Abstract

With almost 70 Italian platforms and an increasing number of funds raised, crowdfunding has today become a popular method of fundraising even in cultural and creative fields. Nevertheless, the majority of practitioners in these sectors does not know enough about the attributes and potentiality of this tool. Crowdfunding in Arts is not merely about funding: it's mostly about engagement of communities potentially able to support, promote and evaluate a cultural project prior to its dissemination on a large scale. The volumes of funds raised and the profiles of the promoters show that this tool is particularly effective for independent projects in the audiovisual, publishing and music industry. The key factors for the success of a campaign are largely based on the proponent's social proof and on the community building process, in particular through the online and offline communication planning and the choice of unique and exciting rewards.