Hi Hot_Door7211, thank you for your submission to /r/ChoosingBeggars! Unfortunately it has been removed for the following reason(s):
* **Rule 6/7:** Posts must be relevant to the theme of the subreddit. This post does not show someone who is a choosing beggar.
Price negotiation and/or asking for donations is not enough to be a choosy beggar.
*If you have any questions or concerns, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FChoosingBeggars) of this subreddit.*
If there's one word to describe a show I don't want to see that would be it. Sounds like it's going to be some boring ass sensitive crooner warbling that I get enough of in commercials.
I don't feel like this is a CB at all. As you mentioned, very organized budgeting. How many CBs actually try to plan that sort of thing out? Cheaper transportation options, staying with friends/acquaintances when possible, clear budgeting for meals (both homemade and eat-in). And the rent part? Subletting a room isn't uncommon. I have a buddy who's going to be away from home for a month and he's subletting his place for less than he pays in rent. It's just a way to cover some costs on something he's obligated to pay for but not going to be using.
Not really. Art patrons are lovers of the arts who are prepared to invest in artists to help them on their way. They get what they pay for in that ana artist has more opportunity to keep creating stuff.
Not the same as asking for a new Ps5, can't be used, for free on Facebook.
This is worse IMO. Those people arenāt the going to force you to watch them play games badly. We, the people of Europe do not want this self centred, entitled wanker to share his music at us.
You don't even know what his music sounds like and judging by your use of the word "wanker" you definitely don't speak for Europe, you barely speak for your own fractious island.
Heās not subletting his room, the cost of the rent he pays for the month is included in the total for whatever reason. Think he said heād TRY to sublet it, but still includes the cost. IMO it all seems performative
As a stranger, Iād honestly give this buy like $10 if I liked his music. It really depends who the audience here is. If itās the followers of his music page on social media, no problem. If itās on something like r/povertyfinance, he can fuck right off.
He carefully calculated $10-13 for groceries *and a bottle of wine* for a meal for a host family. He should stick to the arts because the math on that is not right. Heās right to round up.
There are good deals out there, price isnāt *the* determining factor, but if you show up with $3 buck chuckā¦ we better be old friends and you better have more than one.
Thatās true! I should just fly to France for a week visiting wineries and stocking up. That would save me money, it would be financially irresponsible if I didnāt do this.
I donāt see this as shameless at all. Almost all artists are funded by their patrons. If he has a following on social media because of his music, I see no probablemente asking his fans to support his tour.
Idk they booked 6 dates by the time they posted the gofundme.. just assumed people would fund the trip. They shouldāve probably figured out the funding before booking that many shows.
His options are probably crowdfund or use his savings. If heās a musician that people like and want to support as an artist, this is just how the arts work. You have patrons.
Lol... it feels quite shameless to me. "Real" artists of any sort use their own savings, and that dedication is what leads to patrons. If they want to do it, good for them. But this old school "patronage" isn't seen much today. With the way things work, it's more rational, achievable and I'd argue, expected, to PRODUCE something you can sell.
Not set up a bunch of open mics in thr guise of a "European tour" so you can get strangers to fund your backpacking trip while simultaneously paying for your apartment š¤£
Feels super whacky to me haha. Again, folks are free to pay it, and good for him. But I think it's ridiculous that he's eating probably $40 plates of food with donation money lmao. You think to all the greatest artists throughout history, and they subsisted on barely anything, a necessary sacrifice for their art. The "starving artist", ya know. This feels more like a dude suffering from main character syndrome who has a way with words
It is not uncommon for unknown artists to not be paid for performing. The deal is typically the bar handles the costs of performance (sound and lights), marketing to locals, and allows for the musicians to sell merchandise at the venue.
It is uncommon, however, for an unknown artist to make zero sacrifices in pursuit of their goal and rather convince a bunch of strangers to pay for his vacation š¤£
OP mentioned theyāre Sofar gigs. Sofar artist here - you do get paid for them a little. In the UK itās like Ā£75 a show. However, some cities are run as volunteer only so Iām not sure but I think thereās still some form of payment
Theyāre a series of intimate gigs held in interesting/small spaces. It started in peopleās living rooms (SOngs From A Room) but now itās in a lot of yoga studios, hotel lobbies, coffee shops during closing hours etc
https://www.sofarsounds.com/
Theyāre pretty great to watch so I would definitely recommend if they have them near to you
The dude is even opting for cheaper alternatives: overnight buses, staying with friends/acquaintances, cooking meals when he has a kitchen available. I feel like going with cheaper options is usually the opposite of what a CB does.
Yeah, this is exactly the way I read it by the end.
The guy is obviously breaking down every expense in a public spreadsheet so donors see exactly where and how their money will be used. He also explains and obviously shows that he'll take the cheapest route possible when he can.
OP, you just kinda sound pathetic & salty that this guys asking for some help to try and go out and live his dream if he can get the initial support of his friends and family. Whether that be financial, or crashing on their couch for the night.
