Patent ID: 6993496
Filing Date: 2006-01-31
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A computer implemented method for determining the market demand for an artist comprising: receiving by one or more CPUs user input to determine which artists to select from a pool of artists; determining by the one or more CPUs the market demand for each said selected artist based on users contributing money to a separate fund for each said artist; identifying by the one or more CPUs artists that attain a predefined money level of user contributions, and providing said fund, minus a commission, for the benefit of each artist in response to the fund attaining the predefined money level of user contributions; and providing each of at least one of the users who contributed to artists that did not attain the predefined money level of user contributions an option to be selected from a group at least comprising: (a) a refund of the money contribution; (b) a redistribution of the money contribution to another artist from the pool of artists; and (c) to leave the money contribution undistributed in a non-artist account; and executing instructions by the one or more CPUs that result in the selected option being provided to the user.