Welcome to my review of the year post. Probably shorter than some you've had in recent years, mainly because my spending has once again been limited for financial reasons and I haven't spent as much time chasing around after music as a result. I do however have an update on the albums I've been waiting for (some of which have already been mentioned in more blog posts than I care to think about) and I've also pulled together some conclusions I've reached on fanfunding as a result of my experiences, which I think you'll find will make for very interesting reading. But before we get to that, it's time to look at this year's charts which produced an unexpected result I wouldn't have predicted if you'd asked me as I was writing my review of the year last year.
Album of the Year
1. Matthew Ebel - The Lives of Dexter Peterson
2. Poets of the Fall - Temple of Thought
3. Howling Dollhouse - Howling Dollhouse
4. Nightwish - Imaginaerum
5. Fox Amoore - Legends of Valanor
Wow. If I had placed a bet at the beginning of the year as to what I thought would land up as my favourite album of the year based on the albums I already knew would be released, I would have been completely and utterly wrong. I was fully expecting Poets of the Fall to take the honours, based on past experience but as you can see it appears it wasn't meant to be. At the end of the day a very tight title was decided on the basis of instant likes vs. growers. Unlike previous albums, nothing particularly grabbed me on first listen from the POTF album and although I did find many of the tracks have grown on me, I didn't feel it was enough to beat Matthew's album which hit me with 2 straight away and landed up with a similar percentage of likes after the "growers" came through.
Another album I was expecting when I wrote my review of the year post last year was from "Into the Night" who actually changed their name to "Howling Dollhouse" before its release and released the album with the same title. It's a pretty solid album although I didn't find anything really outstanding within it. The two most notably different tracks on the album are "Part 2" (basically just vocals and piano) and "World on Fire" which, whilst not really my thing, does a pretty good job of blending rap and rock.
Although the album I've selected from Nightwish was originally released in late 2011, I waited for the tour edition which also has orchestral versions of the tracks. Having splashed out on an album with the tracks as instrumentals from them in the past (as well as containing the versions with full vocals) I actually found these made good background music when I didn't want to be distracted from work, and the orchestral versions of the tracks on this particular album seem even better than those albums I've had previously for this.
Fox Amoore seems to get better and better and this particular soundtrack effort made for a very worthy 5th place, shaking off competition from other artists such as Sonata Arctica that I've been buying for years.
One artist did lose out on selling music to me this year. I had been looking forward to buying the album "The Unforgiving" from Within Temptation which I'd also been forced to put off buying the previous year, but with both the album itself and the mp3 downloads available being riddled with DRM, I made the decision not to purchase.
As for albums I'm contemplating for the coming year, the main one currently on my radar is a new one from We Love The Underground as most of the artists I listen to frequently only released an album in the past 12 months. I have no release date or title for this one as yet and unlike the debut album, I'm actually finding myself contemplating whether or not to buy as (unlike last time) not a single track released so far has managed to take my interest past the take-it-or-leave-it category. The other album I'm aware of and currently contemplating is "Dark Dog Days" by Dr Scardo which is currently at mixing stage and due to be released in April. It will be interesting to see if Simon Scardanelli manages to get any of the other projects outside of this band effort finished as his last newsletter has stated he's interested in finishing the solo album he started writing in 2010 and may also be releasing an instrumental guitar album and an EP of waltzes and foxtrots as well. So it sounds like I'll have plenty to look out for here to see what catches enough of my interest in the coming year.
Song of the Year
It should be noted that (as usual) as far as I'm aware, every single artist in this particular chart is an independent. You'll find most of the tracks here available to stream on Soundcloud and I've carefully collected the ones available there into a playlist which you'll find here.
1. Poets of the Fall - Signs Of Life
2. Matthew Ebel - Who I Am
3. Katy Vachon - I Got Style
4. Francis Rodino - Higher Ground
5. Iced Blade - Chiru Hana
6. Skitzo Calypso - Ready or Not
7. Howling Dollhouse - This Is Who You Are
8. Iconcrash - We Are The Night
9. Karena Kelly - Midnight Walk
10. Saintsaviour - Woman Scorned
11. Remi Miles - Perfection (YOLO)
12. Fox Amoore - Lord and Lady
13. Dr Scardo - Leave Us Alone
14. Matchbox Twenty - She's So Mean
15. Miranda Shvangiradze - How The Idea Of Rainy Thoughts Was Made
16. Fabrizio Paterlini - If Melancholy Were Music
17. Brianna Gaither - Let It Go
18. The Traps - Moving Pictures
19. Stickboy - Pirouette
20. Admiral Fallow - Squealing Pigs
As usual I'm limiting my favourite song chart to one song per artist with tracks I've heard for the first time in the past year (even though the track itself could be older), although at the end of the day I could probably have found more than one for a couple of the artists in question. Particularly difficult was the choice for Poets of the Fall, where the missing title track from their first album was released as a bonus track on the German edition and managed to snatch the honours away from the haunting "Skin" (a track about a love where one half of the relationship can't let go) and the Spaghetti Western styled "The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper" by a very narrow margin. In the end, "Signs of Life" even edged out my favourite from Matthew Ebel to gain the top spot in the chart, although "Who I Am" did win the honour of becoming the ringtone on my new mobile phone. I can't see me changing that one for a while, as I find its opening ideal for alerting without annoying an entire room.
Although I'm not spending money on Sellaband, I am still listening to the odd artist who signs up on there now and again and a couple of these artists made my charts as a result. Whilst she never made her budget and the profile has since been deleted as a result, Katy Vachon managed to grab enough of my interest that I may well go check out what she's up to in the near future with the rather sassy song and video for "I Got Style". Iced Blade from Japan were another easy choice due to both my love of the Scandinavian music scene and a couple of rather ancient cassettes of manga music owned by my husband, as this artist sounds like they'd fit right at home in either.
Soundcloud has overtaken Last FM this year in terms of its ability to provide me with new artists to listen to. The ease of being able to listen to all the tracks an artist has posted, not just the one that originally caught your interest is something I'm a big fan of, and with Songza (who were offering a similar service last time I could access them) still cut off for the UK, it's looking likely that this will become my main source of listening over the next year if it remains in its current form. Miranda Shvangiradze and Saintsaviour both made the list as a result of being played by the soundcloud radio app.
Of the 20 artists in the list, 9 of them are artists I've heard for the first time in the last 12 months, and of these it's looking like The Traps are probably going to be the artist I'm most likely to follow up on over the next 12 months. Not just because they appear to be fairly local, but also because both of the tracks I've heard to date have managed to catch a decent amount of my attention whereas other artists have fared less well when it has come to listening to tracks other than the original attention grabber.
Near misses for the top 20 go to the Wily Bo Walker track "Jawbreaker", cis minor with "The Story of Rose and Klaus" and The Hundred in the Hands track "Commotion" - all artists brought to my attention by the Soundcloud radio app and also included on the playlist I linked earlier.
Video Playlist of the Year
And a new section this time around to showcase the best songs/videos that I've come across for the first time this year. As with the songs section, the tracks in question may be older than a year but this is the first time I've come across the video in question. The most notable thing here is the fact that as far as I'm aware, I'm only showcasing artists here that are independent and it therefore shows the variety and quality that independents are capable of putting out these days. Particular standouts come in the form of the "trailer" video for Fox Amoore's "Legends of Valanor" album and "Weird Green" which Left Step Band animated themselves.
Last minute news
As usual there have been a few things that caught my attention but didn't manage to make it into a blog post during the year. Firstly there's the news that Francis Rodino is leaving London with his band and moving to Nashville. In the newsletter describing his move it sounds like he's disappointed with the UK music scene in general, but whilst I wish him the best, I'm not convinced he's going to find the grass any greener on the other side of the Atlantic.
Howard Jones released a set of 4 tracks on Soundcloud for free download over Christmas, including his take on the well known Elton John track "Your Song". You'll find them available for streaming or download here.
The other big piece of news is probably the changes to Last FM happening on 15th January. Whilst they don't affect me as I only use the web app anyway, I do find them a rather disappointing move in the wrong direction which feels like one of the last nails being driven into the coffin of that particular site. Firstly, they're cutting off streaming access entirely for most countries in the world, citing music licensing arrangements as the reason. For the remaining few countries, only the US, UK and Germany (traditionally the big 3 for music sales/listening) remain mostly unchanged with others such as Ireland and Brazil having their free streaming removed and listening only available if you pay money and subscribe. It honestly wouldn't surprise me to hear the site is being closed and/or they are being bought/merging with Spotify or another service over the next couple of years. Restricting or removing services seems like a sure-fire site killer to me and even more so when consumers have a range of methods (including sites like youtube and soundcloud) where it's also possible to stream music for free.
Moment of the year
Considering I started this blog as a way of relaying my own experiences (initially with Sellaband artists and later with music in general) as a fan rather than having any kind of expertise or knowledge on the subject, so I was quite chuffed when one of the bloggers who regularly writes posts on social media and music for well known sites such as Hypebot decided my 1000 true friends post of a couple of years ago was both worth tweeting to his followers and linking to from his own blog. So this is my tip of the hat back in his direction. You can follow Chris Rockett as @MusicMarketingX on twitter or visit his blog on promoting your music here.
Disappointment of the year
No prizes for guessing that the title of biggest disappointment of the year is taken by three artists - Lori Greco, Cubworld and Vertical Horizon. I'm still waiting for albums from all three of these artists. In the case of the first two, they both completed their funding on Sellaband more than three years ago yet no album has been seen. In the case of Vertical Horizon, I used Pledge back in April when their project was funded but was showing "Release date TBC". Since then the updates to the project have dried up and, as with Sellaband and overdue projects there, it looks like the complaints are starting as this status doesn't appear to have changed 9 months down the line. It looks like I'll be contacting Pledge about this one in the New Year, as I'm obviously far from impressed with my foray into what life is like on the other side of the crowdfunding fence. And it probably goes without saying that Vertical Horizon have shot themselves in the foot when it comes to seeing any money from me for a similar project in future. With more than 6 years of experience on the "money-spending" side of the crowdfunding fence, I've been forced to draw some conclusions which will sound rather harsh (and indeed some artists in particular may even find upsetting) but which I think represent the true situation with crowdfunding as it stands today. You'll find them in the next section.
Crowdfunding: The conclusions so far
Whilst collecting money from fans is still a relatively new industry, there are a number of conclusions I've already come to about the current state of fan funding in music based on my experiences of spending several thousand pounds on more than 40 different projects covering over 30 artists in the past 6 years.
1. 1000 true fans? Try 100.
Let's face it. If you are an
independent musician who has never had a record deal or even a song in
your own country's top 100 charts, how many people will actually have
heard you? With the demise of the community on Sellaband, I'm not
currently aware of any funding site which has people who are
actively looking to form a fan connection with you and your music. So if
you want to crowdfund then you need to look to the size of your own
crowd. Established names with that previous label (or even current label
deal) are the only ones I've seen hitting the thousands (or often even
the several hundreds) mark. The average artist I've seen on Sellaband
since the site changed has been needing at least 100 people to fund them
in order to make their target (even the minimum of 3000 euros). Unless
you can make a list of 100 people that you know for sure will spend
money on you (even if it's just buy a download of the album), you do not
have a crowd and you cannot/should not be even thinking of
crowdfunding. Facebook likes don't count. Number of Twitter or Facebook
friends or number of people on your mailing list don't count either - not all of these will support you. If you want a good
chance at a successful crowdfunding campaign the first step you need is
to both acknowledge and make that actual list of 100 names.
Yes,
more guaranteed names is obviously better. Yes, more names = more
money, but how much? It will vary from fanbase to fanbase, but as a
ballpark figure, I'd rate 100 names as worth 3000-5000 if your base
incentive level is 10 of whatever currency you're raising in (e.g. $10
minimum incentive would get you $3000-5000 when 100 people have agreed
to give you money). If your expectations are bigger than that, you
better know (or hope) you've got some rich backers and/or you'd better be
prepared to be disappointed if you can't make a long enough list of
names to scale up that initial 100 name list.
