We’re still catching our breath after the overwhelming response to our Kickstarter campaign – and we want to take a moment to share the journey, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and look ahead to what comes next.
🚀 Campaign Overview
In November 2024, we launched our campaign to bring drumbeam to life – a compact, powerful, and uniquely playable electronic percussion instrument that responds to both velocity and position, offers multiple play modes, and connects to all your favorite gear via MIDI. Our goal was to raise €30,000. Thanks to your incredible support, we didn’t just hit that target – we nearly tripled it. 175 backers joined us and helped raise over €78,000, far exceeding our expectations.
🥁 What We Offered
We carefully designed our reward tiers to give early supporters something special. The most popular was our Early Bird Bundle at $349, which offered a 30% discount off the planned retail price – and was snapped up quickly.
Other tiers included:
-
Bundles of two drumbeams, ideal for bands, studios or more complex setups.
-
Add-ons like our custom-designed protective case.
-
A hoodie and special afk-drumsticks, we made together with ROHEMA, a company that is also based in Saxony, Germany.
💬 Your Feedback Meant Everything
From day one, we were blown away by the enthusiasm in the comments and messages. Many of you told us this was your first-ever Kickstarter – and that you believed in our product and vision.
"Congrats! My first Kickstarter backing and I am excited! I got the $349 (30% early bird bundle) but I would like to buy 2 if I can at the same price?"
This kind of support is what kept us going – and made us want to go the extra mile.
🙏 A Gesture of Gratitude
As a sign of our deep appreciation, we made a big decision during the final days of the campaign:
We reduced the price of all drumbeams to match the Early Bird price – for everyone.
No matter which tier you selected, you paid the best possible price. It was our way of saying thank you for the trust, enthusiasm, and momentum you gave us. We believe in fairness, and we wanted every backer to feel equally valued.
🔧 What Comes Next
We’re now deep in the production process. Materials are arriving, testing is ongoing, and we’ve already begun working on a few surprises based on your feedback. Our team is committed to keeping you updated – we plan regular posts, videos, and even live Q&A sessions on our new Discord server, where we want to start building a creative and curious community around drumbeam. More on that - soon!
❤️ From the Whole Team: Thank You
Kickstarter wasn’t just about funding a product. It was about connecting with people who share our passion for rhythm, expression, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in electronic music. You helped us build more than a product – you helped us build a movement.
Thank you for believing in drumbeam. Thank you for believing in us.
Let’s make some noise – together.
—
The afk-audio team