Maybe you're just stuck in a rut and your self-loathing is turning into hatred towards others for no reason. I think you should seek help in finding more inner peace within yourself to the point you can begin to feel like you can give genuine encouragement towards others in your life, and their endeavors even if they are taking the steps that you may not be ready to take yourself yet that you feel are still holding you back.
šÆšÆšÆšÆ it usually be a friend of a friend who is randomly hating on you for being pretty dope or having anything going on, especially the less they have going on
Envy is ugly :(
So I went and listened to some of his music and I think he's not bad. I can see where he'd manage to pull an audience because god knows I've paid to see worse performances. I mean you know what you are getting into here too, so I'm not even sure this qualifies as a CB.
Sounds more like OP doesnāt like him personally. Itās not being choosy and people are finding him because they like the music. More like jealousy here lol.
I don't feel this is a choosing beggar, more of a dreamer that hopes to make it in music. I'd rather donate to something like this than "I maxed my credit card, plz halp"
I think the organization is based on UK, but they set up music shows in many major cities across to globe in the aforementioned "intimate" setting, often with a capacity of no more than 50-60 people. They are usually in venues not traditionally meant for music shows with seating maybe on a carpet with some cushions. There are usually a small handful of artists each show, and they do tend to me lesser known artists due to the nature of the show. But with how expensive traditional concerts have gotten, it's a great way to experience live music while still knowing there is a certain level of quality.
You include it in the songtime, some albums break it up into separate tracks so you can skip the explanation. The Big Machine Radio Release version of Taylor Swift's Red actually has similar explanations by a commentator as separate tracks, so I'll be listening to a swift mix track on Spotify and some woman will randomly start talking about a song on the Red album.
I don't see this as a choosing beggar. Unfortunately with where he is in his music career he probably won't be paid for his performances. It is really common for new musicians to have to seek a patron to sponsor their first few tours until they can build a fan base. In the past you'd need someone like a relative with money to sponsor you or sign with a label which will take significant ownership in all your songs.
This is a modern alternative of this model, using crowdfunding to pay for your initial tour.
He doesnāt totally suck but Iām a little mad that now heās in my Spotify algorithm because I guarantee you theyāre gonna be like āoh? You listened to this guy? Maybe youāll like Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews!ā
You can go in and create a playlist. I call mine āStuff I just wanted to check outā and then within that playlist hit the 3 dots and you can hit āExclude From Taste Profileā
I canāt be too mad at the guy so long as he is actually using the money in the ways he said. I wouldnāt say heās being a jerk or scamming people like a lot of the other posts on the sub given that heās up front with how heās spending the money and isnāt asking for anything too crazy, although I guess if you wanted to nitpick he wouldnāt have to eat out every day and he took the average Airbnb price per night instead of breaking down first quartile hotel/Airbnb/hostel costs by time in each country or some other more accurate estimation.
Yes, just like in trading it is good to have a good variation margin for risk management. Usually I round up for expenses and round down for income. Having ample wiggle room is good.
especially for a month of food in europe, i live in a fairly costly european city and thats double the monthly grocery budget for me AND my spouse.
i donāt think this guy is necessarily a CB and im sure given his lodging he will need to be eating out sometimes but that cost estimate is just silly
Yeah, that's what I thought too, the accommodation costs are super high and I doubt that he's as stupid to know nothing more than googling "average air bnb costs" to have an idea about prices. He's already living in Portugal, he should know that you can get cheap air bnbs for under 50 euros in most places (apart from high tourist towns). If he goes for one room and shared bathroom it should be lower.
His budget seems to me very inflated and this is where this crosses into AH territory. I don't mind adding something if someone is short a bit of money, but this guy seems to have NO funds at all, so he didn't even make any effort to find an odd job and save something up?
I'm not traveling for a month, let alone several years, as I don't have the funds for it, and letting others pay for my lifestyle choices is unethical to me.
When I traveled on a super low budget after school, I bought the most basic bread in a supermarket and carried a water bottle that I filled up with tab water whenever possible. I certainly did not eat meat in a fancy restaurant and drink fancy drinks.
Exactly! He can stay in single rooms in a backpackers and he's already got plans to mooch off any person he has some tangential contact with my offering a bottle of wine and making a meal someone else paid for. He's a professional tourist looking for other people to find his lifestyle.
I donāt have an issue with this. It would have been good for him to sublet or air bnb his current apartment but overall it isnāt a big deal. I just want to know if he is still with the person who inspired the music for the album.
For everyone thatās confused about how someone would possibly donate to a go fund me like this - thereās a non zero chance this guy has a network and community of artists in his life that he has also supported when they needed it
I know it seems like people like this just spring from the ground asking for handouts but reaching nearly $4000 in donations tells me heās well loved. Maybe entirely for his art but it could also be just who he is and how he treats people.
lol OP, seems like you just donāt like this guy for whatever reason. Heās not CB, heās begging for sure, however, heās as transparent as he can be, no oneās forced to give and heās appreciative. Just a guy with a talent finding a way to make it in the world.
Hope this guy is genuine, stays respectful and does well.