If you
can't make that list of 100 names, you should definitely be considering
your music as still being a hobby. You don't yet have a fanbase so stop
calling it a career until you can pass at least this basic check.
2. Your budget needs to represent the 1% of the 10%
Chances are that only around 10% of those that follow you on Twitter or Facebook (not including existing friends and family) are taking any active interest in you. And of that 10% only 1% are likely to look at supporting you in advance unless you have a good and immediately obvious track record of communication and delivery on a similar project in the past. If going on pure fans alone rather than the friends and family connections, that means you're going to need somewhere in the order of 100,000 followers to find your 100 names. Hence why friends and family are so important to reduce the followers you need and help you create that initial track record.
3. You need a track record that is easy to find
Both established and
unestablished names are screwing up badly on this one. Both Public Enemy
and Jonathan Davis fans were up in arms on Sellaband and my experiences
with a number of unknowns over there have been no better. Over 50% of
artists I have supported via crowdfunding have not delivered on time.
Even worse, over 40% of artists I have supported have been more than a year late compared to their original statement of timescale. More than 10% of artists I have supported have been over two years late. And as previously mentioned I even have a few artists who have already broken the three year barrier.
With seemingly little or no protection offered by crowdfunding websites and these horrifying statistics in mind, it has led me to the conclusion that even I am no longer willing to take a chance on a crowdfunding artist unless I can easily find how they've performed in the past - in terms of being able to raise money, how their delivery time has compared to their original statement and what their communication has been like.
If
you cannot convince a music lover like me who is open to both new
technology and experiences that you are worth supporting, then how in
the hell do you expect to ever be able to convince the average person in
the street?
Be honest. Would you support a product or service that failed this badly on communication and delivery? So would you support an artist given these statistics?
Musicians, Labels, Managers
Get
Your
Act
Together
Can I be any more clear?
4. There are too many musicians
I still don't understand how the music industry operates because to me it attempts to break every rule of the laws of supply and demand. There are only so many hours in the day. There are only so many of those hours in which people are able to listen to music. It should not be possible for so many to be out there making music and claiming they are musicians rather than just doing it as a hobby.
The biggest shift that the music industry needs to undergo in the current era is to ditch the deadweight. And unfortunately a lot of the power in that resides in the hands of fans. There are too many musicians out there and all the internet is doing is spreading the existing money pot much more thinly compared to the old days when the average person was aware of a much lower number of artists due to only knowing about what was placed in front of them. The danger is that although more musicians are getting money, it's more a case everyone will land up getting pocket money rather than anyone getting career money. Is it really any wonder that free music is seen as the norm given the laws of supply and demand in this case?
We are also too forgiving of the artists we love. Just like best friends we let them off. Again. And again. And again. Eventually we might get fed up of being given the runaround, but in general emotion drags us back even when we feel let down. Just like in business, we need to put money into the hands of the reliable and force the unreliable out of music. The big question is whether us emotional humans can break the cycle and realise that somewhere out there is a much more reliable artist who is just as good and making exactly the same music as the unreliable one we may feel connected to at the moment.
Fans showing the big money spenders (investors, labels etc.) who the reliable are is something I see as the way forward to put money back into the music equation. Without a reduction in the number of artists, music will remain undervalued (or free). And we'll lose a lot of the artists we shouldn't unless we learn to step away from our emotions and put some logic back in.
My experiences show that artists need to become a lot more reliable than they are at present if funding direct is to become a truly viable mainstream alternative to a label deal for any artist, but I'm not convinced we'll see the shift the music industry needs until/unless fans noticeably start acting less on emotion and hence force the issue.
And finally...
As January is usually both a short and quiet month for me on the finding music front, it's unlikely you'll see a standard post before February. But to keep you going in the meantime I'll be writing a special post for all you musicians out there in a couple of weeks which contains some questions that you ask fans (and sometimes even potential fans) which I happen to think are wrong. And I'll be letting you in on what I think you should be asking instead to get the information I think you were really looking for.
Showing posts with label fan funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fan funding. Show all posts
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Why you are worth less than you think
Back in September 2006, I came across a site called Sellaband as a result of it being mentioned in several Yahoo news articles. I didn't actually take a really good look at the site until October though, when I got a friend request on Myspace from an artist who was actually signed up to the place.
Even in those early days, it was a common sight to see people wondering why some artists seemed to find it easy to get money and others with seemingly better music (or better quality of music) would get completely ignored. With the introduction of incentives, this situation has not only remained, but in many ways become more pronounced. Why do some artists with incentives as good as (or better than) others seemingly get ignored, while some of the "worse deals" make their targets?
Sometimes the location has a lot to answer for e.g. if an artist is trying to raise funds on a third party site, then how much the fan trusts that site can come into play. But if we ignore location and concentrate on the incentives side of fundraising, what really does influence this target raising ability?
Novelty has a lot to answer for. In the case of Sellaband, there have been two obvious situations that I can think of where novelty resulted in funding.
The first of these is the album thankyou. Quite simply, as well as getting a CD, the idea is that your name will be listed amongst those who are thanked in the album notes.
In the early days of Sellaband, this was quite a popular incentive. Some artists even offered it as default rather than incentive, meaning you didn't need to buy any extra part(s) to get it. Just think for a moment - when was the last time you read the album notes and found the artist thanking you? Such artists landed up taking cash away from others as a result, but the novelty has pretty much died since. The reason? Largely because a) a lot of artists started doing it so it quickly became repetitive after you'd funded a few and b) when you need a magnifying glass to pick out your name among several hundred others crammed into something the size of a CD cover it doesn't even feel that special - you're just another name in the mass.
Compare that to another experience I had. When Nearfield were raising funds for their album on Sellaband, they produced another CD called "Black Board" and were using it to promote their fundraising in Portugal. Now I don't even like Nearfield's music, yet I am thanked in the album notes for "Black Board". And I had no idea that had happened until I actually saw a copy of the album! The reason for me being thanked is immaterial, rather what matters is the fact the artist had done it because they wanted to not because they were paid to do it. That's the kind of special your fans want to feel. Some may be happy to go with the incentive if it's a novelty for them, but a genuine sentiment like I had from Nearfield is worth at least a thousand "mass thankyous" in the long run any day of the week.
The second case of novelty that happened on Sellaband hinges on the idea of communication. Genuine conversation, rather than an endless stream of "listen to me" or "fund me" posts got more than one artist funded, even though there were better artists musically on the site. Don't underestimate its power, especially on the "passive" passers by you won't even be aware of.
"Passive" fans rarely go for incentives unless they are good value for money in the strictest consumer sense. "Active" fans who will readily share their opinions and talk to you via mail or social networking on a regular basis are much more likely to be persuaded into an incentive, providing you listen and respond to them. Even better, some of the "passive" are likely to join in occasionally if they can follow you communicating with others. And even better if they can see fans posting about you or talking about you with others on their own initiative and not as a result of a request from you. When others are showing signs that they get on with you and trust you will do what you say it makes it that little bit easier for a stranger to test the water and do the same.
And after all, if you aren't talking to other people now, what makes you think anyone will ever be interested in a communication-based incentive (e.g. skype performance, chance to meet the artist etc.) unless they really are a die-hard fanboy (or girl)?
If you want to escape novelty there really is only one thing to offer which has good constant appeal and that is more music. This is one incentive which can really work, but it also depends on a few different things.
Are you offering music you already have?
In this case, it's likely your existing fans will only go for this if it's something rare or something they don't already own. And for the second of these it likely means they are a recent fan, as those with a limited income probably can't afford to pay the extra for the incentive - if they had the money, there's a good chance they'd already own it. However if a stranger happens by and likes most or all of what they hear, there is a chance they'll go for this if they think the amount of extra music you're offering is worth the extra price you want for the incentive and they can afford it. The chance of a stranger going for the incentive also improves if they know of somewhere to listen to at least some of that music first. Basically you're looking at someone who is confident they'll like your music enough to want to increase their collection of your music faster and you just offered a convenient way for them to do that.
Are you offering music nobody has heard yet?
This one appeals a lot more to existing fans than it does to the random stranger who just stumbled across you. Whilst you might get a few strangers going for it anyway, the vast majority still need to make up their minds as to how "into" your music they are - they may be prepared to take a chance on an album they haven't heard before, but to pay extra (even for more music) before they've made up their minds as to how much they really like you is usually pushing it a bit too far.
Aside from "more music", incentives often don't have general appeal. They may appeal to a few people you encounter, but they usually won't appeal to the majority, regardless of whether they are existing fans or not. Something like the free backstage pass can work with existing fans, but it may also depend on country. In other words, if you have a willing fan, but you are not already a regular tourer in the country they are from, or likely to visit there any time soon, it's likely that fan is going to hold onto the extra money they would have paid you for the incentive. Likewise a DVD to go with your CD may work, but often that may come down to its contents or perceived extra value which will vary between individuals (existing fan or otherwise).
But is there a hidden jewel in the crown? Is there something a large number of fans want that artists can provide but which those fans never really mention? I think there is, but equally I believe it's something which doesn't generally work as an incentive.
Many artists I encounter seem to think the ultimate incentive is the custom song. The artist you love listening to will write a song just for you. Sounds feasible, doesn't it? But you'd be wrong. Whilst it's kind of on the right lines, the reality is something very subtly different.
You see, the big problem with this is the fact you're paying for it. And that makes it lose its shine and have less meaning. Just as with the example I gave you earlier about names in the album booklet, there is a certain novelty with the idea of a song written for you. But when anyone with the money can do it, what meaning does it have? The custom song does work when it's a gift for someone else, but in that case the emotion tends to go back in the direction of the sender rather than the artist.
So what do I think is the real jewel in the crown? Actually yes, I think you'll find a lot of people harbouring the hope that you'll write a song for or about them. But as an artist you need to understand it has to be something you want to do, not something you want people to pay you to do. It has to be done as a genuine, from the heart sentiment. And you know the really great thing about this? A lot of the time you'll find this is one of the songs your other fans like a lot, even when they don't know anything about the story behind it. Genuine sentiment transfers beyond the person it was aimed at. But this is also why the custom song doesn't work as an incentive.
This ad campaign has run in different currencies in a number of countries and it demonstrates what I'm trying to say very clearly.
And this is why you're worth less than you think. The consumer just wants their purchase and to be on their way, but for those prepared to stick around you are priceless. The former group aren't that interested in your incentives, because they haven't made a connection with you (yet), and, let's face it, there is plenty of other music around, much of it free. Why would an incentive they have to pay more for stand any chance of grabbing their attention against that, particularly if it's something they have to wait to get? As for the latter group, well, both the size of their wallets and what they already have comes into play. Chances are they may already have, or not be able to afford the incentives you're offering. Over and above that, what they're really after are the kind of things that (just like the ad) money can't buy. You can't put a price on emotion.
Whether it be number of friends on Myspace or number of "Likes" on Facebook, you as an artist need to come to terms with the fact that at one end of the scale those people just aren't into you enough to want to give you money, whereas at the other end you'll either find people who'll give you the money anyway without caring too much about the incentives (after all, like I said in my 1000 true friends post, they are your friends), or more usually can't afford to give you (as much) money. Chances are that you've overestimated your monetary value as a result by at least a factor of 10 because you have no idea of exactly how many real fans you have and/or have formed no connection with them, so have no idea of their circumstances or what really makes them tick. Incentive based funding really isn't the draw you might think, unless you are already well known and/or have a good track record that can be easily traced on the Internet when you might just stand that bit more of a chance of getting it to work.
Even in those early days, it was a common sight to see people wondering why some artists seemed to find it easy to get money and others with seemingly better music (or better quality of music) would get completely ignored. With the introduction of incentives, this situation has not only remained, but in many ways become more pronounced. Why do some artists with incentives as good as (or better than) others seemingly get ignored, while some of the "worse deals" make their targets?
