$800,000 goal reached in under a day, and there’s still 34 days left to go.
Remember the Neil Young-helmed Pono Music player and service we posted about earlier this week? It’s Kickstarter campaign is live, and the funding figures are staggering, to say the least.
In under 24 hours, Pono Music has managed to raise $1 million dollars from over 3,100 backers. With 34 days left in the campaign, the PonoPlayer has already exceeded its $800,000 funding goal, and then some.
The PonoPlayer will have a retail price of $399 when it launches in October, but the Kickstarter campaign is offering the player for $300. There was a 100 backer-large $200 Early Bird tier, but it sold out rather quickly.
$300 nets you a black or yellow PonoPlayer, along with a mention in the website’s Thank You section. If you want to pitch in $400, you can choose from one of 14 Artist Signature Series models. The signature model lineup, which features artists like the Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, and Tom Petty, have the artist’s name(s) laser-etched into the PonoPlayer, and they come pre-loaded with two albums of your choice. The tier is rounded out with a handmade leather case.
For the one percenters out there, $5,000 gets you an invitation to a “VIP Dinner and Listening Party,” with Neil Young himself. You foot the bill for airfare, but the hotel stay is covered (and it comes with a Signature Series model of your choice).
Fancy gimmicks aside, the $300 tier is a 25 percent savings over the retail price — not a bad deal, if you’re willing to spend that kind of cash on a music player. If FLAC audio files (which Pono says will be its standard moving forward) is all you want entering your ears, the Pono might be worth a listen.