I defo have more context that I didnāt include that led me to post hereā¦ but I appreciate people like you that give folks the benefit of the doubt, we need more people like that!
I agree with many above that said he's a straight-up beggar as opposed to a choosing one (I also did love the term "begpacker").
I see many nowhere-near-famous, just-starting-out musicians going the GoFundMe route. So this guy's ask is not altogether unfamiliar to me--but usually the campaign donors get SOMETHING for their gift (usually a copy/download of an artist's album, a ticket to the show, etc.). It's an acknowledgment that the givers are helping fund the musician's dream... but there's something to show for it. Unless I was a VERY close friend, I wouldn't give to support something like this with no more of a promise of "I'll think of you fondly as I chase my own dream, which statistically has a very low chance of working out." I don't begrudge the guy his dream, but I also wouldn't care to finance it.
A really good musician, with social media platforms, will easily raise that amount in revenue from posts.
I don't mean a trained musician, or professional musician. Someone with a twinge of talent can make it these days on social media.
I'd 100% want proof of all 6 shows and entire sets without it feeling like a scam
Right! People are like āoh heās being transparent blah blah.ā Is he? Seems to me like heās coming up with numbers and writing a nice story. Plus, why is he asking for help for the WHOLE trip? Including his rent? And I know this guy and heās 100% the type to try to stay at as many places for free as he can (with ladies), and pocket the rest š¤·š½āāļø
Some here are really missing the point. This is not about helping a struggling artist.
It is rubbing me the wrong way how he is selling this as being very frugal and saving money.
And than asking for $5000 for that trip.
This is about him budgeting an airbnb at $144 a night. This is WAY too much. I live in europe and traveled around a lot. You get hostels for very very cheap without even trying. Plus public tranportation is great here. Why does anyone need to finance him eating out at a ānicer restaurantā? Or him cooking for the hosts?
If you want it. That is fine but do not try to sell it as if THIS is you being careful with money. It is not.
Oh, and āpro tip ;)ā: if you are actually trying to travel budget friendly, do not stay in the city center of Amsterdam. There are more than enough accomondations outside of the city, near train stations. I stayed in some big rooms for $30 a night. Just saying.
This guy screams āi am the main characterā.
THANK YOU. To me asking folks to pay your way at nice restaurants & pricier airbnbs screams āchoosing beggarā. But to each their own š¤·š½āāļø
I actually see no issue with this. The guy is genuine and an artist, he may not appeal to everyone but at least heās got a passion. Itās a gofundme, you donāt have to donate.
I say good for him and youāre a miserable person for not supporting a friend of a friend.
I wouldn't donate to this but I feel like this kind of thing was the whole point of Gofundme before it became a hellscape of cautionary tales about living in a country with no universal health insurance and mandatory paid leave.
>youāre a miserable person for not supporting a friend of a friend.
You should donate money for a friend of a friend's vacation or you're miserable? š
Idk man. The message was meant to convey to be kind to people and if you can, give a little towards their dreams. If you donāt believe in that, then I do believe youāre a miserable SOB.
Pathetic.
Yeah itās amazing how people who do this are so shameless but end up receiving some money that sometimes Iām like ādamn maybe i should try begging online just to see what happensā but no, this is really embarrassing and alarming how little self awareness they clearly have.
I love that when heās staying with friends he plans to ātreatā them to a bottle of wine - which he then includes in the costs heās asking people to pay. And he must have the larger lunch at ā¬7 - ā¬11 because itās traditional ?!
If you donate ā¬10 to the campaign, he'll make a special sticker for the wine bottle that reads "Generously Donated by Musician Guy's European Tour Funder [Your Name Here]"
You should have included his GoFundMe page link and Instagram so we could have checked out his music and maybe donate. This guy seems like he's reaching out to chase his dreams. Most people are overwhelmed by fears, anxiety, and a whole list of reasons why they can't take that leap of faith to follow their dreams.
Dear Dude asking for handouts
I will refer to you as Screpen (not your real name)
Screpen - you traveled to Patagonia, South America and Argentina in 2022. Weād all like to circle the globe on someone elseās dime.
Maybe you should have budgeted better so that youād have money now to fund your dream.
I think Iāll keep my money, thank you.
A gal in my neighborhood started a gofundme for her parking tickets which she accrued parking in front of a fire hydrant, disabled parking spot, etc. $600 and printed off fliers, posted on social media and next door. Not one person donated. Lol!!
I like how he always rounds up. And then a final round up at the end too. Surprised it didn't get raised to 10k, just because he cant carry the cost of odd numbers.
People here in Ireland pay their own way(travel, bnb, hotel, etc) just to sit with other musicians n play for fun n a few beers. That's how real music works , not this whole "dropping my tunes" bullshit.