Sometimes the location has a lot to answer for e.g. if an artist is trying to raise funds on a third party site, then how much the fan trusts that site can come into play. But if we ignore location and concentrate on the incentives side of fundraising, what really does influence this target raising ability?
Novelty has a lot to answer for. In the case of Sellaband, there have been two obvious situations that I can think of where novelty resulted in funding.
The first of these is the album thankyou. Quite simply, as well as getting a CD, the idea is that your name will be listed amongst those who are thanked in the album notes.
In the early days of Sellaband, this was quite a popular incentive. Some artists even offered it as default rather than incentive, meaning you didn't need to buy any extra part(s) to get it. Just think for a moment - when was the last time you read the album notes and found the artist thanking you? Such artists landed up taking cash away from others as a result, but the novelty has pretty much died since. The reason? Largely because a) a lot of artists started doing it so it quickly became repetitive after you'd funded a few and b) when you need a magnifying glass to pick out your name among several hundred others crammed into something the size of a CD cover it doesn't even feel that special - you're just another name in the mass.
Compare that to another experience I had. When Nearfield were raising funds for their album on Sellaband, they produced another CD called "Black Board" and were using it to promote their fundraising in Portugal. Now I don't even like Nearfield's music, yet I am thanked in the album notes for "Black Board". And I had no idea that had happened until I actually saw a copy of the album! The reason for me being thanked is immaterial, rather what matters is the fact the artist had done it because they wanted to not because they were paid to do it. That's the kind of special your fans want to feel. Some may be happy to go with the incentive if it's a novelty for them, but a genuine sentiment like I had from Nearfield is worth at least a thousand "mass thankyous" in the long run any day of the week.
The second case of novelty that happened on Sellaband hinges on the idea of communication. Genuine conversation, rather than an endless stream of "listen to me" or "fund me" posts got more than one artist funded, even though there were better artists musically on the site. Don't underestimate its power, especially on the "passive" passers by you won't even be aware of.
"Passive" fans rarely go for incentives unless they are good value for money in the strictest consumer sense. "Active" fans who will readily share their opinions and talk to you via mail or social networking on a regular basis are much more likely to be persuaded into an incentive, providing you listen and respond to them. Even better, some of the "passive" are likely to join in occasionally if they can follow you communicating with others. And even better if they can see fans posting about you or talking about you with others on their own initiative and not as a result of a request from you. When others are showing signs that they get on with you and trust you will do what you say it makes it that little bit easier for a stranger to test the water and do the same.
And after all, if you aren't talking to other people now, what makes you think anyone will ever be interested in a communication-based incentive (e.g. skype performance, chance to meet the artist etc.) unless they really are a die-hard fanboy (or girl)?
If you want to escape novelty there really is only one thing to offer which has good constant appeal and that is more music. This is one incentive which can really work, but it also depends on a few different things.
Are you offering music you already have?
In this case, it's likely your existing fans will only go for this if it's something rare or something they don't already own. And for the second of these it likely means they are a recent fan, as those with a limited income probably can't afford to pay the extra for the incentive - if they had the money, there's a good chance they'd already own it. However if a stranger happens by and likes most or all of what they hear, there is a chance they'll go for this if they think the amount of extra music you're offering is worth the extra price you want for the incentive and they can afford it. The chance of a stranger going for the incentive also improves if they know of somewhere to listen to at least some of that music first. Basically you're looking at someone who is confident they'll like your music enough to want to increase their collection of your music faster and you just offered a convenient way for them to do that.
Are you offering music nobody has heard yet?
This one appeals a lot more to existing fans than it does to the random stranger who just stumbled across you. Whilst you might get a few strangers going for it anyway, the vast majority still need to make up their minds as to how "into" your music they are - they may be prepared to take a chance on an album they haven't heard before, but to pay extra (even for more music) before they've made up their minds as to how much they really like you is usually pushing it a bit too far.
Aside from "more music", incentives often don't have general appeal. They may appeal to a few people you encounter, but they usually won't appeal to the majority, regardless of whether they are existing fans or not. Something like the free backstage pass can work with existing fans, but it may also depend on country. In other words, if you have a willing fan, but you are not already a regular tourer in the country they are from, or likely to visit there any time soon, it's likely that fan is going to hold onto the extra money they would have paid you for the incentive. Likewise a DVD to go with your CD may work, but often that may come down to its contents or perceived extra value which will vary between individuals (existing fan or otherwise).
But is there a hidden jewel in the crown? Is there something a large number of fans want that artists can provide but which those fans never really mention? I think there is, but equally I believe it's something which doesn't generally work as an incentive.
Many artists I encounter seem to think the ultimate incentive is the custom song. The artist you love listening to will write a song just for you. Sounds feasible, doesn't it? But you'd be wrong. Whilst it's kind of on the right lines, the reality is something very subtly different.
You see, the big problem with this is the fact you're paying for it. And that makes it lose its shine and have less meaning. Just as with the example I gave you earlier about names in the album booklet, there is a certain novelty with the idea of a song written for you. But when anyone with the money can do it, what meaning does it have? The custom song does work when it's a gift for someone else, but in that case the emotion tends to go back in the direction of the sender rather than the artist.
So what do I think is the real jewel in the crown? Actually yes, I think you'll find a lot of people harbouring the hope that you'll write a song for or about them. But as an artist you need to understand it has to be something you want to do, not something you want people to pay you to do. It has to be done as a genuine, from the heart sentiment. And you know the really great thing about this? A lot of the time you'll find this is one of the songs your other fans like a lot, even when they don't know anything about the story behind it. Genuine sentiment transfers beyond the person it was aimed at. But this is also why the custom song doesn't work as an incentive.
This ad campaign has run in different currencies in a number of countries and it demonstrates what I'm trying to say very clearly.
And this is why you're worth less than you think. The consumer just wants their purchase and to be on their way, but for those prepared to stick around you are priceless. The former group aren't that interested in your incentives, because they haven't made a connection with you (yet), and, let's face it, there is plenty of other music around, much of it free. Why would an incentive they have to pay more for stand any chance of grabbing their attention against that, particularly if it's something they have to wait to get? As for the latter group, well, both the size of their wallets and what they already have comes into play. Chances are they may already have, or not be able to afford the incentives you're offering. Over and above that, what they're really after are the kind of things that (just like the ad) money can't buy. You can't put a price on emotion.
Whether it be number of friends on Myspace or number of "Likes" on Facebook, you as an artist need to come to terms with the fact that at one end of the scale those people just aren't into you enough to want to give you money, whereas at the other end you'll either find people who'll give you the money anyway without caring too much about the incentives (after all, like I said in my 1000 true friends post, they are your friends), or more usually can't afford to give you (as much) money. Chances are that you've overestimated your monetary value as a result by at least a factor of 10 because you have no idea of exactly how many real fans you have and/or have formed no connection with them, so have no idea of their circumstances or what really makes them tick. Incentive based funding really isn't the draw you might think, unless you are already well known and/or have a good track record that can be easily traced on the Internet when you might just stand that bit more of a chance of getting it to work.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
1000 True Friends
1000 true fans is an idea increasingly used in blog posts about music these days. Since the original post, there have been a number of others posting either in defence of the idea or to try and debunk the theory. Interestingly all the posts I've seen talk about it from the artist perspective with no consideration of the process from the fan point of view. So I have two aims with this post. The first is to look at things from that fan perspective to show you that if you want to follow that path of 1000 true fans, you need to understand that the monster you are creating is actually 1000 true friends. The second is to show you just some of the ways in which an understanding of the fan thought process can help you towards creating that monster of 1000 true fans, whether you're an artist, a fan funding site or something else, should you decide it's still something for you.
So let's start with some basics.
What is a fan?
From my own point of view there are 3 types of people wandering around out there. The first I label consumers. These are people who will not go looking for you - rather you need to go looking for them. Traditionally reliant on what the media throws in front of them to decide what they do and don't like, this is your mass-market or long tail. The second type of person is a subset of the consumer, which I refer to as a music lover. Rather than be restricted by what mass media advertises as the thing they should buy, these people also search out music. Maybe your packaging for your CD looks interesting on the shelf, maybe they read a recommendation somewhere or maybe they even heard part of a song. They'll fall over you via some interesting route and like what they hear enough to want to give you a "test drive" i.e. If they're in the right sort of mood when you grab their attention and they've got the money, it's likely you might sell a few tracks or an album just because it looks interesting. The third type of person is the fan. Unlike the first two types of people, they already know who you are, they know where to find you and most importantly they WANT to find you. Irrespective of whether they are one of the quiet lurkers silently following you around or the more rabid and noisy "true fans", they will still be looking on a regular basis to find out when you're next releasing music, whether you're playing a gig in their area etc. etc.
The path to a fan
As far as your music is concerned, everyone starts out as a consumer (or that subset of consumer known as music lover). It's only by following a particular path that they may turn into a fan. If you like music you already know this, even if it is only subconsciously. But let's lay it out anyway.
1.Discovery
It all starts with a song that grabs your attention. "hmm, I like the sound of that - who is it by?". You might hear it anywhere - the radio, the music to a TV advert, the music someone has used for their home-made video on Youtube etc. etc. It doesn't matter. What matters is the fact you've found a song you like enough to want to own. It might not be the first thing by that artist you've heard (chances of this are actually very high) but it's the first thing that has managed to hold your attention.
2. Exploration
What happens next largely depends on how much of a music lover you are, and/or how much that track has got your attention in the first place. Since the advent of the Internet, it has become a lot easier to try and track down an artist, rather than have to go down the town and browse the local record shops, or wait for their next track to appear on the radio. If you've been hooked enough by just that one song, there's a good chance you'll leap straight into the next stage of trying to track down the artist to try and find out what other songs they've done to see if you like them. But except for exceptional circumstances, one song is not going to be enough and repeated exposure is required for the interest level to rise significantly. In other words - whilst someone may buy that one song because they like it, you don't stand a chance of landing up with a fan until they've heard more than one song they like "enough". And that's something that has the potential to take months (or longer), particularly if you don't regularly catch their interest.
3. Conversion
If you reach this point, you've probably sold a few tracks or an album. If someone likes what they hear and they happen to fall over you again at a later date, they may remember you and decide to buy your next song, album or whatever, but you still can't consider them a fan until they have been converted and actually start to seek you out rather than fate bringing you back together. There are actually 2 stages in the conversion - the first provides the fan and the second is the conversion of fan into "true fan". To clear the first stage, as a rough estimate you're probably looking at a minimum of an album's worth of material (i.e. about 10 songs) that the person actually likes, and this must also form at least 75% of everything they've heard of yours up until that point. The higher the percentage of your music that they like, the more likely you are to retain them as a fan over a long period. If there are tracks they actively dislike (rather than it being a take-it-or-leave-it case) you can be in danger of losing them quite quickly.
In addition to this, in order to clear the second stage, not only are you looking at a 90%+ like rate (in practice this is often 100% or very close to), they have to have seen you play live as well. If your live performance disappoints compared to the impression given by your recorded music, at best you'll be left with a fan who will buy your next album when it comes out and at worst you'll probably lose them altogether - the full conversion to "true fan" will not complete. Even worse, getting past this second stage still only creates a pseudo "true fan". Meeting in person will either seal or break the deal - if real life doesn't match the impression you have been giving them, then someone who previously has considered themselves a "true fan" and acted accordingly up until that point could well land up changing their mind.
Interestingly I actually found this post while I was planning this episode in my blog. The thing that amazes me most about it is that its author actually had to stop and think about the process he went through. Is it really not that obvious?
What do fans want?
In two words. More music. But let me give you the longer version.
- unless they were lucky enough to find out about you by the time of your first album, you can be sure they'll want to check out your back catalog and will likely buy some or all of it if and when they can
- they want to know when your next release comes out so they can plan their finances accordingly
- they want to see you perform live to see if you're as good as your music suggests
"True fans" take this one stage further
- they want to own everything you've ever done as well as being the first in the queue for whatever you do in future. Yes, that includes that early demo that you wish in hindsight had never seen the light of day and has been long out of print.
