Building and maintaining a loyal fan base is essential for successful bands and solo artists. It’s argued that a musician can make a steady living with a base of just 1,000 die-hard fans, but how do you turn casual listeners into super fans who support your career and purchase your tracks?
You should, of course, play live as often as possible, release your music online, and maintain an engaging online presence, but there are several other ways to keep your following loyal and enthusiastic about your music.
Today, we start a 10 part series of things you can do to earn a living doing what you love.
Tip # 1: Interact with your fans
On the train to a gig? Downtime in the studio? Riding in the back of a car? Do not waste this time! Go through your social media mentions and reply to as many fans as directly as you can. They'll appreciate it and feel more of an affiliation with you, which will increase the chance of them becoming a dedicated fan.