

A target is set by the artist and once met the project is considered fully funded. In the unlikely event that the target is not met all funds committed by the ‘raisers’ are reimbursed in full.

Musicraiser promises to work closely with artists to ensure that their campaigns run smoothly.

Daniel Plentz, COO of Musicraiser said, “We have enjoyed real success in Italy since the launch of Musicraiser in the end of 2012 and we now feel that the time is right to introduce other key territories to the Musicraiser offering.

“The UK and US are important music markets and we are excited about helping artists in those countries raise funding, engage with their fans and realise their creative and commercial goals.”

In addition to its crowdfunding service, Musicraiser offers artists additional benefits including:

Free digital distribution for a year via Tunecore

One on one consultations with industry experts

Discounts with key service providers in areas such as PR, marketing and promotion

The possibility that Musicraiser will invest in marketing and promotion campaigns for certain projects.

Music Business Worldwide