- they have made an emotional connection to you through your music and the image you portray and they think you're one of "their kind of people"
Yes, that's correct. That "true fan" on the other side of the world is actually your best friend (in the mind of said fan at least), even though you're actually complete strangers. Scary thought huh? At some point during the conversion of fan to "true fan" they have crossed an invisible line which means they stop looking at you as a business and start looking at you the same way they would a potential friend. If you're looking for true fans you need to understand that this is the reality, spot when it happens and react accordingly.
That thought scares me. If that's the case, why do I want true fans?
What planet have you been living on? If you don't want these people, you're passing up the opportunity to get yourself some lifelong supporters of you and your music. They think you're worth every penny they pay, despite the large number of people scratching their heads wondering why someone would pay YOU that much for whatever it is you're offering. And even if they can't actually afford the super-duper-top-of-the-line version, you've still got their undying love. Seriously. True fans are there for you and they are often generous, and not just in terms of money, particularly if you're not local to them. You want that bed for the night? You got it. They know what your favourite food or restaurant is? You got it. A luxury you like but can rarely afford to have? You got that as well. The list goes on...
So do you still want to create 1000 true fans? Read on.
Some clues that you already have true fans
- they will give or send you things (often out of the blue)
- they'll visibly talk about your latest project/voting request etc. without you needing to ask for them to do so
- if you mention you have a particular problem, they'll try and help you solve it if they can without expecting anything in return
- fans may come and go, but true fans will still be there whatever the ups and downs and more importantly they'll cut you some slack when you screw up (providing you don't do it too often and don't take them for granted).
Don't forget, they're your best friends (even though you don't know them). Isn't this the kind of way you'd treat your own best friends?
Let me give you an example from a story I've heard. Matthew Ebel has a fan helping him to book shows. His take on the subject is that the fan is doing the same job as a booking agent, therefore she should have the same percentage of his fee that he would pay to a booking agent. Her response - don't be silly. Now read that example again except with the word "friend" wherever I've used the word "fan" and not only should you see the conversation from her point of view, but also get a feeling for where things ought to go next.
How to create and retain true fans
- don't fake it, always be true to yourself
Whilst it's possible to have an image, whatever you do, don't try and come across as something you're not. Your fans need to like you for being you, or they'll feel cheated when they find out the reality. Managers are highly dangerous in this regard. If you've got one of those dealing with your fans rather than dealing with them direct yourself, make sure you stay aware of what is going on between them, and make sure it's known that it's a manager and not you talking to your fans. I'll never forget the story of the Sellaband believer who spent several thousand dollars on an artist on Sellaband, only for her to not even acknowledge him when he was stood directly in front of her, when her manager had been pretending to be her and constantly talking to him telling him how wonderful he was online. In actual fact the artist herself had absolutely no idea of who he was or what he'd been doing. That kind of experience loses fans and must come as more than embarrassment for any self-respecting artist once they find out too. Let's face it, could you really trust someone if you feel deceived?
- realise that it's the little things that matter
Shortly after Second Person raised their $50,000 on Sellaband they held a concert in London. I went down to that concert on my own, not knowing anyone there - I hadn't even been to a Second Person concert before. There are also very few pictures of the "real me" lurking around online. Yet I'd barely stuck my head around the door, before a shout of "Lucretia" (the name I'm known by on Sellaband) came from across the room, and Mark from the band was on his way to meet me. And indeed he was back around several times during the evening to check I was doing OK. When you consider I either had to be introduced to everyone else I met that evening, or at best I had a few uncertain enquiries as to whether I was Lucretia, the fact Mark had made the effort to both find out who I was and look out for me with genuine enthusiasm is something that really stands out. A simple thing perhaps, but the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression. Just as with friends, it's the little gestures that show you're interested and/or you care about them as an individual that will leave the biggest impressions on your fans.
- find a way of giving true fans what they want
Other posts on the subject of 1000 true fans make the mistake of regarding a true fan as someone who can pay you cash. This is a misconception. I said earlier that a true fan wants to own everything you've ever done or will do in future. Just because they want to own it doesn't mean they can afford to own it - at least not in the traditional sense of paying money. The future is therefore open for artists to do what they do best i.e. get creative. Everyone has different skills and different contacts and the real winners will be those artists that form relationships with each fan in a way that allows the artist to use the fan's skills to help them accomplish some goal whilst rewarding the fan for helping them complete that goal with whatever it is they want to own as a thankyou gift. But to be able to do this, you're going to have to get to know your fans in the first place. At the end of the day, wouldn't you rather have someone who is as "into" your music as you are helping you out, rather than employing someone who is basically only helping you because you're paying them? Trust me, if you can pull this one off, not only will your existing fans love you for it, but you'll find yourself with a queue of new people too as soon as it becomes known what the deal is, because I certainly haven't seen an artist manage this one yet.
In short, if you approach the problem of making new fans the same way you go about the problem of making new friends, you stand a much better chance of landing up with a true fan. Even better, once you prove to them you're as cool and as great to know as they believed you were, they'll pass that word on.
I often hear artists saying they get the best response to their music by mixing with people who share the same interests as them, rather than trying to chase after people on music sites. Duuuh! If you make friends, people may be more inclined to listen to your music and see if they like it. Is it therefore such a leap to realise that by exposing yourself online, you've already prepared the ground, so that complete stranger that pops up from nowhere probably already has some idea of what you're like and what you're into? It's almost certain they have one or more things in common with you or your outlook on life - that's a part of what gave them enough interest in you to stick their head above the parapet in the first place! As a result, the artists I've seen do best at creating fans are those that realise the process of "make friend -> make fan" works backwards as well, and know how to react to a stranger that seems to suddenly appear with an interest. The better (and faster) you are at identifying when someone has, or is in danger of crossing the line and becoming a fan, the more likely you can make a true fan out of them.
Fans and fan funding
Fan funding sites are failing because they are trying to come into the process too late. It can take a long time just to convert one person into a fan. By the time you've gathered enough fans who trust you enough to pay you for something before it has been created, the chances are you'll also have developed the infrastructure and/or the contacts to be able to do it yourself. Why would you ever pay a middleman in this case? Not only do your fans have to trust you, they then have to trust the middleman too, and if the middleman lets you down some of your fans will therefore lose trust in YOU.
Rather than centering on the artist, fan funding sites need to recognise the laws of supply and demand and realise it's actually fans that are in short supply and it is therefore the fan needs that need to be fulfilled, as the artist needs will then be fulfilled automatically. (Stop Press: Artists only have ONE major need, and that's more fans!) Without this, they will only ever be a temporary fad while artists are still busy working out the fact they could do the same thing themselves.
The fan funding site that wins will be the one which gets into the process much earlier and realises that the conversion from consumer to fan is what they actually need to help with as it's where the potential really lies. On the one hand, artists are out there looking for fans. On the other hand, the current situation encourages consumers to remain consumers, rather than converting into those true fans that every artist craves. There is so much choice of music available, but so little chance of ever seeing the artists that make that music perform that there's no incentive to become a fan (see my section above on what fans want). Anyone with half a brain knows there can be a world of difference between a recording and how good an artist actually is. So it's no wonder that there are no superstars any more - that process of becoming a fan I mentioned earlier has been stifled by the sheer amount of choice screaming for attention and the traditional industry's inability to actually link artists with fans under these conditions. Of the three artists I particularly consider myself a fan of, I've only ever seen one perform live in person - the best I've had on the other two is video/Internet performance. And there's still no sign of either of these two ever performing a show in the same country as me, let alone anywhere actually local, despite each having already released at least 4 full albums, and one of the two even being a repeated and well-known award winner and chart topper in their own country.
We're forever being told that the price of technology is coming down and it's much cheaper to do things these days. People all over are saying that streaming media is the future. Yet how many music venues do you know that record concerts? Or even better, stream it? According to the future of music, fans have more access to artists than ever before. The reality is so far the exact opposite of this - despite all the touted advances in technology and all the free services around, the artists you are most interested in are often turning out to be the ones you have least access to. And there's no sign of this situation improving.
In addition, consumers want to try before they buy in the comfort of their own home. Gone are the days of going out on a dark and rainy night only to find out that it was hardly worth it, because the "new band" you went to see were basically just no good live. Without creating the appropriate level of accessibility to meet this need, you won't create fans in future. Accessibility is the one thing than fan-funding sites and more importantly the music industry in general should be looking at creating, and both are failing heavily in this regard. No Accessibility = no reason to engage = no reason to buy and music becomes a throwaway 5 minute track based flash in the pan as a result.
If I'm not getting what I want as a fan, why shouldn't I just be a consumer? This fan disillusion is the true challenge that the music industry needs to face and overcome, now that the music you can listen to is worldwide and no longer limited to artists in your own local area and whoever the music industry in your country is currently pushing.
The cost of true fans
Assuming I've properly managed to get over the idea that fans are actually your friends, it's time to understand what the cost of the 1000 true fans route is, and therefore why it will likely only ever work to an extent, rather than its full potential.
1. Time is not on your side
Can you spare 5 minutes of your time every week for your best friend? In reality, I'm willing to bet you spend somewhat more than 5 minutes a week on average with your best friend. But if we go with the theory that a true fan is your best friend, and attempt to spend just 5 minutes in a week with each, then if you have 1000 true fans, you'd need to spend nearly 12 hours every day, including weekends, to cover the lot. Assuming you sleep for 8 hours, that means you would have just 4 hours to do everything else including actually create music. Clearly not practical. Collecting and retaining a large number of true fans is therefore very difficult through time pressures alone.
2. One true love
Out of all the artists that an individual gets exposed to in their lifetime, you'll likely be able to count the number of artists they are a "true fan" of on just one hand. And possibly just one finger. Whilst they may consider themselves a fan of a much larger number, they'll only ever go that real extra mile for those currently at the top of their own personal pile. Given the millions of artists in the world, chances are it's not your day. The true fan relationship is much like searching for your soulmate - that one true love. Even though the fan is extremely compatible with your music, given enough time, the law of averages states that someone with even more compatible music is going to come along and oust you. How long can you retain your one true musical love status, so you can actually increase your number of true fans rather than merely replacing some of them?
3. Are you superman (or woman)?
It takes a special kind of person to truly cultivate true fans. I've been lucky enough to meet with some during my time on Sellaband, and I suspect a number of others based on their correspondences with myself or others, including one that I personally think can't sing for toffee. But one man's trash is another man's treasure in that regard, and they definitely exhibit all the other signs that would encourage someone who is into their music to consider becoming a true fan.
None of these people ever stop. I still remember sharing a taxi back to the airport in Amsterdam with Lily Vasquez at 4am - two hours before I actually needed to be there. She had pretty much been everywhere and spoken to everyone over the course of the weekend, and whilst I'd attempted to grab a few hours sleep before the taxi she hadn't even been to bed. I'm sat there feeling like the bleary eyed owl that's been woken in the middle of the afternoon, staring out of one half-closed eye wishing everyone would just buzz off and leave it to sleep and Lily was still fired up and on the go. To be able to put that amount of time and dedication into people and still be going takes a special kind of person, and it's exactly that kind of person that is best suited to creating large numbers of true fans. Are you that superman (or woman) or are you the bleary-eyed owl like me?
Whilst the 1000 true fans route sounds idyllic, the reality is that it's pretty much impossible to keep up the level of interaction that's required to keep that going for any period of time. But clearly, you can work with a smaller number and still keep them happy enough to want to retain their "true fan" status.
Fans need to learn too
It's only really since I pushed myself out of the consumer pile and took a real interest in Sellaband, that it's become apparent that for the music industry to move forward, fans need to understand a few things too.
1. "Sold Out" is a reality that isn't going anywhere
Some of the cries most often heard from fans is that an artist has "sold out" and/or doesn't have time for their fans any more. However fans need to realise the reasons why artists don't have a lot of time for them, and the fact this problem isn't going to go away. Just because an artist is doing it all themselves and doesn't have a manager, record label etc. in the way doesn't mean there's going to be any more opportunity to interact with them. We're back to that fact that it takes 12 hours every day in order to spend just 5 minutes of time a week with every true fan.
