Pretend you started a business. You saw some early promise and an investor or two ponied up some cash because they believed in your product. You were poised for success, ready to take over the world. The product was built and ready for launch, but it didn’t go as planned. The users didn’t flock to your product. The investors urged you to get your ass in gear and make something happen. Instead of getting out there and convincing every possible customer that they need your product, you kept plodding along and expected people to somehow stumble on it and tell their friends. I hope this doesn’t sound familiar to you. If your business is a band, it just might.

I have received a bunch of great feedback from my last blog post, The Road Is Fuckin’ Hard, in the form of tweets and emails.

From people I’ve never met:

From former fans:

And even from band members I used to tour with:

One email I received from Gavin Renwick of the band Andalusia in Philly got me thinking.

What do you think about current trends in technology these days though? Do you feel they may help alleviate some of the issues with trying to get out there?

I had quite a few ideas to utilize technology (live Google Hangout performances, etc.) but I sort of felt a little bit of resistance from the band wanting to stick to a more formulaic way of ‘being a band’ versus experimenting with new ways to promote and get out there.

Sorry for being so wordy ☺. Your post was awesome and got my mind working.

Gavin was referencing a former band he was in and it reminded me of some of the issues I saw with musicians back when I was playing. They work hard to get a record deal and then expect that to be the launchpad that shoots them into a successful career orbit. But, as any seasoned entrepreneur knows, getting investment is only the beginning.

More and more artists are realizing that it’s essential to embrace technology these days. With the continued rise of streaming services, there is less and less revenue coming back to bands in the form of album sales. I know the dust hasn’t quite settled on the effect of streaming services, but that’s the subject of another blog post.

Amanda Palmer hit the nail on the head in her TED Talk, The Art of Asking, earlier this year.

Artists can’t be afraid to ask their fans for help. Kickstarter serves as a great example of an awesome, innovative way that some artists are starting to ask. Their true fans are happy to pay because they want to play a roll in seeing one of their favorite artists succeed.

There’s almost always one person from every successful band that isn’t afraid to market themselves. I was that guy in my band, before Facebook, Twitter, and even Myspace! You should be too. Don’t be ashamed of it. If you want to be a serious artist and you want to be successful, you *have* to put yourself out there.

The power to reach and connect with your fans is literally in your hands.

I’m working on a mobile app that will help musicians create more true fans, effectively increasing the lifetime value (LTV) of those fans. I would love to continue to hear more of your stories. If you’re a musician, an artist, or even an entrepreneur, how are you putting yourself out there?

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