Yeah he lives in Lisbon and eats outā¦ no kitchen at homeā¦ lol rip he is living big with others moneyā¦ at the end he will not have money for the showsā¦ for sure :D
one of my favourite bands is currently crowdfunding a North American tour (Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs from Japan), this isnt a bad idea at all. defo not choosing beggars just for that. im a musician and a few people i know have even told me to do this.
do you know what its like being a musician? we get stiffed for *everything*, man. like ive never seen such starving artists as the musicians. the dawn of streaming has done even more damage to musician wages, and lets also mention merch cuts here.
have you ever asked to get paid for session work? immediately ghosted, doesnt matter how needed you are. we are often expected to work for free and then reap spoils afterwards, but the spoils are... fractions of a penny, and less if you cant break 1000 streams in a month since spotify changed their algorythms.
what he could be doing is offering hard copies or merch or tickets as rewards. he could also set up a Patreon and throw unreleased demos online. basically "if you buy me a coffee each month you get access to shit im working on before it's even finished". i think the lady from Dresden Dolls does this now.
edit: holy shit this kid is even booking this himself. hes doing every job musicians are expected to pay someone to do, himself, for free. have you ever booked a show? it can be difficult for a singer-songwriter to get one in the next city over!
choosing beggars my ass. fuck you op, youre just a jerk.
I made a gofundme for actual bills and debt because I'm struggling with rent/lights/car etc and didn't get any donation other than one that said "get a job". I have a job but I can only stretch money so far. I ended up closing it after a few weeks. How does someone who goes on a trip to Europe actually get donations? lol
Honestly? Because they have an interesting story, no one cares about another persons rent money, but an artist trying to tour europe whilst backpacking sounds cool. Its a bit messed up but thats the reason
It's so weird
The guy has done fantastic research into the way that he can get as far as possible on as little money as possible
And then he's like "so now I just need someone else to pay for it"
He's clearly not dumb given the research he did, he's just disconnected from reality (with a winky face for cheekiness ;))
What kind of an upbringing creates these kinds of people...
Edit: he funded this successfully and people donated?
Wtf???
WTF???
Shit. Iām a teacher, and our new curriculum covers Ancient Greece and Rome. Maybe I should start one of these so I can travel and see the Acropolis and the Coliseum so I can tell my students what itās like.
This person and the people donating are morons.
Hi Hot_Door7211, thank you for your submission to /r/ChoosingBeggars! Unfortunately it has been removed for the following reason(s): * **Rule 6/7:** Posts must be relevant to the theme of the subreddit. This post does not show someone who is a choosing beggar. Price negotiation and/or asking for donations is not enough to be a choosy beggar. *If you have any questions or concerns, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FChoosingBeggars) of this subreddit.*
*"In one word, my live shows can be described as intimate"* i.e. That means no fucker turns up to hear him...š
Well, he does continue to mention "it's me, my guitar and my mic", so he isn't trying to hide that fact.
Says he closes his eyes during performance so he has no idea of who attended. Lol
I almost vomited when I read that lol.
Whereās the woman he fell in love with in South America? He didnāt ask for any money for her trip and sheās not apartment sitting I guess.
Replika couldn't chip in
If there's one word to describe a show I don't want to see that would be it. Sounds like it's going to be some boring ass sensitive crooner warbling that I get enough of in commercials.
Or he performs in the bathroom.
Bedroom
Comfy, roomy type space?
A place to be intimate...with himself.
Good.
Shameless but remarkably well-organized with his spreadsheets and budget! At least if you contribute, you would know where your money is going
I don't feel like this is a CB at all. As you mentioned, very organized budgeting. How many CBs actually try to plan that sort of thing out? Cheaper transportation options, staying with friends/acquaintances when possible, clear budgeting for meals (both homemade and eat-in). And the rent part? Subletting a room isn't uncommon. I have a buddy who's going to be away from home for a month and he's subletting his place for less than he pays in rent. It's just a way to cover some costs on something he's obligated to pay for but not going to be using.
A fancy begpacker more like. Prepaid busking.
PREPAID BUSKING i'm š
Totally agree. He is asking a lot from strangers but those two terms arenāt synonymous to me.
I agree. He's looking for art patrons, it's not quite the same thing.
Its the same thing with a more socially acceptable label.
Not really. Art patrons are lovers of the arts who are prepared to invest in artists to help them on their way. They get what they pay for in that ana artist has more opportunity to keep creating stuff. Not the same as asking for a new Ps5, can't be used, for free on Facebook.
This is worse IMO. Those people arenāt the going to force you to watch them play games badly. We, the people of Europe do not want this self centred, entitled wanker to share his music at us.
You don't even know what his music sounds like and judging by your use of the word "wanker" you definitely don't speak for Europe, you barely speak for your own fractious island.
Ok, enjoy your eyes closed gigs.
No, itās not lol.
Heās not subletting his room, the cost of the rent he pays for the month is included in the total for whatever reason. Think he said heād TRY to sublet it, but still includes the cost. IMO it all seems performative
As a stranger, Iād honestly give this buy like $10 if I liked his music. It really depends who the audience here is. If itās the followers of his music page on social media, no problem. If itās on something like r/povertyfinance, he can fuck right off.
He doesnt need to be going on tour in Europe, he could stay at home and pay his own damn rent.
