Einstürzende Neubauten
The international renowned band „Einstürzende Neubauten“(”Collapsing New Buildings”) was founded in 1980 and broke new ground by using new means to establish direct communication with their fans and supporters. They developed an interactive website and a subscription model.
In 2002, Einstürzende Neubauten began work on a new album without the backing of a record label, relying instead upon fan (”supporter”) participation in an experiment of a type of Street Performer Protocol combined with an internet community and touches of the patronage system.
About 2 000 supporters signed up to support what became Phase I by paying 35 $ or € to participate in the experience and receive the results. Numerous sessions of the recording and creating of the next album, were translated to the supporters community via the internet, as a streaming video. An exclusive Supporter Album #1 was sent out to them in autumn 2003.
The live shows of the Perpetuum Mobile Tour were recorded by the band’s sound engineers, then burned on CDRs and sold directly after the concerts to the visitors.
Phase II of the Neubauten Supporter’s project finished in August of 2005, and the official site was taken down on the 20th of September. The supporter’s album (titled “Grundstück”) and DVD (containing footage from the November 2004 Grundstück performance in Berlin) was shipped in early October of 2005.
Phase III of the Supporter’s project started on February 10th. On February the 25th, the fourth part of the Musterhaus series, called Redux Orchestra vs. Einstürzende Neubauten was completed. One of the new additions to Phase III was a piece-by-piece album available only to supporters, consisting of 15 jewels as the band calls them. Starting in March, these downloadable tracks were released on or around the 15th of the month and are drawn from singer Bargelds’ dreams.