The average person has absolutely NO idea of the realities that artists have to cope with and the amount of time it takes, and even after 4 years I'd still consider that I've barely started to learn. By educating fans and giving them this understanding, more of them will start to cut you some slack and you'll also find yourself with better fan retention. If people don't understand something, they speculate and ultimately that lack of understanding is what often leads to those cries of "sold out". Engage them, involve them, but overall educate them if you want to beat this.
2. Be more open to interacting with artists
It's a huge temptation to only interact with artists you're really interested in, but by getting to know some of the others who openly exhibit the signs that encourage true fans you could be doing everyone a favour.
At the end of the day, there are a number of artists I've encountered and talked to on Sellaband that I feel truly guilty about the fact that I don't like their music more (or even don't like it at all). From the perspective of creating true fans, they're going about it the right way but for me the "musical spark" just isn't there for me to want to create the relationship. But the fact that I've interacted with these people, or even just paid attention to the way they interact with others gives me the opportunity to tell someone who asks me whether I like a particular artist the fact that even though I don't like their music, they come across as someone worthy of the effort. True fans are looking for interaction, so if I as a music lover can help direct another towards their "musical soulmate" without them having to sift so much of the junk by trial and error, surely that has to be a win for everybody?
3. It works both ways
The good news for potential fans out there is that it works both ways. In my experience, the artists most deserving of true fans are also the ones who appreciate them the most. They will be as excited to meet you as you are to meet them if not more so, assuming they ever get the opportunity. But by the same token that means EVERYTHING works both ways. If you truly want the kind of level of interaction which can only be offered to a "true fan", then you have got to step up to the plate and fulfil your side of the bargain. In the new music industry the artist - true fan relationship is a self-sustaining one, but you're going to have to be a true fan, and not merely a fan. That artist you love is going to need to trust you as much as you do them (if not more so, seeing as they probably know less about you than you do them) if you're going to move forward together, and that means that all the qualities you're looking for in them, they need to be able to find in you too. When they ask for your support in something, you need to be there to give it,assuming it's possible for you to do so. Are you up to that kind of challenge?
So. Artists. Fans. What are you waiting for? Get out there and make some true friends.
So let's start with some basics.
What is a fan?
From my own point of view there are 3 types of people wandering around out there. The first I label consumers. These are people who will not go looking for you - rather you need to go looking for them. Traditionally reliant on what the media throws in front of them to decide what they do and don't like, this is your mass-market or long tail. The second type of person is a subset of the consumer, which I refer to as a music lover. Rather than be restricted by what mass media advertises as the thing they should buy, these people also search out music. Maybe your packaging for your CD looks interesting on the shelf, maybe they read a recommendation somewhere or maybe they even heard part of a song. They'll fall over you via some interesting route and like what they hear enough to want to give you a "test drive" i.e. If they're in the right sort of mood when you grab their attention and they've got the money, it's likely you might sell a few tracks or an album just because it looks interesting. The third type of person is the fan. Unlike the first two types of people, they already know who you are, they know where to find you and most importantly they WANT to find you. Irrespective of whether they are one of the quiet lurkers silently following you around or the more rabid and noisy "true fans", they will still be looking on a regular basis to find out when you're next releasing music, whether you're playing a gig in their area etc. etc.
The path to a fan
As far as your music is concerned, everyone starts out as a consumer (or that subset of consumer known as music lover). It's only by following a particular path that they may turn into a fan. If you like music you already know this, even if it is only subconsciously. But let's lay it out anyway.
1.Discovery
It all starts with a song that grabs your attention. "hmm, I like the sound of that - who is it by?". You might hear it anywhere - the radio, the music to a TV advert, the music someone has used for their home-made video on Youtube etc. etc. It doesn't matter. What matters is the fact you've found a song you like enough to want to own. It might not be the first thing by that artist you've heard (chances of this are actually very high) but it's the first thing that has managed to hold your attention.
2. Exploration
What happens next largely depends on how much of a music lover you are, and/or how much that track has got your attention in the first place. Since the advent of the Internet, it has become a lot easier to try and track down an artist, rather than have to go down the town and browse the local record shops, or wait for their next track to appear on the radio. If you've been hooked enough by just that one song, there's a good chance you'll leap straight into the next stage of trying to track down the artist to try and find out what other songs they've done to see if you like them. But except for exceptional circumstances, one song is not going to be enough and repeated exposure is required for the interest level to rise significantly. In other words - whilst someone may buy that one song because they like it, you don't stand a chance of landing up with a fan until they've heard more than one song they like "enough". And that's something that has the potential to take months (or longer), particularly if you don't regularly catch their interest.
3. Conversion
If you reach this point, you've probably sold a few tracks or an album. If someone likes what they hear and they happen to fall over you again at a later date, they may remember you and decide to buy your next song, album or whatever, but you still can't consider them a fan until they have been converted and actually start to seek you out rather than fate bringing you back together. There are actually 2 stages in the conversion - the first provides the fan and the second is the conversion of fan into "true fan". To clear the first stage, as a rough estimate you're probably looking at a minimum of an album's worth of material (i.e. about 10 songs) that the person actually likes, and this must also form at least 75% of everything they've heard of yours up until that point. The higher the percentage of your music that they like, the more likely you are to retain them as a fan over a long period. If there are tracks they actively dislike (rather than it being a take-it-or-leave-it case) you can be in danger of losing them quite quickly.
In addition to this, in order to clear the second stage, not only are you looking at a 90%+ like rate (in practice this is often 100% or very close to), they have to have seen you play live as well. If your live performance disappoints compared to the impression given by your recorded music, at best you'll be left with a fan who will buy your next album when it comes out and at worst you'll probably lose them altogether - the full conversion to "true fan" will not complete. Even worse, getting past this second stage still only creates a pseudo "true fan". Meeting in person will either seal or break the deal - if real life doesn't match the impression you have been giving them, then someone who previously has considered themselves a "true fan" and acted accordingly up until that point could well land up changing their mind.
Interestingly I actually found this post while I was planning this episode in my blog. The thing that amazes me most about it is that its author actually had to stop and think about the process he went through. Is it really not that obvious?
What do fans want?
In two words. More music. But let me give you the longer version.
- unless they were lucky enough to find out about you by the time of your first album, you can be sure they'll want to check out your back catalog and will likely buy some or all of it if and when they can
- they want to know when your next release comes out so they can plan their finances accordingly
- they want to see you perform live to see if you're as good as your music suggests
"True fans" take this one stage further
- they want to own everything you've ever done as well as being the first in the queue for whatever you do in future. Yes, that includes that early demo that you wish in hindsight had never seen the light of day and has been long out of print.
- they have made an emotional connection to you through your music and the image you portray and they think you're one of "their kind of people"
Yes, that's correct. That "true fan" on the other side of the world is actually your best friend (in the mind of said fan at least), even though you're actually complete strangers. Scary thought huh? At some point during the conversion of fan to "true fan" they have crossed an invisible line which means they stop looking at you as a business and start looking at you the same way they would a potential friend. If you're looking for true fans you need to understand that this is the reality, spot when it happens and react accordingly.
That thought scares me. If that's the case, why do I want true fans?
What planet have you been living on? If you don't want these people, you're passing up the opportunity to get yourself some lifelong supporters of you and your music. They think you're worth every penny they pay, despite the large number of people scratching their heads wondering why someone would pay YOU that much for whatever it is you're offering. And even if they can't actually afford the super-duper-top-of-the-line version, you've still got their undying love. Seriously. True fans are there for you and they are often generous, and not just in terms of money, particularly if you're not local to them. You want that bed for the night? You got it. They know what your favourite food or restaurant is? You got it. A luxury you like but can rarely afford to have? You got that as well. The list goes on...
So do you still want to create 1000 true fans? Read on.
Some clues that you already have true fans
- they will give or send you things (often out of the blue)
- they'll visibly talk about your latest project/voting request etc. without you needing to ask for them to do so
- if you mention you have a particular problem, they'll try and help you solve it if they can without expecting anything in return
- fans may come and go, but true fans will still be there whatever the ups and downs and more importantly they'll cut you some slack when you screw up (providing you don't do it too often and don't take them for granted).
Don't forget, they're your best friends (even though you don't know them). Isn't this the kind of way you'd treat your own best friends?
Let me give you an example from a story I've heard. Matthew Ebel has a fan helping him to book shows. His take on the subject is that the fan is doing the same job as a booking agent, therefore she should have the same percentage of his fee that he would pay to a booking agent. Her response - don't be silly. Now read that example again except with the word "friend" wherever I've used the word "fan" and not only should you see the conversation from her point of view, but also get a feeling for where things ought to go next.
How to create and retain true fans
- don't fake it, always be true to yourself
Whilst it's possible to have an image, whatever you do, don't try and come across as something you're not. Your fans need to like you for being you, or they'll feel cheated when they find out the reality. Managers are highly dangerous in this regard. If you've got one of those dealing with your fans rather than dealing with them direct yourself, make sure you stay aware of what is going on between them, and make sure it's known that it's a manager and not you talking to your fans. I'll never forget the story of the Sellaband believer who spent several thousand dollars on an artist on Sellaband, only for her to not even acknowledge him when he was stood directly in front of her, when her manager had been pretending to be her and constantly talking to him telling him how wonderful he was online. In actual fact the artist herself had absolutely no idea of who he was or what he'd been doing. That kind of experience loses fans and must come as more than embarrassment for any self-respecting artist once they find out too. Let's face it, could you really trust someone if you feel deceived?
- realise that it's the little things that matter
Shortly after Second Person raised their $50,000 on Sellaband they held a concert in London. I went down to that concert on my own, not knowing anyone there - I hadn't even been to a Second Person concert before. There are also very few pictures of the "real me" lurking around online. Yet I'd barely stuck my head around the door, before a shout of "Lucretia" (the name I'm known by on Sellaband) came from across the room, and Mark from the band was on his way to meet me. And indeed he was back around several times during the evening to check I was doing OK. When you consider I either had to be introduced to everyone else I met that evening, or at best I had a few uncertain enquiries as to whether I was Lucretia, the fact Mark had made the effort to both find out who I was and look out for me with genuine enthusiasm is something that really stands out. A simple thing perhaps, but the kind of thing that leaves a lasting impression. Just as with friends, it's the little gestures that show you're interested and/or you care about them as an individual that will leave the biggest impressions on your fans.
- find a way of giving true fans what they want
Other posts on the subject of 1000 true fans make the mistake of regarding a true fan as someone who can pay you cash. This is a misconception. I said earlier that a true fan wants to own everything you've ever done or will do in future. Just because they want to own it doesn't mean they can afford to own it - at least not in the traditional sense of paying money. The future is therefore open for artists to do what they do best i.e. get creative. Everyone has different skills and different contacts and the real winners will be those artists that form relationships with each fan in a way that allows the artist to use the fan's skills to help them accomplish some goal whilst rewarding the fan for helping them complete that goal with whatever it is they want to own as a thankyou gift. But to be able to do this, you're going to have to get to know your fans in the first place. At the end of the day, wouldn't you rather have someone who is as "into" your music as you are helping you out, rather than employing someone who is basically only helping you because you're paying them? Trust me, if you can pull this one off, not only will your existing fans love you for it, but you'll find yourself with a queue of new people too as soon as it becomes known what the deal is, because I certainly haven't seen an artist manage this one yet.
In short, if you approach the problem of making new fans the same way you go about the problem of making new friends, you stand a much better chance of landing up with a true fan. Even better, once you prove to them you're as cool and as great to know as they believed you were, they'll pass that word on.
