I've spent the last month or so looking into options and trying to figure something out for at least the "short term" of Idol.
Both Indiegogo and Kickstarter have the advantage of being extra advertising to get the word out about Idol - which I like. But they also involve extra fees and needing to put together incentive packages, etc. Which means anything raised would automatically need to be higher to take those into consideration.
After talking with a number of people on the subject, and ignoring Mark Burnett's advice of "Never Explain", and figuring out what actual expenses would be over the course of Season 9 - and going with the figure that several of you reading this threw out there as a "fair number", I'm going to try to raise $1,000.
Which means, if there are indeed 300 people coming in for Season 9, it would be like sponsoring everyone for just under $3.34/person.
I don't want to have any sort of fee for people to enter Season 9. But it would take the sponsorship idea off the table, that so many people seemed to not like, and quite frankly, it means that I would be able to concentrate on the serious business of kicking the grap out of all of you by forcing you through your paces without any of these "commercial breaks".
It's a rough time for year - and visually, it's a big number. So, it might not happen. But people have asked - and asked - and asked - so now I've worked myself up to the point that I feel momentarily confident enough to tell.
Those who can't contribute - hey, I'm right there with you. I totally understand. I'm pretty sure you weren't the ones asking about it! :D Just keep on scrolling and keep being cool. See you in a couple of months.
For those who were:
My hope is to have Season 9 ready for you by Jan. So, until then, enjoy your Novel Writing/Turkey Eating/Trying to Get Off the Naughty List.