Why I need 1,000 True Fans...

Still want to be a DIY musician....you need 1,000 true fans?

As the number of artists on Myspace grows exponentially the market share of indie musicians shrinks exponentially.This reflects directly on your ability to reach your niche market and sell your music, t's and live tickets. With over 10 million artists and countingon Myspace, I was getting to the point where I never even logged in...what was the point? One tiny fish in a massive ocean of music.

Here's a scary stat for you...according to Nielsen Soundscan, a total of 105,000, new full-length albums were released in 2008, a fourfold gain fromthe earlier 2000s. And of that pot, just 6,000 releases sold 1,000 units or more in the first year. [Source ~ Digital Music News]

So 99,000 releases sold less than 1,000 units. I guess that stat actually makes most of us feel pretty good and that we are not alone in the under 1,000 units club. But just think about that for a moment...what if those 1,000 fans became true loyal fans and bought everything you put out there.[IE CD, T's Live Shows etc...].

I got to thinking about the above statistic...

Let's just do that math for an example:
1,000 True Fans:

CD $10.00 x 1,000 = $10,000.00

T's $20.00 x 1,000 = $20,000.00

Live Shows $5.00 each x 2 shows a year [minimum] = $10.00 x 1,000 = $10,000.00
Total Gross: $40,000.00/yr

As you can see 1,000 true fans can provide you with a decent gross income without asking a whole lot from them.

Buy one CD and T- shirt a year plus attend two live shows at $5.00 each....and this is only your core true fans. There would also be income generated from "fringe" fans...those on the outer circle who will buy a CD but not a shirt or maybe attend a live show to "check you out"...those fringe fans could eventually become part of your core true fans... each worth to you approx. $40.00 annually.

Instead of trying to rule the world am concentrating on local awareness of my music which seems to be garnering some results. When I did this there was much more interest in what I was doing...it was more focused....and I felt like I was making progress. Instead of trying to turn the entire world onto my music, I concentrated on the little more centralized things.

Facebook and other social networking sites are a great way of finding a core group of true fans. On Facebook you can create lists of people you know...go ahead and create a 1,000 True Fans list and ask people if they wanna be on it. Focus your attention and your posts etc...on them. They will be your core true fans who will buy your music, t's and attend your live shows.

Something to think about the next time you log into Myspace and start swimming in that great big sea!