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Getting your first fans can be incredibly challenging, whether you’re aiming for your first 10 or your first 10,000. The key lies in the techniques and mindset you adopt. Many musicians struggle with understanding how to connect with their community effectively. This guide will show you how to interact with your community and get your first fans.
Hi, I’m Jesse Cannon, a music marketing expert teaching musicians how to grow their fanbase from 0 to 10,000 fans, and this is Museformation. This is part 2 in a series where I discuss the most important work you can do to build a fanbase—finding and building your community. If you haven’t seen part 1, where I introduce the spreadsheet of all your targets and explain how to find these communities, I recommend watching that video first.
The Mindset for Community Building
The Pitfall of Facebook Ads
Many musicians fall for the myth that Facebook ads are the only hope for building a fanbase. These ads target music fans who take recommendations from ads on a platform dominated by an older demographic. In contrast, engaging with your community helps you connect with tastemakers and movers and shakers who can open doors for you.
Building Genuine Connections
When interacting with your community, aim to make lifelong friends who share your interests. If the vibe is off with someone, don’t force it. Genuine connections are built on shared interests and mutual respect. Be yourself and ask questions you’re genuinely interested in. Building a relationship is an ongoing process, and patience is crucial.
Approaching Industry Professionals
Direct Messaging Etiquette
For musicians, sliding into DMs is acceptable when approaching peers. However, for industry professionals, it’s more appropriate to reach out via email or LinkedIn. This approach is more professional and respectful of their time and boundaries.
Reaching Out to Musicians
When reaching out to other musicians, start with a genuine compliment. It shows vulnerability and helps build a connection. After establishing a rapport, you can propose collaborations, such as writing songs together, featuring on each other’s tracks, or trading shows in different cities. Ask about their music, mix, gear, or even share useful resources like helpful YouTube channels.
Supporting Fellow Musicians
Consistent Promotion
After connecting with other musicians, support them by including their music in your DJ sets, Spotify playlists, and social media tags. When they release new music, share it on your platforms. This reciprocity helps build a supportive network that can amplify your reach.
Using a Spreadsheet for Community Management
Maintain a spreadsheet of your contacts and consistently check in with them. When you have new releases, inform your network and ask for their support. This helps keep your music top-of-mind for opportunities like opening shows, collaborations, and features.
Engaging with Online Communities
Finding the Right Communities
Join relevant Facebook groups, Discord servers, and Reddit communities by searching for your targets and microgenre names. Observe how members interact before jumping in. Understand the community’s vibe and norms to avoid coming off as intrusive or self-promotional.
Effective Self-Promotion
Once you understand the community, engage in conversations and subtly promote your music. For example, share your music in contextually relevant discussions or threads dedicated to new music. Collaborate with friends in these communities to create threads that can highlight each other’s work.
Gathering Leads and Opportunities
Use these communities to collect leads for your spreadsheet. Look out for opportunities like live streams where your music can be reviewed, playlists to follow, or podcasts where you can be a guest. These engagements can lead to significant exposure and networking opportunities.
Utilizing Twitter and Other Social Platforms
Engaging on Twitter
Follow your targets and their fans on Twitter. Support your community by retweeting their content and interacting with their posts. This can build commonality and relationships, showing that you’re an active and supportive community member.
Commenting and DMing
Comment on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok posts of your targets and similar artists. Be supportive, funny, or add interesting insights. This can attract obsessive fans who are likely to check out your music. Slide into DMs after a few interactions to strike up a conversation and build a more personal connection.
Real-World Community Engagement
Attending and Supporting Shows
Attend shows of your target artists and support them by bringing friends and promoting their events. Offer help if they need a place to stay or assistance with gear. This builds goodwill and strengthens your network.
Promoting Your Shows
Bring flyers to concerts and hand them out to the audience to promote your upcoming shows. Engaging in real-world activities complements your online efforts and strengthens your community ties.
The Power of Collaboration
Features and Split Releases
Collaborate with other artists through features, remixes, and split releases. This allows you to tap into their fanbase and build a lasting algorithmic connection. Cross-promotion helps convert their fans into your listeners, expanding your reach.
Continuous Engagement
Maintain consistent interactions with your collaborators and community. Regular engagement ensures that you stay relevant and benefit from the network effect as your connections grow.
Conclusion
Building a fanbase requires understanding how to engage with your community effectively. By making genuine connections, supporting fellow musicians, and utilizing both online and real-world strategies, you can escape algorithmic jail and grow your music career. Stay consistent, be yourself, and continuously build and nurture your network.
For more detailed strategies on promoting your music and growing your fanbase, check out the first video in this series and my playlist on how to go from 0 to 10,000 fans.
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