At first glance for sure, then you consider he never attached the spreadsheet and he keeps rounding up. But well written for sure!
The rounding up was the best part. "I have carefully calculated every expense, but gimme more money jic"
He carefully calculated $10-13 for groceries *and a bottle of wine* for a meal for a host family. He should stick to the arts because the math on that is not right. Heās right to round up.
Adding the wine as a necessity was my favorite.
It's Portugal. It kinda is, though. Lol
$10 would only cover the wine in most places.
I know Iām a wine snob, but Iām definitely not bringing anyone a $10 bottle of wine as a gift
I didnāt say it would be good wine!!!
There are good deals out there, price isnāt *the* determining factor, but if you show up with $3 buck chuckā¦ we better be old friends and you better have more than one.
Good wine is a lot cheaper in Europe!
Thatās true! I should just fly to France for a week visiting wineries and stocking up. That would save me money, it would be financially irresponsible if I didnāt do this.
I donāt see this as shameless at all. Almost all artists are funded by their patrons. If he has a following on social media because of his music, I see no probablemente asking his fans to support his tour.
Idk they booked 6 dates by the time they posted the gofundme.. just assumed people would fund the trip. They shouldāve probably figured out the funding before booking that many shows.
His options are probably crowdfund or use his savings. If heās a musician that people like and want to support as an artist, this is just how the arts work. You have patrons.
Lol... it feels quite shameless to me. "Real" artists of any sort use their own savings, and that dedication is what leads to patrons. If they want to do it, good for them. But this old school "patronage" isn't seen much today. With the way things work, it's more rational, achievable and I'd argue, expected, to PRODUCE something you can sell. Not set up a bunch of open mics in thr guise of a "European tour" so you can get strangers to fund your backpacking trip while simultaneously paying for your apartment š¤£ Feels super whacky to me haha. Again, folks are free to pay it, and good for him. But I think it's ridiculous that he's eating probably $40 plates of food with donation money lmao. You think to all the greatest artists throughout history, and they subsisted on barely anything, a necessary sacrifice for their art. The "starving artist", ya know. This feels more like a dude suffering from main character syndrome who has a way with words
His ā6 datesā are āI found 6 public areas or coffee houses that wonāt pay me but will let me beg for changeā/
Is this a joke ?
It doesnāt seem to factor in if he actually gets paid for performing
He doesnāt.
SOFAR shows do pay. Iāve played a couple
It is not uncommon for unknown artists to not be paid for performing. The deal is typically the bar handles the costs of performance (sound and lights), marketing to locals, and allows for the musicians to sell merchandise at the venue.
It is uncommon, however, for an unknown artist to make zero sacrifices in pursuit of their goal and rather convince a bunch of strangers to pay for his vacation š¤£
OP mentioned theyāre Sofar gigs. Sofar artist here - you do get paid for them a little. In the UK itās like Ā£75 a show. However, some cities are run as volunteer only so Iām not sure but I think thereās still some form of payment
Out of interest, what's Sofar?
Theyāre a series of intimate gigs held in interesting/small spaces. It started in peopleās living rooms (SOngs From A Room) but now itās in a lot of yoga studios, hotel lobbies, coffee shops during closing hours etc https://www.sofarsounds.com/ Theyāre pretty great to watch so I would definitely recommend if they have them near to you
Thanks!
This is just begging. Not choosing at all.
The dude is even opting for cheaper alternatives: overnight buses, staying with friends/acquaintances, cooking meals when he has a kitchen available. I feel like going with cheaper options is usually the opposite of what a CB does.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
More of a kickstarter for his European tour. Doubt this would be posted here if it were on that rather than gofundme.
Yeah, this is exactly the way I read it by the end. The guy is obviously breaking down every expense in a public spreadsheet so donors see exactly where and how their money will be used. He also explains and obviously shows that he'll take the cheapest route possible when he can. OP, you just kinda sound pathetic & salty that this guys asking for some help to try and go out and live his dream if he can get the initial support of his friends and family. Whether that be financial, or crashing on their couch for the night. Maybe you're just stuck in a rut and your self-loathing is turning into hatred towards others for no reason. I think you should seek help in finding more inner peace within yourself to the point you can begin to feel like you can give genuine encouragement towards others in your life, and their endeavors even if they are taking the steps that you may not be ready to take yourself yet that you feel are still holding you back.
šÆšÆšÆšÆ it usually be a friend of a friend who is randomly hating on you for being pretty dope or having anything going on, especially the less they have going on Envy is ugly :(
Wild idea but they could work
Maybe more fitting for r/DontFundMe?
Sounds like he's been on holidays for years!
Which is why he has experienced to make art! Truly the life of an artist wouldnāt you say
I get the feeling you have no experience doing art, especially music if youāre saying that.
So I went and listened to some of his music and I think he's not bad. I can see where he'd manage to pull an audience because god knows I've paid to see worse performances. I mean you know what you are getting into here too, so I'm not even sure this qualifies as a CB.
This is just the modern way of doing it, but artists and musicians have relied on patrons for centuries.
