Fans, Friends & Followers oh my!

posted in: Music News

In a day when your followers on twitter mean more than your mailing list, we all need some guidance.  Change within the music industry happens every second.  Reaching out to fans and audiences becomes easier and more difficult at the same time.

A new book by Scott Kirsner, Fans, Friends & Followers, provides great incite into marketing for many different perspectives.  His sources include Jonathan Coulton (Singer/Songwriter), Mike Chapman (“HomeStar Runner”), and Damian Kulash (OK Go).

“One of the secrets to succeeding in the era of digital creativity is doing something different, and then finding ways to share it with people who might appreciate it. At first, you may feel as though you’re connecting only with tiny, disparate, niche audiences, but if enough niche audiences discover and support your work, you’ll soon have something truly substantial. “

Many artists on OurStage attempt to distinguish themselves by reaching out to fans.  Nevershoutnever posted his own updates online to get the word out about his band.  This type of personal touch really draws in fans.  Some artists, like him, post video updates to the fans which create a personal connection, something that is very important in the digital age.

“Create work only you can create.”

This is simple, yet effective advice.  Take Thersa Andersson, who posted a very impressive and popular video of a performing in her kitchen.  Now this isn’t just any performance, it’s very unique.  Obviously it caught our attention a few weeks ago!

So now you’ve seen what other artists have done. What have you done? Think you need to work on some of this? You can pick up Fans, Friends & Followers online right now in both DRM-free PDF and paperback on Scott Kirsner’s website.