[wpietri]

I think "requiring" is a funny word to use here.

Producing anything to sell commercially requires work up front. That work has to get paid for. While that work is happening, the people involved need to eat and to keep their families fed. Is the universe a big ol' meanie for "requiring" people to keep eating? I guess.

Regardless, up-front money is required. Previously something like this could only happen if you managed to find somebody with millions of dollars sitting around and then managed to convince them to give you enough to get your product built. And then you had the problem of finding your buyers, which cost more money for marketing.

I have my issues with Kickstarter. But inviting the individuals who want your product to participate in financing it seems like a giant step forward to me. If you have a better idea, I'm all ears. If not, maybe just block Kickstarter in your browser? Then you'll be free of any perceived burdensome requirements.