AriKoinuma.com

I’m a firm believer in Kevin Kelly’s theory on 1000 true fans.  But while that seems totally attainable, even 1000 can seem like an overwhelming number when you’re getting started.

Just as a marathon starts from the first step, it helps to think small, especially at the beginning, which is the hardest.  Let’s say 100.  Do you have 100 true fans?  It’s OK if you don’t.  (I don’t, myself)

How about the first 10? 20?  Just shrink your view to the point where you can confidently go “yes, I have them.”  It’ll give you a positive energy to focus on what you have, instead of what you don’t.  That’s a good starting point.

Then from there, you can set the next goal, whatever is the reasonable, attainable number above where you are.  I’m going to pick 100 for myself. I’m not going to worry about dominating the world.  I’m not going to worry about making a living.  I’m not even going to worry about making a profit.

I’m going to focus on building a group of 100 people who believe in my music.

It’s still a tricky proposition.  It’d be much easier if I said 100 people who believe in me.  I have a long history of great relationships where people like and appreciate what I do — and they recognize goodness in what I have to offer.  However, my music is a separate entity from me — or should I say, me as a recording artist — and I haven’t quite figured out how to build relationships through that role/persona.

It’s even trickier because my music is a type where people expect a band, not just a single artist, to be behind the music, and traditionally that type of band builds audience by a lot of gigging and touring, which is a method I am intentionally downplaying as of right now because of the strain it will create to my family life.  It’ll make a bit more sense if I were primarily a folk singer/songwriter or electronica artist, but alas — my love lies deeply in modern progressive rock/metal.

I want to explore a different path, one where a 30-something musician can pursue without straining his family’s relationships or finances.

I released my first album in 2007 and did a modest campaign on MySpace for a year or so, where I got burned out and took a detour to professional blogging for a while.  I do wish if I had read the notion of 1000 fans when I started, but nevertheless, the blame is squarely on my shoulder for promoting myself with unsustainable/ineffective methods and letting myself burn out.

So this time, with my gaze on more attainable goal and much better awareness of both my own muses and the reality of online promotion, I’m setting out to figure out how to win the first 100 true fans as a recording artist.

Here are a few tid bits of wisdom I gained so far:

• Real life connections are 10x stronger than online ones.  That’s why gigging and meeting people face to face is the better method, if you can sustain it.
• You have to be aware of what people want.  It may not be the same thing as what you want to give them.
• Building a fan base is about building a community.  Music is the starting point and the glue.
• Persona/branding is important, and it’s hard to get rid of one if you build it the wrong way.  Don’t muddle your picture by being too many things (note to self. )
• Derek Sivers is my hero.