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June 26, 2012
Being an artist or band in today's new music industry is not an easy task. The difficulty is not in the form of what you have to do, but how much you have to do it and timing is crucial to the success or failure of a band's endeavors. Rallying the troops to get behind your brand and keeping them loyal to you is easier said than done. It requires effort on both parts, the band and the artist, in order to work properly. These days, music acts need to stay engaged with the fans, and in order for a fan to see their favorite artists thrive with recognition they must also properly support those artists.
From a fan's perspective, most believe that all they need to do is just listen, share, purchase, and attend shows. Well yeah, in a sense that's all that really has to be done but as a fan ask yourself this question: How many times have you seen a great music act come around, yet they don't survive because of little support or backing from the fans and more? As a music lover, you might say to yourself "Well if they don't make it, that's not my concern." and you're right. You don't have to be concerned, but whenever you think that way, think about YOUR endeavors and when you want people to stand behind what you do and support you.
Even the smallest support for anything helps. You're up for a new job and need references plus the support of your family and friends. What would happen if no one stood behind you and said "Yeah, I'll be your reference" or "Hey good luck getting that new job, we're all behind you!" This is still support, it all helps to bring a positive vibe and attitude that goes a long way in you getting that job. You're doing your part, everyone that supports you does theirs. What other endeavors have you gotten into and needed support no matter how big or small? Buying a new house? Moving into that house? Fundraising for school/church/etc.? Your kid is in the new school play? Getting votes for a contest? See where I'm getting at now?
Support goes a very long way with anyone. Support is like pillars or a foundation to a building. Without it, any plans stand a chance of failing or falling through. These days with music, it goes both ways. This post is about the fan side of that support. What you do for others is always good karma for yourself. Here are some suggestions for being a supportive fan that will cost you nothing more than some time and effort:
If you have any other ideas of how you support your favorite indie band or artist, please share so that other fans can follow in your footsteps and their bands can reap the benefit! This kind of support keeps the morale up of the bands you love and motivates them to create more great music, and do more for their fans.
From a fan's perspective, most believe that all they need to do is just listen, share, purchase, and attend shows. Well yeah, in a sense that's all that really has to be done but as a fan ask yourself this question: How many times have you seen a great music act come around, yet they don't survive because of little support or backing from the fans and more? As a music lover, you might say to yourself "Well if they don't make it, that's not my concern." and you're right. You don't have to be concerned, but whenever you think that way, think about YOUR endeavors and when you want people to stand behind what you do and support you.
Even the smallest support for anything helps. You're up for a new job and need references plus the support of your family and friends. What would happen if no one stood behind you and said "Yeah, I'll be your reference" or "Hey good luck getting that new job, we're all behind you!" This is still support, it all helps to bring a positive vibe and attitude that goes a long way in you getting that job. You're doing your part, everyone that supports you does theirs. What other endeavors have you gotten into and needed support no matter how big or small? Buying a new house? Moving into that house? Fundraising for school/church/etc.? Your kid is in the new school play? Getting votes for a contest? See where I'm getting at now?
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| Agree or not, this photo shows how supporting an indie band help them make more money to bring you more great music! Read the article here: http://bit.ly/LN0Ers |
Support goes a very long way with anyone. Support is like pillars or a foundation to a building. Without it, any plans stand a chance of failing or falling through. These days with music, it goes both ways. This post is about the fan side of that support. What you do for others is always good karma for yourself. Here are some suggestions for being a supportive fan that will cost you nothing more than some time and effort:
- Word of Mouth Support - If you find that you really love a band's music, don't be afraid to talk about them. As with the band themselves, being pushy about it will not help to turn more ears in that band's direction. If you meet someone new and are just talking about things that you like and music comes up, find out what type of music they love the most. If you see a person's music preferences match your band's style music, then you have the perfect opportunity to talk to that person about them.
- Play the songs out loud - If your favorite band has a few really great songs, don't be afraid to play their music out loud in public places. In your car turn the volume up a few notches so that it's not overbearing to the senses of others. Leave the radio on when you go into the store or play the audio through your smartphone speakers (most have gotten really good). These days people have smart phones with apps that can tag music and if your band has a song on a major retail outlet like iTunes or Amazon, those apps will find the music and allows another would be fan the opportunity to purchase that song. Apps like Shazam, Soundhound, and Soundtracking are good for this. Some people may even ask you what you're listening to by name if the song is really catchy!