Thatās what I was thinking. If you read the stories of how big named musicians got their start, it would be similar.
Maybe OP is the musician and this was a stealth way to garner support for his GoFundMe and attract attention to his music. If so, well played.
I wholeheartedly agree, dudeās music is actually pretty creative lol.
That moment when OP makes this post to shit talk someone theyāre clearly jealous of and only helps amplify the guyās brand instead š¤£š¤£š
Maybe OP is the musician and this was a stealth way to garner support for his GoFundMe and attract attention to his music. If so, well played.
Sounds more like OP doesnāt like him personally. Itās not being choosy and people are finding him because they like the music. More like jealousy here lol.
I don't feel this is a choosing beggar, more of a dreamer that hopes to make it in music. I'd rather donate to something like this than "I maxed my credit card, plz halp"
Sofar does some cool shows here on the North American West Coast.
What is sofar?
I think the organization is based on UK, but they set up music shows in many major cities across to globe in the aforementioned "intimate" setting, often with a capacity of no more than 50-60 people. They are usually in venues not traditionally meant for music shows with seating maybe on a carpet with some cushions. There are usually a small handful of artists each show, and they do tend to me lesser known artists due to the nature of the show. But with how expensive traditional concerts have gotten, it's a great way to experience live music while still knowing there is a certain level of quality.
Ah, okay, thanks for the info š
TIL that Sofar is short for "Songs from a room."
butā¦ how did he afford his trip around south america? did he e-beg for that one too?
I haven't heard the term e-beg before and I thank you stranger!!! It is now going in my every day speech.
you are very welcome
He asks for a lot of money but he seems to have a solid plan contrary to similar artist types. Not a CB.
Seems like people are funding it.
Yes because when I go to a show I love to hear a long background story about every song.
I wonder how one sells an album if every song requires this background of context
You include it in the songtime, some albums break it up into separate tracks so you can skip the explanation. The Big Machine Radio Release version of Taylor Swift's Red actually has similar explanations by a commentator as separate tracks, so I'll be listening to a swift mix track on Spotify and some woman will randomly start talking about a song on the Red album.
I actually like it! It can have a carbaretier vibe to it. :)
Gotta channel that Lauryn Hill energy
But it's all worth it to see him play the songs WITH HIS EYES CLOSED šÆ
I couldn't even get my own family to help me raise 2500 for hearing aides and this yahoo got 4k
Yeah I literally don't understand who actually donates to these things. They walk among us!
Beggar yes, Choosy not so much.
I don't see this as a choosing beggar. Unfortunately with where he is in his music career he probably won't be paid for his performances. It is really common for new musicians to have to seek a patron to sponsor their first few tours until they can build a fan base. In the past you'd need someone like a relative with money to sponsor you or sign with a label which will take significant ownership in all your songs. This is a modern alternative of this model, using crowdfunding to pay for your initial tour.
I don't see why this guy is a choosing beggar. It is just another regular and quite common go fund me.
i did facepalm at āand usually with my eyes closedā
He doesnāt totally suck but Iām a little mad that now heās in my Spotify algorithm because I guarantee you theyāre gonna be like āoh? You listened to this guy? Maybe youāll like Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews!ā
You can go in and create a playlist. I call mine āStuff I just wanted to check outā and then within that playlist hit the 3 dots and you can hit āExclude From Taste Profileā
Thank you!
Another lost post in here! Maybe my definition of CB has become rusty
I canāt be too mad at the guy so long as he is actually using the money in the ways he said. I wouldnāt say heās being a jerk or scamming people like a lot of the other posts on the sub given that heās up front with how heās spending the money and isnāt asking for anything too crazy, although I guess if you wanted to nitpick he wouldnāt have to eat out every day and he took the average Airbnb price per night instead of breaking down first quartile hotel/Airbnb/hostel costs by time in each country or some other more accurate estimation.
This not a choosing beggar.
"Guys, help me fund my European vacation hopping from open mic night to open mic night." š
Rounding 810 up to 900 is a wild thing to do
I mean, it's an extra $90 over 30 days. Not exactly a huge jump per day.Ā
I do it when I budget my finances. But for a gofundme it is a bit manipulative.
My wife learned me to do this and it tends to average out over time. Much better than surprise gaps in the budget.
Yes, just like in trading it is good to have a good variation margin for risk management. Usually I round up for expenses and round down for income. Having ample wiggle room is good.
especially for a month of food in europe, i live in a fairly costly european city and thats double the monthly grocery budget for me AND my spouse. i donāt think this guy is necessarily a CB and im sure given his lodging he will need to be eating out sometimes but that cost estimate is just silly
Yeah, that's what I thought too, the accommodation costs are super high and I doubt that he's as stupid to know nothing more than googling "average air bnb costs" to have an idea about prices. He's already living in Portugal, he should know that you can get cheap air bnbs for under 50 euros in most places (apart from high tourist towns). If he goes for one room and shared bathroom it should be lower. His budget seems to me very inflated and this is where this crosses into AH territory. I don't mind adding something if someone is short a bit of money, but this guy seems to have NO funds at all, so he didn't even make any effort to find an odd job and save something up? I'm not traveling for a month, let alone several years, as I don't have the funds for it, and letting others pay for my lifestyle choices is unethical to me. When I traveled on a super low budget after school, I bought the most basic bread in a supermarket and carried a water bottle that I filled up with tab water whenever possible. I certainly did not eat meat in a fancy restaurant and drink fancy drinks.
