POLL: See first post - How much would you invest in Wisteria Song?

[FanDeAliFee]

"This is not an offering, which can only be made by prospectus."

But I am curious, and maybe some with pecuniary interests are too. If you had the opportunity to invest in Wisteria Song, Alizée's personal music business firm, would you do so, and how far would you go?

A fan can of course buy Alizée products, like the occasional concert performance ticket, an audio recording or her store gear. All of this certainly is MUCH better than pirating her recordings! But her margin on these things is limited, and in most cases you will be putting much more money into the hands of people other than the Corsican girl and the essential artistic professionals she must pay.

There is no more dramatic example of this than attending a far-away concert - e.g. a Mexican fan going to Tel Aviv will spend vastly more on airfare and living expenses than on the concert ticket itself, even stipulating he could afford such a trip in the first place. The same is true for a French fan who might dream of seeing Alizée in Mexico. (I omit American fans from any example, knowing how very rare they are!)

Direct patronage eliminates the margin problem. For performers who cannot aggregate large enough crowds in one place to fill a venue, even a distributed venue like a set of video-linked chaperoned mini-theaters, I think patronage will prove necessary to fill the financial gap which opens up as recorded media becomes ever more impossible to sell in the face of the ease and sad moral acceptance of its piracy.

I do not know French business law. But I suspect to issue stock, one would have to reorganize Wisteria Song and also endure increases in regular legal and accounting expenses.

The entertainment business is NOT an investment vehicle for proverbial "widows and orphans." It is not even a typical investment. This is venture capitalism, pure and simple, and people who cannot afford to be hurt should not play the VC game.

To give an example, consider making Hollywood films. If I recall right, out of every ten films made, two make money, one roughly breaks even and seven lose money, according to one of the editions of the venerable tome, Entertainment Industry Economics

But I think there are people here who would invest in Wisteria Song whether or not a return was certain, likely or maybe even plausible. Why?

Twice polls conducted here in 2010 revealed dozens of people willing to support Alizée by financial means, without any personal gain or thanks for their contribution, and at a collective level of 1000 Euros or more.

Ben tells us he spends US $2000 annually to underwrite the hosting costs of Alizée America, mainly the recordings, of which (non-illicit!) videos could be hosted at YouTube in high def for free.

And Dave showed us that one guy can even spend US $3000 on (sadly quixotic) radio ads in a militantly anglophone narket in the attempt to generate new Alizée sales.

So why would it be strange to imagine it is possible that among such people one might find investors for Wisteria Song? Surely there are worse ways to use the money, as was shown.

Before you vote, I make a VERY important stipulation. The hypothetical company shares would be NON-VOTING: you would never have any voice in how the firm was run, sold or closed. Naturally, the dividend would first be zero, and might never rise above that level. And don't look for a public exchange on which to sell the shares of a company as tiny as Wisteria Song - if you wanted out, you'd have to find a buyer on your own.

Like the other polls I've posted mentioning money, this one is anonymous. No one need feel embarrassed to answer truthfully. And of course Wisteria needn't be embarrassed to do this tiny bit of market research, because I am here to do it for them. Please also remember that Americans number only a very small part of Alizée's global fanbase. A few thousand Euros invested by a handful of Americans would not change the fate of Wisteria, but 100,000 Euros raised from every corner of the world would do a lot to help fund the production and marketing of a new album. I know, because I have seen the germane financial summaries.

And think of what it would mean to an average person, none of whose life ever proved especially spectacular, to be a meaningful part of the ongoing career of a glamorous, beloved star for whose artistic produce they could truly take partial credit!

OK, go and vote now. This might be the first step on a long road that allows fans to buy shares of Wisteria Song at http://www.alizeestore.com - one, or a great many!