Reposted from earlier in the year:

The internet has afforded musical artists an unprecedented level of access to their audience in a way that is both informative and rewarding. It has given an artist the ability to directly connect to their core fans without any middlemen or filters. But since the internet reached a mainstream level in the mid-nineties, there has been the question of how best to serve an artist’s fans and really use this channel in the most effective way. Artist’s goals and the fan’s goals can some times conflict, but in order to really be effective an artist needs to figure out what the fan really wants.

I’ve studied this for a long time and paid close attention to about a dozen web strategies that musicians have put forward. And what the fans really want is not hard to figure out at all. They want music, they want tickets, and they want connection. Simple as that. Everything else is decoration.

They want music. A fan becomes a fan because they enjoy the music, pretty easy to figure that one out. And so consequently they are looking to your site to deliver more of what they enjoy. They’ve played what they’ve got over and over, what else can they get from you? They want to find out what is waiting for them on your site that will quench that thirst, that craving for more. So deliver a couple new things on a regular basis. A little can go a long way.

They want tickets. The public ticket-buying experience generally sucks. Especially in the age where ticket-brokers dominate everything. So your biggest fans are looking for any way to circumvent the miserable public ticket-buying experience and get the best seats they possible can. If they can get that directly from you, it makes them feel special and taken care of. And as a performer you get the most enthusiastic audience members up close where you can feed off their energy.

They want connection. It’s no secret that people thrive off of connection. Some get that from their local communities, race, gender, religion, nationality, or any way they can identify themselves as a part of something larger. But of course other people can only get that connection through a shared cultural experience like a fan community around a musician. This community empowers them, makes them feel connected. And it can also directly connect them to the musicians they enjoy. Again, making them feel special and taken care of. They are given a connection that is not given to everyone or even a majority of people.

These are not complicated concepts. Yet there are many musicians out there with sites that overwhelm the visitor with flashy nonsense that do more to confuse and disconnect than deliver a worthwhile experience. We don’t live in an age of subtleties and intrigue that can hide in the smoke and mirrors of an overly-complicated experience. This is an information age where we want things delivered simply and directly. Spit it out or move on. Sure, the audience wants things to look good and well put-together. But that can be done effectively and also get them the information they are looking for quickly and easily.

This doesn’t mean that an artist should over-expose themselves to their audience and give them information overload. I do believe that people want SOME mystery and a focus on the artist’s music instead of what they ate for breakfast this morning. But I think as long as the artist communicates directly and straightforwardly to their audience about their music and the important things in their world, a mutual respect and a valuable connection will be achieved.

Just talk to your fans once in awhile. Don’t hide behind a website. Instead use it as the tool it was meant to be. Keep the fans in the loop, give them first dibs on music and tickets, and give them the tools to connect with eachother. Then you will have your successful online fan community.

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