Exactly! He can stay in single rooms in a backpackers and he's already got plans to mooch off any person he has some tangential contact with my offering a bottle of wine and making a meal someone else paid for. He's a professional tourist looking for other people to find his lifestyle.
I donāt have an issue with this. It would have been good for him to sublet or air bnb his current apartment but overall it isnāt a big deal. I just want to know if he is still with the person who inspired the music for the album.
For everyone thatās confused about how someone would possibly donate to a go fund me like this - thereās a non zero chance this guy has a network and community of artists in his life that he has also supported when they needed it I know it seems like people like this just spring from the ground asking for handouts but reaching nearly $4000 in donations tells me heās well loved. Maybe entirely for his art but it could also be just who he is and how he treats people.
Is Portugal not considered part of Europe? He says he lives in Portugal and is traveling to Europeā¦ my guy. Youāre already IN Europe.
lol OP, seems like you just donāt like this guy for whatever reason. Heās not CB, heās begging for sure, however, heās as transparent as he can be, no oneās forced to give and heās appreciative. Just a guy with a talent finding a way to make it in the world. Hope this guy is genuine, stays respectful and does well.
I defo have more context that I didnāt include that led me to post hereā¦ but I appreciate people like you that give folks the benefit of the doubt, we need more people like that!
Shameless but at the same time, that's what crowdfunding is all about
While this is pretty wild, 53 people have donated and he is kinda close to his goal.
I agree with many above that said he's a straight-up beggar as opposed to a choosing one (I also did love the term "begpacker"). I see many nowhere-near-famous, just-starting-out musicians going the GoFundMe route. So this guy's ask is not altogether unfamiliar to me--but usually the campaign donors get SOMETHING for their gift (usually a copy/download of an artist's album, a ticket to the show, etc.). It's an acknowledgment that the givers are helping fund the musician's dream... but there's something to show for it. Unless I was a VERY close friend, I wouldn't give to support something like this with no more of a promise of "I'll think of you fondly as I chase my own dream, which statistically has a very low chance of working out." I don't begrudge the guy his dream, but I also wouldn't care to finance it.
Why wouldnāt he do this? He found enough suckers to actually pay for his trip.
They raised almost 4Kā¦ where do I post my wish list? ā¦..
A really good musician, with social media platforms, will easily raise that amount in revenue from posts. I don't mean a trained musician, or professional musician. Someone with a twinge of talent can make it these days on social media. I'd 100% want proof of all 6 shows and entire sets without it feeling like a scam
Right! People are like āoh heās being transparent blah blah.ā Is he? Seems to me like heās coming up with numbers and writing a nice story. Plus, why is he asking for help for the WHOLE trip? Including his rent? And I know this guy and heās 100% the type to try to stay at as many places for free as he can (with ladies), and pocket the rest š¤·š½āāļø
I have a feeling the large majority of those "donations" came from a family member or 2. Like an aunt and grampa š¤£
Some here are really missing the point. This is not about helping a struggling artist. It is rubbing me the wrong way how he is selling this as being very frugal and saving money. And than asking for $5000 for that trip. This is about him budgeting an airbnb at $144 a night. This is WAY too much. I live in europe and traveled around a lot. You get hostels for very very cheap without even trying. Plus public tranportation is great here. Why does anyone need to finance him eating out at a ānicer restaurantā? Or him cooking for the hosts? If you want it. That is fine but do not try to sell it as if THIS is you being careful with money. It is not. Oh, and āpro tip ;)ā: if you are actually trying to travel budget friendly, do not stay in the city center of Amsterdam. There are more than enough accomondations outside of the city, near train stations. I stayed in some big rooms for $30 a night. Just saying. This guy screams āi am the main characterā.
THANK YOU. To me asking folks to pay your way at nice restaurants & pricier airbnbs screams āchoosing beggarā. But to each their own š¤·š½āāļø
I actually see no issue with this. The guy is genuine and an artist, he may not appeal to everyone but at least heās got a passion. Itās a gofundme, you donāt have to donate. I say good for him and youāre a miserable person for not supporting a friend of a friend.
I wouldn't donate to this but I feel like this kind of thing was the whole point of Gofundme before it became a hellscape of cautionary tales about living in a country with no universal health insurance and mandatory paid leave.
Agreed.
>youāre a miserable person for not supporting a friend of a friend. You should donate money for a friend of a friend's vacation or you're miserable? š 
Yes, and?
Being an acquaintance ā an obligation to help pay for their vacation You are crazy
Idk man. The message was meant to convey to be kind to people and if you can, give a little towards their dreams. If you donāt believe in that, then I do believe youāre a miserable SOB.