I often hear artists saying they get the best response to their music by mixing with people who share the same interests as them, rather than trying to chase after people on music sites. Duuuh! If you make friends, people may be more inclined to listen to your music and see if they like it. Is it therefore such a leap to realise that by exposing yourself online, you've already prepared the ground, so that complete stranger that pops up from nowhere probably already has some idea of what you're like and what you're into? It's almost certain they have one or more things in common with you or your outlook on life - that's a part of what gave them enough interest in you to stick their head above the parapet in the first place! As a result, the artists I've seen do best at creating fans are those that realise the process of "make friend -> make fan" works backwards as well, and know how to react to a stranger that seems to suddenly appear with an interest. The better (and faster) you are at identifying when someone has, or is in danger of crossing the line and becoming a fan, the more likely you can make a true fan out of them.
Fans and fan funding
Fan funding sites are failing because they are trying to come into the process too late. It can take a long time just to convert one person into a fan. By the time you've gathered enough fans who trust you enough to pay you for something before it has been created, the chances are you'll also have developed the infrastructure and/or the contacts to be able to do it yourself. Why would you ever pay a middleman in this case? Not only do your fans have to trust you, they then have to trust the middleman too, and if the middleman lets you down some of your fans will therefore lose trust in YOU.
Rather than centering on the artist, fan funding sites need to recognise the laws of supply and demand and realise it's actually fans that are in short supply and it is therefore the fan needs that need to be fulfilled, as the artist needs will then be fulfilled automatically. (Stop Press: Artists only have ONE major need, and that's more fans!) Without this, they will only ever be a temporary fad while artists are still busy working out the fact they could do the same thing themselves.
The fan funding site that wins will be the one which gets into the process much earlier and realises that the conversion from consumer to fan is what they actually need to help with as it's where the potential really lies. On the one hand, artists are out there looking for fans. On the other hand, the current situation encourages consumers to remain consumers, rather than converting into those true fans that every artist craves. There is so much choice of music available, but so little chance of ever seeing the artists that make that music perform that there's no incentive to become a fan (see my section above on what fans want). Anyone with half a brain knows there can be a world of difference between a recording and how good an artist actually is. So it's no wonder that there are no superstars any more - that process of becoming a fan I mentioned earlier has been stifled by the sheer amount of choice screaming for attention and the traditional industry's inability to actually link artists with fans under these conditions. Of the three artists I particularly consider myself a fan of, I've only ever seen one perform live in person - the best I've had on the other two is video/Internet performance. And there's still no sign of either of these two ever performing a show in the same country as me, let alone anywhere actually local, despite each having already released at least 4 full albums, and one of the two even being a repeated and well-known award winner and chart topper in their own country.
We're forever being told that the price of technology is coming down and it's much cheaper to do things these days. People all over are saying that streaming media is the future. Yet how many music venues do you know that record concerts? Or even better, stream it? According to the future of music, fans have more access to artists than ever before. The reality is so far the exact opposite of this - despite all the touted advances in technology and all the free services around, the artists you are most interested in are often turning out to be the ones you have least access to. And there's no sign of this situation improving.
In addition, consumers want to try before they buy in the comfort of their own home. Gone are the days of going out on a dark and rainy night only to find out that it was hardly worth it, because the "new band" you went to see were basically just no good live. Without creating the appropriate level of accessibility to meet this need, you won't create fans in future. Accessibility is the one thing than fan-funding sites and more importantly the music industry in general should be looking at creating, and both are failing heavily in this regard. No Accessibility = no reason to engage = no reason to buy and music becomes a throwaway 5 minute track based flash in the pan as a result.
If I'm not getting what I want as a fan, why shouldn't I just be a consumer? This fan disillusion is the true challenge that the music industry needs to face and overcome, now that the music you can listen to is worldwide and no longer limited to artists in your own local area and whoever the music industry in your country is currently pushing.
The cost of true fans
Assuming I've properly managed to get over the idea that fans are actually your friends, it's time to understand what the cost of the 1000 true fans route is, and therefore why it will likely only ever work to an extent, rather than its full potential.
1. Time is not on your side
Can you spare 5 minutes of your time every week for your best friend? In reality, I'm willing to bet you spend somewhat more than 5 minutes a week on average with your best friend. But if we go with the theory that a true fan is your best friend, and attempt to spend just 5 minutes in a week with each, then if you have 1000 true fans, you'd need to spend nearly 12 hours every day, including weekends, to cover the lot. Assuming you sleep for 8 hours, that means you would have just 4 hours to do everything else including actually create music. Clearly not practical. Collecting and retaining a large number of true fans is therefore very difficult through time pressures alone.
2. One true love
Out of all the artists that an individual gets exposed to in their lifetime, you'll likely be able to count the number of artists they are a "true fan" of on just one hand. And possibly just one finger. Whilst they may consider themselves a fan of a much larger number, they'll only ever go that real extra mile for those currently at the top of their own personal pile. Given the millions of artists in the world, chances are it's not your day. The true fan relationship is much like searching for your soulmate - that one true love. Even though the fan is extremely compatible with your music, given enough time, the law of averages states that someone with even more compatible music is going to come along and oust you. How long can you retain your one true musical love status, so you can actually increase your number of true fans rather than merely replacing some of them?
3. Are you superman (or woman)?
It takes a special kind of person to truly cultivate true fans. I've been lucky enough to meet with some during my time on Sellaband, and I suspect a number of others based on their correspondences with myself or others, including one that I personally think can't sing for toffee. But one man's trash is another man's treasure in that regard, and they definitely exhibit all the other signs that would encourage someone who is into their music to consider becoming a true fan.
None of these people ever stop. I still remember sharing a taxi back to the airport in Amsterdam with Lily Vasquez at 4am - two hours before I actually needed to be there. She had pretty much been everywhere and spoken to everyone over the course of the weekend, and whilst I'd attempted to grab a few hours sleep before the taxi she hadn't even been to bed. I'm sat there feeling like the bleary eyed owl that's been woken in the middle of the afternoon, staring out of one half-closed eye wishing everyone would just buzz off and leave it to sleep and Lily was still fired up and on the go. To be able to put that amount of time and dedication into people and still be going takes a special kind of person, and it's exactly that kind of person that is best suited to creating large numbers of true fans. Are you that superman (or woman) or are you the bleary-eyed owl like me?
Whilst the 1000 true fans route sounds idyllic, the reality is that it's pretty much impossible to keep up the level of interaction that's required to keep that going for any period of time. But clearly, you can work with a smaller number and still keep them happy enough to want to retain their "true fan" status.
Fans need to learn too
It's only really since I pushed myself out of the consumer pile and took a real interest in Sellaband, that it's become apparent that for the music industry to move forward, fans need to understand a few things too.
1. "Sold Out" is a reality that isn't going anywhere
Some of the cries most often heard from fans is that an artist has "sold out" and/or doesn't have time for their fans any more. However fans need to realise the reasons why artists don't have a lot of time for them, and the fact this problem isn't going to go away. Just because an artist is doing it all themselves and doesn't have a manager, record label etc. in the way doesn't mean there's going to be any more opportunity to interact with them. We're back to that fact that it takes 12 hours every day in order to spend just 5 minutes of time a week with every true fan.
The average person has absolutely NO idea of the realities that artists have to cope with and the amount of time it takes, and even after 4 years I'd still consider that I've barely started to learn. By educating fans and giving them this understanding, more of them will start to cut you some slack and you'll also find yourself with better fan retention. If people don't understand something, they speculate and ultimately that lack of understanding is what often leads to those cries of "sold out". Engage them, involve them, but overall educate them if you want to beat this.
2. Be more open to interacting with artists
It's a huge temptation to only interact with artists you're really interested in, but by getting to know some of the others who openly exhibit the signs that encourage true fans you could be doing everyone a favour.
At the end of the day, there are a number of artists I've encountered and talked to on Sellaband that I feel truly guilty about the fact that I don't like their music more (or even don't like it at all). From the perspective of creating true fans, they're going about it the right way but for me the "musical spark" just isn't there for me to want to create the relationship. But the fact that I've interacted with these people, or even just paid attention to the way they interact with others gives me the opportunity to tell someone who asks me whether I like a particular artist the fact that even though I don't like their music, they come across as someone worthy of the effort. True fans are looking for interaction, so if I as a music lover can help direct another towards their "musical soulmate" without them having to sift so much of the junk by trial and error, surely that has to be a win for everybody?
3. It works both ways
The good news for potential fans out there is that it works both ways. In my experience, the artists most deserving of true fans are also the ones who appreciate them the most. They will be as excited to meet you as you are to meet them if not more so, assuming they ever get the opportunity. But by the same token that means EVERYTHING works both ways. If you truly want the kind of level of interaction which can only be offered to a "true fan", then you have got to step up to the plate and fulfil your side of the bargain. In the new music industry the artist - true fan relationship is a self-sustaining one, but you're going to have to be a true fan, and not merely a fan. That artist you love is going to need to trust you as much as you do them (if not more so, seeing as they probably know less about you than you do them) if you're going to move forward together, and that means that all the qualities you're looking for in them, they need to be able to find in you too. When they ask for your support in something, you need to be there to give it,assuming it's possible for you to do so. Are you up to that kind of challenge?
So. Artists. Fans. What are you waiting for? Get out there and make some true friends.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
End of an Era (part 2)
Before I take a look at this month's post, let's just take a quick follow up on last month.
As I start writing this, the Sellaband site should be down for maintenance. With only about 24 hrs to go, a series of news articles appeared about the changes during this maintenance, highlighting a very highly disturbing set of changes for both artists and believers. It's also interesting to note that none of the changes seem to have been communicated direct to artists or believers prior to them coming into force (no e-mail has landed in my direction at least) i.e if you hadn't visited the site and read the articles, then you're likely to be getting a shock next time you visit. Here's a quick summary of the main changes.
- The 2-week refund clause in the T&C is being removed completely. That's right.. no refunds from the Sellaband system EVER. The only money you will be able to get out of the site is the money Sellaband credits to you as part of revenue share (and then only if you haven't tried to buy a part with it).
-instead of using USD, the system is switching to Euros. That means every budget and every balance will be going through a one-time currency conversion, and the new part price will be 10 Euros for all new projects (existing projects are likely to have a figure around 7.8 Euros depending on exact exchange rate at the time). Given the current exchange rate, this means albums have effectively received another price hike to go on top of the one introduced with the previously increased fees. Whilst it does appears fees for deposits may be reduced again under the new system, this increase of more than 25% on part price will likely more than make up for that reduction.
-projects have 12 months to get their funding or be deleted, Whilst this should be one very good way for clearing out the inactives, when combined with the no-refund policy, the increased chance of locking money into the system is likely to scare people off completely. I can't see any self-respecting artist wanting to risk the money of their hard-earned fans (and hence their own reputation and likelihood to retain those fans) in this way, so I'm expecting most if not all of the new artists signing up to be there for the promotion rather than seriously trying to raise a budget (no real change there then, except that it might become even more pronounced). I can also forsee a number of artists with fans trapped in the system reducing their budgets over the next few weeks in an attempt to get out intact before the 12 month deadline strikes as a result.
-if you are a believer who hasn't logged into the site in a while and you have money in there, there is a good chance Sellaband will move your money into an artist of their own choosing. Yes, that's correct - so much for "Your music, your choice" (one of the original slogans of Sellaband). You'll still be entitled to the incentives etc. of the artist your money is moved into should you later turn up, but don't be surprised to see you bought a hip-hop CD even if you were only into classical piano, or some other unlikely/unexpected combinations happening if you don't keep dropping by the place regularly.
-Sellaband themselves will put 5% of the 15% money they receive (i.e. one third of what they receive) from completed projects into new projects. IMO, yet another blow for the "your music, your choice" ideal of the original Sellaband which was designed to let the music lovers choose which projects they wanted to hear, rather than have the choices forced upon them by record companies. To find that 5% of the money you pay for projects you like is going into projects you may not like is something that is not likely to go down well with people who came to the site to support a particular artist - I'm sure they'd much rather that money went to "their" artist than someone else. Rather than new music industry, this feels more like a return to the old, where successful albums were used to finance the less successful ones.
