No. 4: Pono Music Player
Funds Raised: $6.2 Million
Music legend Neil Young developed a music player that promises higher-quality sound than any of its competitors. The crowdfunding campaign for Young’s Pono Music is the third-biggest Kickstarter project in the history of the site, raising more than $6.2 million in 30 days from a little over 18,000 backers. The campaign’s goal of $800,000 was blown away less than 24 hours after it launched in March 2013. Pono is a proposed online music download-service and dedicated music player. The PonoPlayer, which will come with 128GB of storage, reportedly will sell for $399. By comparison, the 64GB iPod touch sells for the same price, and the iPod classic, with 160GB of storage, sells for $249. The player is scheduled to be delivered to crowdfunding backers this October.