Everyone is horrified there is going to be no money in the music industry. If there is no money then it is impossible for record labels to employ people to work hard for your band to get you more exposure. While we personally think there will be plenty of money to go around - what do you do if you are one of the 99% of bands who don't have the power of a label to push them? It is actually more simple than you think. Follow me to the jump and I will tell you how to start a fan based movement to give you the power of a record label and improve bonding with your fans.
Mobilize
When you have fans it is a great feeling that runs like a two way street. You appreciate their adoration and support while they appreciate how your music makes them feel. With that said there is often invisible lines that bands draw about when it is OK to mobilize their fans and have them help them. It is fine to ask your fans to call and request your music on a local radio station or click on an online survey but for some reason it is not OK to actually be in the same room with them to work on helping your band. This invisible line is silly to say the least and we are going to talk about how to break it down. In politics this is done everyday at campaign headquarters across the land and there is no reason you shouldn't see your band as a campaign as well.
Don't Be Shy
You may be thinking that no one would ever want to spend time helping your band outside of friends and family but you are wrong. People are always looking to bond with others with similar interests and the prospect that there is someone there who shares the same passion as them (your music) will excite people who are passionate about it. If you ask and show people that this is a place where they can both have fun and make friends you would be shocked how fast this can work. It also helps if you have some good looking members in your band since it will attract some fans of their looks.
You Build It And They Will Come
There are countless tasks you can employ yours fans to help with, all you need to do is ask. If you have a fanbase enough to draw around a hundred or so people locally - odds are you can get 10 people are so to come help you for a day or two once every month or two. Simply motivate them in a few ways. Make it clear they will be spending time with you, offer enticement like hearing some new demos or a band practice, treat them to a meal and definitely explain how much this will help you. It is important to tell them what you could potentially have if they help out. People like to see clear results and work towards something. Be detailed so they now what the work will entail and describe the day as being fun.
If you make it fun and are good to the people who are working hard for your band they will want to come back and do this again. Obviously there is work to be done but having a few beers on hand, having someone DJ and not yelling at anyone if they are being lazy will keep people wanting to come back and do this again.
Come back next time and we will tell you some useful tasks you can employ your fans to do as well as how to manage and accomplish them!
When you have fans it is a great feeling that runs like a two way street. You appreciate their adoration and support while they appreciate how your music makes them feel. With that said there is often invisible lines that bands draw about when it is OK to mobilize their fans and have them help them. It is fine to ask your fans to call and request your music on a local radio station or click on an online survey but for some reason it is not OK to actually be in the same room with them to work on helping your band. This invisible line is silly to say the least and we are going to talk about how to break it down. In politics this is done everyday at campaign headquarters across the land and there is no reason you shouldn't see your band as a campaign as well.
Don't Be Shy
You may be thinking that no one would ever want to spend time helping your band outside of friends and family but you are wrong. People are always looking to bond with others with similar interests and the prospect that there is someone there who shares the same passion as them (your music) will excite people who are passionate about it. If you ask and show people that this is a place where they can both have fun and make friends you would be shocked how fast this can work. It also helps if you have some good looking members in your band since it will attract some fans of their looks.
You Build It And They Will Come
There are countless tasks you can employ yours fans to help with, all you need to do is ask. If you have a fanbase enough to draw around a hundred or so people locally - odds are you can get 10 people are so to come help you for a day or two once every month or two. Simply motivate them in a few ways. Make it clear they will be spending time with you, offer enticement like hearing some new demos or a band practice, treat them to a meal and definitely explain how much this will help you. It is important to tell them what you could potentially have if they help out. People like to see clear results and work towards something. Be detailed so they now what the work will entail and describe the day as being fun.
If you make it fun and are good to the people who are working hard for your band they will want to come back and do this again. Obviously there is work to be done but having a few beers on hand, having someone DJ and not yelling at anyone if they are being lazy will keep people wanting to come back and do this again.
Come back next time and we will tell you some useful tasks you can employ your fans to do as well as how to manage and accomplish them!
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