Here's hoping they get all the inconsistencies in the T&C ironed out as well, so that it stops looking like it was written by a 5 year old! (or younger, if that's the way you feel about the current set), but I think for me at least, these changes are probably the final nail in the Sellaband story due to being too disrespectful towards those who have been (and are) willing to put more into music than just buying a finished product from a shop. For sure, no new money will be going in from my end under the incoming set of Terms and Conditions, and unless someone whose music I like comes within completion distance on funding within the next couple of months, you can pretty much guarantee the little money I have remaining on my revenue balance (currently just over an "old" part) will be coming out before Christmas. (I did try to remove it the day before the site maintenance in fact, but surprise surprise, withdrawals were "temporarily unavailable" for the whole day and there was no response to my support request either)
Slim Void albums finally arrive for believers, however the corresponding incentives are seemingly missing. I know this, because with 5 parts I should have been receiving some discount vouchers and there were certainly none in the envelope. Apart from this issue, outstanding CDs are (so far at least) slowly coming through, but there's still a distinct feeling that backlog needs to be caught up with before anyone would start looking seriously at the site, even if we ignore the other gripes around. To give you some idea of the scale of the backlog of projects, of the 36 artists I bought parts in who completed funding, I'm still waiting on 11 for the results (this includes the one I mentioned last month that I was chasing), some of which are already over 12 months since completing funding ,and I certainly don't have parts in everyone who completed funding prior to the bankruptcy.
And so onto the topic for this blog post.
During my time on Sellaband,I've bought parts in a large number of different artists, some of whom raised a budget, some of whom left the site, and some of whom I landed up removing parts from due to the restrictive terms and conditions on the site. As promised in my last installment, this post is going to be about my own personal "pick of the bunch" that I'm keeping a particular eye on. Irrespective of whether Sellaband survives, at the end of the day I'm still a music lover and that means there are artists I will follow for one reason or another that little bit more actively than leaving it to chance encounter at some future date to remind me they exist.
1. Brad Cox/Skitzo Calypso
Although I've been struggling a bit with the Skitzo Calypso back catalog in particular, as quite a bit of it is that bit too far off the mainstream compared to what I listen to, I still consider Brad as a very interesting songwriter. Somewhat obscure lyrically, it makes for a refreshing (and more interesting) change from the large number of artists who seem to have a very limited vocabulary where songwriting is concerned. He's certainly capable of writing stuff I like a lot (as his solo projects Niki Thunders and We Love The Underground have proved) and will remain as one of the top three I'll be lurking around after on a very regular basis as a result.
2. Matthew Ebel
As regular readers of this blog know, I'm actually one of Matthew's 5 Entourage members, having snapped up the last spot a few days into 2010. This has proved to be a great call on my part - as I suspected and stated in a previous blog post, I can't find a song of his that I don't like. Of all the artists I've ever encountered, this makes him only the third for which this statement currently holds true (and he has a fairly decent sized back catalog to have a go at). In songwriting terms, he's clearly at his strongest when he has an emotional connection with his subject matter, whether that be the result of personal experience or his storytelling imagination, and that seems to reflect through on the most popular songs with his fans too.
If you're wondering about the incentives that come as part of my subscription level - well I've got no complaints - the goody bag (including framed/signed CD) arrived OK this past month. In addition, he's already written my custom song and it's actually the last song that's been released as part of his "2 songs a month" subscription. You see, he's now taking on the likes of Sellaband, Slicethepie, Pledge music et al. at their own game. That's right - he's fan funding his next album without using a fan funding site, so the only middleman involved is Paypal (and then only for the fees to transfer the money from you to him).
The project itself basically replaces his 2 free songs a month - instead you get access to the project "as it happens" - written drafts, sketches, rough songs, behind the scenes etc. as well as the finished article, which so far is seemingly going to consist of a book, CD and graphic novel. Add to this the fact he's only started off on this in August and the whole lot is due to be done in 12 months, and I find myself staring at the potential for a very interesting lesson in fan funding. I hope he pulls it off (I have faith that he will at least come close to that 12 month deadline), because it will throw down the gauntlet to ANY fan funding site to explain why they are needed (i.e. you've probably only got until July/August next year to show why you're not an obsolete idea and therefore why artists should use you, rather than pulling in the funding direct themselves). After all, what makes for the more interesting story? - the fact that the monetary and publicity power of a "household name" such as Public Enemy, combined with a company such as Sellaband can't pull off BOTH the funding AND delivery of an album project (with incentives) within 12 months, or a guy who (basically) nobody has ever heard of can on his own. You can be sure I'll keep you up to date on whether or not Matthew Ebel looks like making the grade on this one, unless you want to sign up over here and find out first-hand.
3. Bulletproof Messenger
The first artist on Sellaband that grabbed my attention enough to "want to buy a part now", they actually appeared during one of the competitions on the site and so far look to be the only artist I see definitely heading towards some kind of success. All of their recent gigs have seen them as support to an artist I've actually heard of and who gets regular airplay on one of the UK music TV channels. In many cases the name in question is one I more usually hear as a support name for someone else - but to get to support the support of the well known is clearly getting pretty close towards the top of the pile. I may not be seen to be around these guys - rather consider that I'm lurking heavily in the shadows, ready to reappear (probably when least expected).
4. Phil Tweed
I'm actually still playing chess against my long time favourite from Sellaband. Unlike Brian Taylor, Phil has actually managed to beat me on a few occasions now - I think we're currently running at a rate of him winning one for every three or four I do. Whilst a very slow musical creator in general (think of it as creating a masterpiece rather than a song), I actually prefer his original music to his covers - and believe me I've heard quite a few jazz standard covers in my time. I'm pretty sure I'll be lurking back around in his direction with some money next time he manages to get an album together.
5. Francis Rodino
When I removed my money from Sellaband after the bankruptcy, Francis was one of the artists who got some of it. Whilst believers are left waiting around on Sellaband for CDs of artists who completed their funding back in 2008, Francis has so far managed to raise the funding and release the digital copy for his EP this year via Pledge music. With the album release party scheduled for October and the physical copies currently being duplicated and packaged, it seems likely that Sellaband believers will still be waiting for 2008 albums from some artists when Francis' Pledge supporters have already received their 2010 ones. Pledge shows only just over 100 supporters compared to the more than 650 that are listed for his Sellaband album, so it would be interesting to know whether the price, site or length (i.e. EP vs album) put people off. Or indeed whether the length of time after funding completed for his Sellaband album to be released was the deciding factor (more than 12 months at a time when the contracts were supposedly significantly less).
As my own "pick of the bunch" of the UK artists I've encountered on Sellaband based on his ability to entertain a crowd, it's good to see this release out in a timely fashion whilst at the same time making me wonder what the real story of his Sellaband album taking so long in comparison was. One interesting thing for you though - it may be a little early to make a proper comparison, given the Pledge 192kb mp3 vs Sellaband 320kb mp3 and the fact I don't have the CD yet, but for all you music purists out there, the production on the Pledge EP certainly feels lower that the Sellaband album from what I've had available to me so far. Will be interested to hear what the genuine article (i.e. the disc itself) sounds like.
6. Best of the rest
In addition to the above, there are a few artists I am likely to drop in on occasionally. These are generally ones I've seen perform live and/or who have managed to do something in particular to impress me to the extent that while I may not be the biggest fan of their music, they are certainly someone I'd recommend to others based on my own experiences, and who knows, I may well be caught around their site buying music at a later date if I find something I like.
Aly Cook
At the end of the day, being female, I tend to fit the stereotype that my major likes are more likely to be male. There are a few ladies who have particularly managed to impress though. As the only female in the list that I can claim as one I haven't seen perform live in person, rather it's Aly's approach to music as a business and towards new model music methods of promotion etc. that earns her most of this recommendation. After Matthew Ebel, this is probably the artist I'd be most comfortable to trust with money for direct funding rather than using a middleman of those I've encountered on Sellaband. And as I haven't met her, or even had much direct contact with her (whereas I have with a number of other artists mentioned in this post), I think you'd have to agree that has to be quite some statement.
Daniel Ward-Murphy
Probably my biggest regret here is the fact I don't like his music more. I think the nearest I came to kicking myself that I hadn't bought more parts in his Sellaband album was when he put up the video for "The Queen of Something New" as it managed to grab me in a way that none of his previous stuff had quite managed. (Un)fortunately (depending on your point of view) the rest of the album didn't have quite the same impact when it appeared. A solid performer, the opportunity I had to see him soundcheck is probably the thing that opened me most up to him musically. But I suppose the real thing here is that if I had to choose an underdog I'd like to see kick the traditional music industry in the nuts and achieve success, then I think I'd be making my choice here, purely on the basis that Dan is one of the good guys who prefers to stay out of controversy and just do his thing. Given the adage about where nice guys are supposed to finish, this is one person I think deserves to prove that adage wrong.
Lily
If ever there were an example candidate for the 1000 true fans model, Lily would be it. Whilst I'd say she's currently missing some of the business side to get it to work, in person she has exactly the right personality and approach towards fans that is required. Trust me, if you fall in love with Lily's music, you'll fall in love with her as well. I'm looking at the whole issue of fan funding and 1000 true fans in my next blog post, so hopefully after that you'll get a better understanding of what I'm on about here.
Trail
Hands up who remembers Trail? The ones that got away from Sellaband back in the 50K budget days (after raising something like half that amount) and went to Slicethepie to raise a budget instead. I didn't help fund them over there because I don't like the way the site works, but I still keep a passing eye on them because they have several great tunes. Interestingly when Daniel Ward-Murphy was asking for people to vote for him in the Pepsi Max-IT Legends competition recently, Trail's video for City was one of the videos he was up against. Wonder how many of you noticed that? (They finished 9th to DWM's 3rd in the 3rd round if you were interested)
Nemesea
The first artist to raise 50K on Sellaband and the first artist I went "guardian angel" on (ah... but you don't know that story), I feel they've got a lot of untapped potential they haven't quite managed to release. Hopefully their third studio album will be out soon, but there's very little information about it on their website to date.
So that's my list for you. Like I said earlier, I'll be looking at the idea of 1000 true fans and its relationship to fan funding in the next post. There are plenty of lessons to be learnt from Sellaband (add to that quite a few BY Sellaband) in this area, not least of which is the differences and motivations between the different types of people making up potential sales. So far, I haven't seen a single funding site that understands this and even artists themselves seem to be struggling when it comes to truly understanding why something they do works (or not). So discover 1000 true fans from the fan point of view next time which is going to lead us nicely onto where I'm looking at heading with this blog now that I no longer have the "Sellaband" in the title.
As I start writing this, the Sellaband site should be down for maintenance. With only about 24 hrs to go, a series of news articles appeared about the changes during this maintenance, highlighting a very highly disturbing set of changes for both artists and believers. It's also interesting to note that none of the changes seem to have been communicated direct to artists or believers prior to them coming into force (no e-mail has landed in my direction at least) i.e if you hadn't visited the site and read the articles, then you're likely to be getting a shock next time you visit. Here's a quick summary of the main changes.
- The 2-week refund clause in the T&C is being removed completely. That's right.. no refunds from the Sellaband system EVER. The only money you will be able to get out of the site is the money Sellaband credits to you as part of revenue share (and then only if you haven't tried to buy a part with it).
-instead of using USD, the system is switching to Euros. That means every budget and every balance will be going through a one-time currency conversion, and the new part price will be 10 Euros for all new projects (existing projects are likely to have a figure around 7.8 Euros depending on exact exchange rate at the time). Given the current exchange rate, this means albums have effectively received another price hike to go on top of the one introduced with the previously increased fees. Whilst it does appears fees for deposits may be reduced again under the new system, this increase of more than 25% on part price will likely more than make up for that reduction.
