CBF Community Band Funder · Label 51
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Fan-funded records · Label 51 Recordings

Fund the record. Press it. Let the label do the rest.

Community Band Funder (CBF) is Label 51's platform for backing local artists: fans pre-purchase the records, CDs and merch, and once the goal is hit we press it at our own plant. Funds are held in escrow — if a project doesn't happen, every backer is refunded.

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▹ $0 setup fee   ▹ Flat 10% only if it funds   ▹ Funds held in Stripe escrow, refunded if the goal isn't met

Featured · Pre-order Rain Parade — Emergency Third Rail Power Trip cover art

Emergency Third Rail Power Trip

Rain Parade · Deluxe splatter vinyl
$8,400 of $10,000 214 backers · 12 days
6
Live campaigns
$29,720
Raised
805
Backers
100 units
Minimum to press

About CBF

What is Community Band Funder?

Community Band Funder is Label 51 Recordings' continued effort to support local artists. The platform gives artists the chance to be part of a label, grow their audience, and have their fans pre-purchase their records, CDs and other merch. Once the artist's goal is reached, we press the products at our state-of-the-art pressing plant. The funds are held in escrow — and if a project doesn't happen, the funds are returned to the purchasers.

Community campaigns

Campaigns from the Label 51 family

Pre-order now and help these releases exist on wax or CD. When a campaign hits its goal, it goes to press.

The fan pre-order model

How it works

Same engine as Kickstarter and Qrates, the look of an equity round like Wefunder — but built on the pre-purchase of physical product, not the sale of securities. Fully legal for the label to run.

For the fan

You back it by pre-ordering

1
Choose your productVinyl, cassette, CD, a merch bundle or a signed edition.
2
Reserve your copyYou pay at checkout and watch the progress bar climb in real time.
3
It presses & shipsHit the goal and it gets made and shipped. Miss it and you're refunded 100%.
For the artist

Fund the record with zero risk

1
Launch your campaignSet the goal, formats and prices. The label helps you build it.
2
Fans fund itYou raise the money before spending a dollar on pressing. You control your inventory — want extra? Great. Want to press only what you've sold? That works too.
3
Label 51 presses itPressing, logistics and distribution under the label's cover — no mastering fees. It ships to you, then you ship to your fans, or we fulfill for you.

Why backers trust it

Your money is held, not spent

When PledgeMusic collapsed in 2019 it took millions in fan money down with it — because it spent pledges on its own bills. We built Community Band Funder so that can't happen.

🔒

Escrow, not our account

Pledges sit in Stripe, ring-fenced from the label's cash — the PledgeMusic mistake, designed out.

↩️

Refund guarantee

Goal not met by the deadline? Every backer is automatically refunded in full. No fine print.

🏷️

The label stands behind it

Label 51 is the guarantor of fulfillment — you're not trusting a stranger with a landing page.

📦

Made where we say

Real pressing partners, tracked fulfillment, and updates until the record is in your hands.

The label's factory

Buy the pressing right here

Already funded, or want a straight run? Order physical production from Label 51 with no campaign, at fixed per-unit pricing.

🟣

Vinyl

from
$8.50
/ unit · run of 100
  • 12" 180g, black or color
  • Vinyl-ready master
  • Full-color printed jacket
See details
Most ordered
📼

Cassette

from
$3.75
/ unit · run of 100
  • Chrome or ferric, any shell color
  • Printed J-card
  • Shrink-wrap included
See details
💿

CD

from
$1.75
/ unit · run of 300
  • Digipak or jewel case
  • Booklet up to 8 pages
  • On-disc print
See details
👕

Merch

from
$7.50
/ unit · tee
  • Screen print / DTG
  • Tees, totes, posters
  • Bundle it with the music
See details

How we compare

Community Band Funder vs. the usual options

The North American landscape an artist actually chooses between — and where a label-run platform fits.

Platform Model Fee Who owns the fans Fulfillment
Community Band Funder · Label 51 Pre-order + label cover 10% flat, escrow You + the label Label presses & ships
Kickstarter (+ MAKE Vinyl) Reward crowdfunding ~8–10% Platform keeps emails You / Qrates partner
Qrates Press-on-demand pledges Built into unit cost Marketplace Qrates presses & ships
Bandcamp pressing In-house crowdfunding ~25% unit markup You Bandcamp presses
Wefunder / StartEngine Equity (regulated) ~7.5% + legal Investors, not fans N/A — sells shares

Figures are indicative of publicly stated ranges and shown for positioning, not as a competitor quote.

The label as your umbrella

You're not on your own: Label 51 has your back

You bring the music. The label brings the structure: the brand, the contracts, the distribution and the factory. Community Band Funder is the front door to all of it.

  • ✓
    Brand & legal cover. You release under Label 51 Recordings, with its catalog and reputation behind you.
  • ✓
    Real distribution. Your record reaches stores and DSPs through the label's channels, not just your circle.
  • ✓
    Factory at label rates. Vinyl, cassette, CD and merch pressed at negotiated cost, not walk-in pricing.
  • ✓
    Promotion included. Meta, YouTube and email campaigns run by the Label 51 marketing team.
The artistBrings the music and the fanbase
↓
Community Band Funder · Label 51Pre-order campaign + factory + distribution
↓
The fansFund it and receive the physical product
↓
Record out in the worldPressed, shipped and distributed

Frequently asked

Questions & answers

Is this like Wefunder? Am I buying shares?

No. Wefunder sells equity in companies (a regulated investment). Here you pre-buy physical product — a vinyl record, a cassette, merch — like Kickstarter, Qrates or Bandcamp. It's a pre-order of physical product, fully legal, with no investment licensing involved.

What happens if a campaign doesn't hit its goal?

Every backer is refunded 100%. Pledges are held in Stripe escrow — separate from the label's own money — so funds are never spent before a campaign succeeds. That's the exact failure that sank PledgeMusic, designed out.

What does Label 51 charge?

A flat 10% on funds raised in a campaign, with no setup fee and nothing per unit. For straight runs with no campaign, the published per-unit price on the Pressing & Merch page applies.

Do I have to be signed to the label?

Not required. You can run a campaign under Label 51's cover for a single release, or just use the factory service. Signed artists get preferred terms.

What formats can I press?

Vinyl (12"/7", color, 180g), cassette (chrome/ferric), CD (digipak or jewel case) and merch (tees, totes, posters). All from the Pressing & Merch page.

Ready to fund your next release?

Build a pre-order campaign in minutes and let Label 51 handle pressing, distribution and promotion.

Start my campaign See factory pricing