- Social Networks - Every once in awhile, post a link to a song from your band that you really like. Sharing from the band's website or music network is the best way to drive other supporters to their site. If you can add a message to the post, tell others how the song makes you feel on certain occasions. Pay attention to the overall mood of your friends online. If you see that a majority of them are feeling down and your favorite band has a song that matches their mood, then post that link with something like "Whenever I'm feeling down, I always play this."
- Pick A Few - Find a few indie bands with a different vibe that you can connect with. If you support 5 bands that all sound the same, chances are your friends won't know the difference and will get confused. If you support 5 bands that all sound great but are not the same, then you have an excellent way to attach the music they create to the mood of others. Music is about a vibe and emotion. That's what connects with people. You should even mix a couple major bands in there as well.
- Hum your favorite song - If your band has a melody that is so catchy, hum that tune! Chances are someone who hears you humming or even singing some of the lyrics will ask you what you keep singing. Either have the song on hand to play it for them or just tell them who you're listening to.
- Use Merchandise - Many bands have merchandise like clothing and apparel that they either sell or give away to fans. If you can't afford the gear, reach out to the band and see if they have anything free to give or send you. Wear and show that gear proudly but not too much. You don't need people getting sick of seeing you wearing the same shirt or hat. They may connect that feeling to the band in general. That's the complete opposite of what you're trying to achieve. Mix it up. Where hats, shirts, jeans, use decals, stickers...whatever. Chances are that some of that merchandise will catch someone's eye. People are curious by nature and these days with the power of the internet, chances are someone will snap a photo of your bands logo or the merchandise in general without you knowing then do a Google image search. Pretty cool right?
- Attending a show? Share the experience - If you're attending a show for your favorite band, let people know ahead of time by sharing the event post on your social network. At the show take pictures, video, maybe some audio clips, then share those as well but don't overdo it. Too many pictures or video of one event can turn many people away from that photo album. Try taking quality pics or video. The more you do it the better you'll get at it. Get backstage passes or VIP tickets. No matter if you're having fun or not (which you should be) just do your best to enjoy your time and let other people see that. They will believe that the band knows how to put on a good performance and if you check in using Foursquare, Yelp, Facebook, etc...then you never know if someone you know may decide to buy a ticket to the show just to meet you there.
- Connect with your band's networks - Many bands are on Soundcloud, Reverbnation, etc. Create an account on some of these networks then connect that to your major social networks like facebook or twitter. Most times when you listen to the music on these networks, that will show up in your new feed/Wall/Timeline. Subscribe to their blog to keep up on their latest developments. Share but don't overbear.
- Engage With The Band - Congratulate the band on their successes that they post about online. Be patient when wanting a reply. Sometimes the band could be busy and have to post quickly but can't reply to comments. Comment on their blog if they have one...suggest things you want to see or hear the band do. Let them know why you like or love their music and what impact it's had on your life. Share pictures from your experiences at their shows on their wall, timeline, etc. Bands love that!
- Engage with other fans - Seek out the people who love the bands you love. Find out where they roam online and offline. Jump into their conversations in forums, blogs, chatrooms, and social networks. Create your own blog about your favorite bands and invite other fans to subscribe or comment on your posts. Mind you, if you create a blog, keep it up to date with fresh content as frequently as possible for you. Don't just talk about those bands, tell people about yourself as well. You don't have to divulge your whole life, just enough to get people to know who you are and what you're interests are. Blogs are free to create and if you do it right, you can even make money with it! Read my post to bands about how they can make money with their music for more details on that.
I do not recommend that, as a fan, you do everything I suggested. Most of the time you probably do some of this stuff automatically anyway. These suggestions are just to give you some extra ideas that can help raise awareness about not only the music you love, but the bands that create the music, and even yourself. This stuff rarely goes unnoticed and things like blogs give your band a one up on other acts. Plus your favorite band will probably see your efforts and recognize that as well. As a fan and supporter, you never know where this can lead!
If you have any other ideas of how you support your favorite indie band or artist, please share so that other fans can follow in your footsteps and their bands can reap the benefit! This kind of support keeps the morale up of the bands you love and motivates them to create more great music, and do more for their fans.
Grimm
The SH-Xperience
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