-projects have 12 months to get their funding or be deleted, Whilst this should be one very good way for clearing out the inactives, when combined with the no-refund policy, the increased chance of locking money into the system is likely to scare people off completely. I can't see any self-respecting artist wanting to risk the money of their hard-earned fans (and hence their own reputation and likelihood to retain those fans) in this way, so I'm expecting most if not all of the new artists signing up to be there for the promotion rather than seriously trying to raise a budget (no real change there then, except that it might become even more pronounced). I can also forsee a number of artists with fans trapped in the system reducing their budgets over the next few weeks in an attempt to get out intact before the 12 month deadline strikes as a result.
-if you are a believer who hasn't logged into the site in a while and you have money in there, there is a good chance Sellaband will move your money into an artist of their own choosing. Yes, that's correct - so much for "Your music, your choice" (one of the original slogans of Sellaband). You'll still be entitled to the incentives etc. of the artist your money is moved into should you later turn up, but don't be surprised to see you bought a hip-hop CD even if you were only into classical piano, or some other unlikely/unexpected combinations happening if you don't keep dropping by the place regularly.
-Sellaband themselves will put 5% of the 15% money they receive (i.e. one third of what they receive) from completed projects into new projects. IMO, yet another blow for the "your music, your choice" ideal of the original Sellaband which was designed to let the music lovers choose which projects they wanted to hear, rather than have the choices forced upon them by record companies. To find that 5% of the money you pay for projects you like is going into projects you may not like is something that is not likely to go down well with people who came to the site to support a particular artist - I'm sure they'd much rather that money went to "their" artist than someone else. Rather than new music industry, this feels more like a return to the old, where successful albums were used to finance the less successful ones.
Here's hoping they get all the inconsistencies in the T&C ironed out as well, so that it stops looking like it was written by a 5 year old! (or younger, if that's the way you feel about the current set), but I think for me at least, these changes are probably the final nail in the Sellaband story due to being too disrespectful towards those who have been (and are) willing to put more into music than just buying a finished product from a shop. For sure, no new money will be going in from my end under the incoming set of Terms and Conditions, and unless someone whose music I like comes within completion distance on funding within the next couple of months, you can pretty much guarantee the little money I have remaining on my revenue balance (currently just over an "old" part) will be coming out before Christmas. (I did try to remove it the day before the site maintenance in fact, but surprise surprise, withdrawals were "temporarily unavailable" for the whole day and there was no response to my support request either)
Slim Void albums finally arrive for believers, however the corresponding incentives are seemingly missing. I know this, because with 5 parts I should have been receiving some discount vouchers and there were certainly none in the envelope. Apart from this issue, outstanding CDs are (so far at least) slowly coming through, but there's still a distinct feeling that backlog needs to be caught up with before anyone would start looking seriously at the site, even if we ignore the other gripes around. To give you some idea of the scale of the backlog of projects, of the 36 artists I bought parts in who completed funding, I'm still waiting on 11 for the results (this includes the one I mentioned last month that I was chasing), some of which are already over 12 months since completing funding ,and I certainly don't have parts in everyone who completed funding prior to the bankruptcy.
And so onto the topic for this blog post.
During my time on Sellaband,I've bought parts in a large number of different artists, some of whom raised a budget, some of whom left the site, and some of whom I landed up removing parts from due to the restrictive terms and conditions on the site. As promised in my last installment, this post is going to be about my own personal "pick of the bunch" that I'm keeping a particular eye on. Irrespective of whether Sellaband survives, at the end of the day I'm still a music lover and that means there are artists I will follow for one reason or another that little bit more actively than leaving it to chance encounter at some future date to remind me they exist.
1. Brad Cox/Skitzo Calypso
Although I've been struggling a bit with the Skitzo Calypso back catalog in particular, as quite a bit of it is that bit too far off the mainstream compared to what I listen to, I still consider Brad as a very interesting songwriter. Somewhat obscure lyrically, it makes for a refreshing (and more interesting) change from the large number of artists who seem to have a very limited vocabulary where songwriting is concerned. He's certainly capable of writing stuff I like a lot (as his solo projects Niki Thunders and We Love The Underground have proved) and will remain as one of the top three I'll be lurking around after on a very regular basis as a result.
2. Matthew Ebel
As regular readers of this blog know, I'm actually one of Matthew's 5 Entourage members, having snapped up the last spot a few days into 2010. This has proved to be a great call on my part - as I suspected and stated in a previous blog post, I can't find a song of his that I don't like. Of all the artists I've ever encountered, this makes him only the third for which this statement currently holds true (and he has a fairly decent sized back catalog to have a go at). In songwriting terms, he's clearly at his strongest when he has an emotional connection with his subject matter, whether that be the result of personal experience or his storytelling imagination, and that seems to reflect through on the most popular songs with his fans too.
If you're wondering about the incentives that come as part of my subscription level - well I've got no complaints - the goody bag (including framed/signed CD) arrived OK this past month. In addition, he's already written my custom song and it's actually the last song that's been released as part of his "2 songs a month" subscription. You see, he's now taking on the likes of Sellaband, Slicethepie, Pledge music et al. at their own game. That's right - he's fan funding his next album without using a fan funding site, so the only middleman involved is Paypal (and then only for the fees to transfer the money from you to him).
The project itself basically replaces his 2 free songs a month - instead you get access to the project "as it happens" - written drafts, sketches, rough songs, behind the scenes etc. as well as the finished article, which so far is seemingly going to consist of a book, CD and graphic novel. Add to this the fact he's only started off on this in August and the whole lot is due to be done in 12 months, and I find myself staring at the potential for a very interesting lesson in fan funding. I hope he pulls it off (I have faith that he will at least come close to that 12 month deadline), because it will throw down the gauntlet to ANY fan funding site to explain why they are needed (i.e. you've probably only got until July/August next year to show why you're not an obsolete idea and therefore why artists should use you, rather than pulling in the funding direct themselves). After all, what makes for the more interesting story? - the fact that the monetary and publicity power of a "household name" such as Public Enemy, combined with a company such as Sellaband can't pull off BOTH the funding AND delivery of an album project (with incentives) within 12 months, or a guy who (basically) nobody has ever heard of can on his own. You can be sure I'll keep you up to date on whether or not Matthew Ebel looks like making the grade on this one, unless you want to sign up over here and find out first-hand.
3. Bulletproof Messenger
The first artist on Sellaband that grabbed my attention enough to "want to buy a part now", they actually appeared during one of the competitions on the site and so far look to be the only artist I see definitely heading towards some kind of success. All of their recent gigs have seen them as support to an artist I've actually heard of and who gets regular airplay on one of the UK music TV channels. In many cases the name in question is one I more usually hear as a support name for someone else - but to get to support the support of the well known is clearly getting pretty close towards the top of the pile. I may not be seen to be around these guys - rather consider that I'm lurking heavily in the shadows, ready to reappear (probably when least expected).
4. Phil Tweed
I'm actually still playing chess against my long time favourite from Sellaband. Unlike Brian Taylor, Phil has actually managed to beat me on a few occasions now - I think we're currently running at a rate of him winning one for every three or four I do. Whilst a very slow musical creator in general (think of it as creating a masterpiece rather than a song), I actually prefer his original music to his covers - and believe me I've heard quite a few jazz standard covers in my time. I'm pretty sure I'll be lurking back around in his direction with some money next time he manages to get an album together.
5. Francis Rodino
When I removed my money from Sellaband after the bankruptcy, Francis was one of the artists who got some of it. Whilst believers are left waiting around on Sellaband for CDs of artists who completed their funding back in 2008, Francis has so far managed to raise the funding and release the digital copy for his EP this year via Pledge music. With the album release party scheduled for October and the physical copies currently being duplicated and packaged, it seems likely that Sellaband believers will still be waiting for 2008 albums from some artists when Francis' Pledge supporters have already received their 2010 ones. Pledge shows only just over 100 supporters compared to the more than 650 that are listed for his Sellaband album, so it would be interesting to know whether the price, site or length (i.e. EP vs album) put people off. Or indeed whether the length of time after funding completed for his Sellaband album to be released was the deciding factor (more than 12 months at a time when the contracts were supposedly significantly less).
As my own "pick of the bunch" of the UK artists I've encountered on Sellaband based on his ability to entertain a crowd, it's good to see this release out in a timely fashion whilst at the same time making me wonder what the real story of his Sellaband album taking so long in comparison was. One interesting thing for you though - it may be a little early to make a proper comparison, given the Pledge 192kb mp3 vs Sellaband 320kb mp3 and the fact I don't have the CD yet, but for all you music purists out there, the production on the Pledge EP certainly feels lower that the Sellaband album from what I've had available to me so far. Will be interested to hear what the genuine article (i.e. the disc itself) sounds like.
6. Best of the rest
In addition to the above, there are a few artists I am likely to drop in on occasionally. These are generally ones I've seen perform live and/or who have managed to do something in particular to impress me to the extent that while I may not be the biggest fan of their music, they are certainly someone I'd recommend to others based on my own experiences, and who knows, I may well be caught around their site buying music at a later date if I find something I like.
Aly Cook
At the end of the day, being female, I tend to fit the stereotype that my major likes are more likely to be male. There are a few ladies who have particularly managed to impress though. As the only female in the list that I can claim as one I haven't seen perform live in person, rather it's Aly's approach to music as a business and towards new model music methods of promotion etc. that earns her most of this recommendation. After Matthew Ebel, this is probably the artist I'd be most comfortable to trust with money for direct funding rather than using a middleman of those I've encountered on Sellaband. And as I haven't met her, or even had much direct contact with her (whereas I have with a number of other artists mentioned in this post), I think you'd have to agree that has to be quite some statement.
Daniel Ward-Murphy
Probably my biggest regret here is the fact I don't like his music more. I think the nearest I came to kicking myself that I hadn't bought more parts in his Sellaband album was when he put up the video for "The Queen of Something New" as it managed to grab me in a way that none of his previous stuff had quite managed. (Un)fortunately (depending on your point of view) the rest of the album didn't have quite the same impact when it appeared. A solid performer, the opportunity I had to see him soundcheck is probably the thing that opened me most up to him musically. But I suppose the real thing here is that if I had to choose an underdog I'd like to see kick the traditional music industry in the nuts and achieve success, then I think I'd be making my choice here, purely on the basis that Dan is one of the good guys who prefers to stay out of controversy and just do his thing. Given the adage about where nice guys are supposed to finish, this is one person I think deserves to prove that adage wrong.
Lily
If ever there were an example candidate for the 1000 true fans model, Lily would be it. Whilst I'd say she's currently missing some of the business side to get it to work, in person she has exactly the right personality and approach towards fans that is required. Trust me, if you fall in love with Lily's music, you'll fall in love with her as well. I'm looking at the whole issue of fan funding and 1000 true fans in my next blog post, so hopefully after that you'll get a better understanding of what I'm on about here.
Trail
Hands up who remembers Trail? The ones that got away from Sellaband back in the 50K budget days (after raising something like half that amount) and went to Slicethepie to raise a budget instead. I didn't help fund them over there because I don't like the way the site works, but I still keep a passing eye on them because they have several great tunes. Interestingly when Daniel Ward-Murphy was asking for people to vote for him in the Pepsi Max-IT Legends competition recently, Trail's video for City was one of the videos he was up against. Wonder how many of you noticed that? (They finished 9th to DWM's 3rd in the 3rd round if you were interested)
Nemesea
The first artist to raise 50K on Sellaband and the first artist I went "guardian angel" on (ah... but you don't know that story), I feel they've got a lot of untapped potential they haven't quite managed to release. Hopefully their third studio album will be out soon, but there's very little information about it on their website to date.
So that's my list for you. Like I said earlier, I'll be looking at the idea of 1000 true fans and its relationship to fan funding in the next post. There are plenty of lessons to be learnt from Sellaband (add to that quite a few BY Sellaband) in this area, not least of which is the differences and motivations between the different types of people making up potential sales. So far, I haven't seen a single funding site that understands this and even artists themselves seem to be struggling when it comes to truly understanding why something they do works (or not). So discover 1000 true fans from the fan point of view next time which is going to lead us nicely onto where I'm looking at heading with this blog now that I no longer have the "Sellaband" in the title.
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