Ben McNeil is a singer/songwriter from Nowra, Australia - influenced by Jeff Buckley, The Foo Fighters, Bon Iver and Radiohead among others. His heart-felt pop/rock sound strikes a chord with a wide spectrum of fans. And his fans have come out in full-force to quickly overfund his project to the tune of 132%! I had the pleasure of conducting a trans-continental interview with Ben.

The inspiration [for my project] was mostly out of frustration of not having a great sounding backlog of songs; or the resources to record them at home and have them sound professional enough to sell them without feeling guilty that you are giving people something that isn't what you know you can sound like. Besides that, a few years ago, I released a record on CD Baby, and have been receiving emails, and listening to the CD Baby DIY podcast, and came along a podcast named 'The Crowdfunding Manifesto' with one of RocketHub's founders, Brian Meece. After hearing the possibilities of what you can achieve with a little bit of work, I figured that I could actually do something like this.

It kinda had a vibe of something out of the sixties, where you have a band that played at the county fair or school dance or  what have you... Since rock 'n' roll was so new, people got on-board with their favorite bands, because it was exciting, like you were going on a journey WITH them, like you had some ownership. That's the beauty of RocketHub and the crowdfunding idea, people really DO get involved. So ultimately, I guess that the need for a quality product and the excitement of something different and new, that people could be a part of, were really the main inspirations for me getting myself into this venture.

Very nice - we love working with CD Baby and CD Baby artists.

The experience has been incredible, and all together positive. It's surprising and humbling that you have folks give you what feels like a piece of themselves, it makes you more determined to create something that is worthwhile and, for want of a better word, good. It has also made me realize that I could actually make music for a living. I have a full-time job, and music has always been a passion of mine. I've never kept that a secret, which helps when you start a project like this, so it's no surprise to those you email asking for contributions; they know that you're realizing a dream you've always had. I have had a few phone calls from friends, saying how cool it is that I am getting out there and making it happen. There is one friend in particular, who is a budding film maker, loves the idea, and had never heard of anything like it in Australia. I believe he's now in the planning stages of getting a RocketHub crowdfund together for his next film. It's cool knowing that people are getting on-board to help out, and the fact that my project is fully funded and still growing is super exciting. It's really cool too that friends are thinking about running their own project, it's pretty awesome actually.

My supporters are responding with nothing but enthusiasm and encouragement. I've had comments and emails from people saying that they can't wait for the end product, and how much they love the idea of me getting out there and "chasing the dream". I really feel that the fuelers are taking some sort of ownership with this also; as I said above, it's almost like they are coming along for the ride with me, and that gives me a real buzz too.

What have you done to be so successful at crowdfuding on RocketHub? What advice do you have?

The best advice I have for Creatives is to thank your contributors as soon as you find out they have Fueled your project, and do it publicly, whether that be via email list, Facebook, Twitter etc. I've found that people get on-board if they know someone who has already helped out. It's kind of like your project has some validity if there are other people that potential Fuelers know who are getting involved.

Overall, I would tell anyone that wanted to start a project, be ready to work hard, emotionally and mentally. Put a plan in place, know what you want to achieve, and don't go too high on your final goal. I decided to fund half the project myself. I had to have a back-up plan in case it never really took off.

Check out the advice blogs, take the advice and guidance from there seriously. Once you have a plan, think about who you will ask to fund your project, and have a list. Aim for your closest friends/fans and family first. It does help if you have a decent fan base to begin with, or a good mailing list. Don't go overboard on your emails in one hit, maybe 10-15 people each message, and keep all your requests as personal as you can.

In fact I didn't use emails, I only used facebook, and sent messages and made posts on Thursday afternoons or Fridays, when most people are on the site telling friends what they're doing on weekends. When people contributed I thanked them personally, trying to make sure that every thank you didn't sound insincere or cheesy, and put a piece of myself into it which made a world of difference as to whether they shared their posts or not, which in turn created a domino effect with who fueled and when. Also, think long and hard about what rewards you are going to give. It goes without saying that they have to be attractive, and you'll also have to be certain you can come through with the goods.

I'm figuring that most creatives have read or heard the same advice in one form or another, but it really does work. RocketHub is amazingly inspiring and it really is a whole bunch of fun if you do it right.

Thank you Ben! Keep up the good work and we hope to see you play in New York in the near future. Listen and Fuel, here.

-Vlad