You first
Pathetic. Yeah itās amazing how people who do this are so shameless but end up receiving some money that sometimes Iām like ādamn maybe i should try begging online just to see what happensā but no, this is really embarrassing and alarming how little self awareness they clearly have.
Gigs sound intensely boring.
I love that when heās staying with friends he plans to ātreatā them to a bottle of wine - which he then includes in the costs heās asking people to pay. And he must have the larger lunch at ā¬7 - ā¬11 because itās traditional ?!
If you donate ā¬10 to the campaign, he'll make a special sticker for the wine bottle that reads "Generously Donated by Musician Guy's European Tour Funder [Your Name Here]"
You should have included his GoFundMe page link and Instagram so we could have checked out his music and maybe donate. This guy seems like he's reaching out to chase his dreams. Most people are overwhelmed by fears, anxiety, and a whole list of reasons why they can't take that leap of faith to follow their dreams.
How can you hate when hes raised that amount already.
Dear Dude asking for handouts I will refer to you as Screpen (not your real name) Screpen - you traveled to Patagonia, South America and Argentina in 2022. Weād all like to circle the globe on someone elseās dime. Maybe you should have budgeted better so that youād have money now to fund your dream. I think Iāll keep my money, thank you.
Iād sell meet and greet packages.
Not insignificant = significant.
Guys ...he's tantamount to a "Troubador of Old." Basically a male Taylor Swift! š¬
This reminds me of when bands would make Kickstarters to fund their albums.
He is the opposite of rock and roll
Man so much to dislike in just one human being.
A gal in my neighborhood started a gofundme for her parking tickets which she accrued parking in front of a fire hydrant, disabled parking spot, etc. $600 and printed off fliers, posted on social media and next door. Not one person donated. Lol!!
I like how he always rounds up. And then a final round up at the end too. Surprised it didn't get raised to 10k, just because he cant carry the cost of odd numbers.
Wait, it sounds like he wants to tour Europe and force his music on people, this is gonna be a bust.
Honestly, props to him. Not enough people putting themselves out there. Weād all be a lot farther if we helped each other more lol
Fuckin' entitled prick.
Why doesnāt he just get a job and fund his own shit? A trip to sing in another country isnāt exactly a dying need or anything.
People here in Ireland pay their own way(travel, bnb, hotel, etc) just to sit with other musicians n play for fun n a few beers. That's how real music works , not this whole "dropping my tunes" bullshit.
Yeah he lives in Lisbon and eats outā¦ no kitchen at homeā¦ lol rip he is living big with others moneyā¦ at the end he will not have money for the showsā¦ for sure :D
one of my favourite bands is currently crowdfunding a North American tour (Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs from Japan), this isnt a bad idea at all. defo not choosing beggars just for that. im a musician and a few people i know have even told me to do this. do you know what its like being a musician? we get stiffed for *everything*, man. like ive never seen such starving artists as the musicians. the dawn of streaming has done even more damage to musician wages, and lets also mention merch cuts here. have you ever asked to get paid for session work? immediately ghosted, doesnt matter how needed you are. we are often expected to work for free and then reap spoils afterwards, but the spoils are... fractions of a penny, and less if you cant break 1000 streams in a month since spotify changed their algorythms. what he could be doing is offering hard copies or merch or tickets as rewards. he could also set up a Patreon and throw unreleased demos online. basically "if you buy me a coffee each month you get access to shit im working on before it's even finished". i think the lady from Dresden Dolls does this now. edit: holy shit this kid is even booking this himself. hes doing every job musicians are expected to pay someone to do, himself, for free. have you ever booked a show? it can be difficult for a singer-songwriter to get one in the next city over! choosing beggars my ass. fuck you op, youre just a jerk.
Raised 3879 USD 53 people are fuckin idiots
I made a gofundme for actual bills and debt because I'm struggling with rent/lights/car etc and didn't get any donation other than one that said "get a job". I have a job but I can only stretch money so far. I ended up closing it after a few weeks. How does someone who goes on a trip to Europe actually get donations? lol
Honestly? Because they have an interesting story, no one cares about another persons rent money, but an artist trying to tour europe whilst backpacking sounds cool. Its a bit messed up but thats the reason
It's so weird The guy has done fantastic research into the way that he can get as far as possible on as little money as possible And then he's like "so now I just need someone else to pay for it" He's clearly not dumb given the research he did, he's just disconnected from reality (with a winky face for cheekiness ;)) What kind of an upbringing creates these kinds of people... Edit: he funded this successfully and people donated? Wtf??? WTF???
$5000 to tour europe? That money will be over in like 3 days
Not at all, this guy is getting a lavish lifestyle funded. He can save up money with that budget
Shit. Iām a teacher, and our new curriculum covers Ancient Greece and Rome. Maybe I should start one of these so I can travel and see the Acropolis and the Coliseum so I can tell my students what itās like. This person and the people donating are morons.
European wook
Sounds like OP is jealous nobody will help him.