TuneCorner

How to Make 1,000 True Fans

Last month Wired magazine Editor-at-large, and former Executive Editor, Kevin Kelly wrote an article called “1,000 True Fans.” Kelly claims that for a musician to make a decent living they need 1,000 true fans. He defines a true fan as:

“A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work.”

That’s a fairly easy goal for an artist with the power of a major label-marketing machine behind them, but what does this mean for the independent artist or band that’s just released their first album? It means that a musician needs to view their fans and their relationship with them very differently than they have in the past. A true fan feels they are supporting something they are personally invested in. They want the band to succeed so they will continue to create music the fan feels a connection with. So, how does an artist create a relationship with listeners that will turn them into these coveted true fans?

Why Every Artist Needs a Blog, by Kyra Reed

Kyra Reed got started in the music biz managing Portland, OR, bands Stars of Track and Field and The Upsidedown. She currently is a New Media and Interactive Consultant working with bands, venues and labels all over the U.S. Kyra's new eBook, Blog101, is written specifically to help artists navigate their careers online. This article is written especially for TuneCore.

Back in the days before Myspace, most bands relied on emails and shows as their only avenue for staying in touch with fans. Today, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the number of technologies artists can use to build relationships with the public: social networks, Twitter, blogs, texting, the list goes on. To fully take advantage of these tools, a band needs a central online location to syndicate its presence across the web; one place fans know they can visit for the latest information, photos, press, tour dates, etc. A website has historically filled that role, but most are already outdated. Traditional sites just don’t allow for social interaction or easy updating of information ("content management").  If you are ready to retire your website or are thinking about launching a new one, a blog can provide a useful (and CHEAP) format for building out your online presence. Here's a few bullet points to help frame your thinking about how to leverage the millions of fans and industry connections out in the blogosphere:

1. A Free Website
A blog is far more than just an online diary. It is built on a CMS (content management system) which allows you to build additional pages, add widgets and plug-ins, manage your content and even sell ad space. The best part is, all of this is easy to do: no webmaster required.

Take a look at how these bands are using their free blogs as their main websites: 
The Upsidedown

Saturna

Sink to See

2. Express Yourself/Evangelize your fans

Chances are, the last album you released is not the only piece of art you have created in the last six months. What about that photo essay you took on tour, or the paintings you did for the album cover? Has anyone outside the band ever heard that killer jam session you recorded in the van on the way to L.A.? Most musicians are constantly creating and have no outlet for sharing it with their fans. A blog allows you to post all of the other art, ideas and creations that don't fit on an album. Offering your fans more of you will create stronger loyalty and interest in the products that you want them to buy.

3. Control your Assets
Unlike a Myspace page, your blog is YOURS. You control the content and the ads. When you draw traffic to an ad-supported site, you are using your fans to make money for other people, and you don't get a dime. I'm not recommending that you abandon your social networking profiles, but work on directing the traffic from your profiles to a site you own, too. Another risk you run is being deleted. Despite the number of hours you spent building your page, you don't own it and can be deleted for any reason, without recourse. I know bands that have suffered this unfortunate fate. Finally, a blog is your domain: say and do what you like, post what you want.

4. Build your Fan Base
Most importantly, the technologies (RSS, linking) and social norms pioneered by bloggers have become the new standards for community (read "fan base") building on the web. New social tools are being developed almost daily that integrate seamlessly into a blog. Would you be caught dead selling only SACD's at your show when most of your audience uses an iPod? Apply the same concept to your fan outreach and you won’t be disappointed.

For more information about how a blog can help you, purchase a copy of Blog 101 and visit these blogs often blog101book.com and kyrareed.com.