Music Success in Nine Weeks – Week 6

Artists you are a commodity and your fans are your customers.

This is the first lesson I learnt in Week 6 of Ariel Hyatt’s Music Success in Nine Weeks blog challenge.

All You Need is 1000 True Fans

This week we are introduced to this article on the power of acquiring 1000 true fans suggesting that:

“A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author – in other words, anyone producing works of art – needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.”

Inspired to research further, I was drawn to this interview with Andy Karp who was a manager and marketing executive in A&R with Atlantic Records signing bands such as Kid Rock and, one of my personal favourites, Porcupine Tree.

In the interview I was excited to learn that Andy prefers to think of fans as investors, rather than customers,

“..because people are really passionate about the bands and the artists they love. When the music really represents times in your life and is a soundtrack to you, you have a very emotional investment in the creative output of that artist.”

So what do we have to do?

“What you simply have to do is, always be true to yourself, because people react to authenticity. In doing that, you also have to be really smart and understand how the relationship between artist and fan works.”

which is what the essence of Music Success in Nine Weeks is about.

Book Yourself Solid

I had an insightful email conversation with Charlie Gilkey of Productive Flourishing this week which reminded me of the book, “Book Yourself Solid” by Michael Port (if you’re tired of thinking small he’s the guy to call.) I highly recommend downloading the accompanying free workbook and doing the exercises.

The key to booking yourself solid is to focus on WHO you are serving.

Michael Port’s book may be for you if you can’t stomach the idea of hard selling.

The book claims it’s the fastest, easiest, and most reliable system for getting more clients even if you hate marketing and selling. It helps us to focus on how we can authentically attract our true fans, customers and investors by being a bigger and more focussed version of ourselves.

Who do you think your fans are?

In Week 6 of Music Success in Nine Weeks we are tasked with exercises similar to the aforementioned workbook which help us to focus on where we might find our potential fans, audience and investors.

• Who are they?
• What do they like to do?
• Where do they hang out?
• What websites do they hang out on?
• What do they like?

Once we have established that our fans might like eating sushi whilst listening to Nikki Loy and looking at Sandra’s photos, we then need to find enticing ways to attract and maintain a dialogue with our investors.

Have I Got News For You

One way is build a mailing list and offer them exciting newsletters.

In Week 6 we are given a structure, using the 3 ‘G’s, with which we can construct a solid newsletter template:

1. The Greeting
2. The Guts
3. The Getting your investors into action (whatever that action may be)

It makes me feel incredibly grateful and lucky knowing that the people who have already signed up to my mailing list are:

• creative
• forward-thinking
• fun-loving
• dedicated
• ambitious
• adventurous
• a bit technical

They also ooze self-respect and personal success.

It’s clear we also share similar interests:

• A love for art or a fascination with creativity
• Playing, listening to or creating music
• Self and cultural development
• Getting outdoors
• Enjoying films

The fact that they want to invest their precious time and energy in what I have to offer motivates me to be the very best version of me that I can be. These people inspire me and it is my life’s wish to inspire them and others too. They are my people.

Newsletters are about creating a connection

A newsletter is a two-way conversation. When you join a newsletter, any newsletter, you are joining a gang of people who share an interest. You are choosing to be part of a community.

The word newsletter has always reminded me of the word community ever since I was grasshopper high; newsletters from schools, newsletters from youth and arts associations, newsletters from the local grocery store and outdoor adventure shop.

Newsletters keep us informed giving us a spark to ignite a conversation with someone we know with something of interest. They give us the invitation to contact the proprietor directly and if we have something to contribute too.

Your 1,000+ true fans

My goal and responsibility as a newsletter owner and publisher is to connect like-minded people. I find it both inspirational and exciting that, between us, by connecting our tribes we can create the 1,000+ true fans critical for the videomaker, musician or photographer to make a living from their creativity.

For my newsletter and a free MP3, you can join me here.

More stuff:

• Andy Karp interview
• Productive Flourishing
• Week 7
• Week 5
• Week 1 – My Goals
• Michael Port & Book Yourself Solid

Photo Credit: © Martin Bingisser