When I first started booking and promoting shows, especially in a town that DESPERATELY needed a music scene (Lakeland, FL), it didn’t make a difference to the fans and friends as to how many times I blasted or didn’t blast/promote about the shows etc. b/c it was all NEW and in demand!  I learned the hard way, when less and less friends and fans were opening the blogs and commenting on the event postings that it was becoming an annoyance and an over-saturation of messages and the content became less and less significant. I started to realize that the stress of posting and reposting the same info over and over was indeed completely unnecessary and they probably heard me the first time and if they didn’t, they could and would go to FIND the info themselves b/c they are true fans etc. etc. and didn’t need me slapping them in the face w/ it and begging them to come out!

Too many believe ALL publicity is good publicity.  That saturation is the key to success.  How many of you have had a band or company that you admired and followed but the minute they started cluttering your inbox, even if they were getting better and having cool things happen to them, you lost “that feeling” and desire to “want to know”.  I know this has happened to me on SEVERAL occasions and with several different types of artists and media and a lot of it is due to the feeling of “just being a part of a email list” and no longer feeling the excitement of possible personal interaction w/ your artist or special interest that you once looked up to.  This is the case and reason for several failing businesses in general.  It is a universal feeling to “want to feel involved” and to have the “desire to make a difference” and it’s very hard for ANYONE to just sit back and keep supporting when you feel like your personal support effort is doing NOTHING to make the other party any more or any less successful and/or make them give any more or any less of a SHIT!  More on the pros and cons of general marketing and business promotion later…

Back to the music and concert bizz… Ever hear of hard core fans abandoning an act when it becomes popular?  Same thing.  It’s cool to see your old fave in the press once or twice.  If they appear every single day, online, on the cover of multiple publications, you’re turned off and abandon them.

Just like big time arena artists (that FINALLY made it to that status), people come once, and then, if the act can even make it to tour again, they play the theatres and bigger venues and those don’t even sell out.

“It’s no longer about casual users, it’s about fans” says Bob Lefsetz.

It’s too hard to reach everybody today.  And you piss off those who truly care.

“I got the message.  Don’t beat me over the head with it.  Don’t send me another e-mail with the same damn content.  Fans pay attention.  They caught it the first time”.

Bob Lefsetz: So, start with getting fans.

The top forty acts usually don’t have any.  At best, listeners are fans of the song.  And they’re searching for another great song, not to hear another song by you!

For the artists and bands in the industry today:  Feed your audience great material, that they can pull when they want to.  Don’t make them sign up for your e-mail list to get some reward, they’re just going to be pissed off at you when you keep dunning them in the future.  Let people sign up at their option.  Otherwise, they’ll use fake names and you’ll end up with a shit list anyway.

You’re now in a relationship with your listener.  Before you abuse him, think of how you’d treat a spouse, or a friend.  That’s how you have to treat a fan today.

~SARAH