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The Raleigh Rescue Mission
Hope for the poor and homeless. Each year Raleigh Rescue Mission helps more than 1,500 people who come to our door in need. We couldn't do it without the help from compassionate people.
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Guest Column: Understanding Your Audience
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Understanding Your Audience
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by Tim Sweeney
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Page added in
August, 2005
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About the Author
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Author Tim Sweeney is head of Tim Sweeney & Associates, who are entering their 18th year of being, "the only true artist development company in the world."
Tim is one of the music industry's most sought after experts and consultants, and has written several influential books including "Tim Sweeney's Guide To Releasing Independent Records".
Send comments or questions to Tim Sweeney.
© Tim Sweeney
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How well do you know the people that come to your shows? When you
stop and think about it the answer is, not very well. True, you know your
friends and family who come to support you on a regular basis, but how
well do you know the other people? Whether your audience is 25 people
or over 250 people, you need to get know everyone from the regulars that
come and buy CDs to the people from your mailing list that come once in
awhile.
As I have talked about extensively at Music Strategies over the years, the
key to doing this can be found in two strategies. One, "Breaking the Ice"
by talking to everyone as they come into the venue. Even if you don't
recognize them or they are there to see someone else, introduce yourself
as one of the artists that will be performing that evening. Let them know
who you are as an artist and what is in your music. Forget hanging out
backstage before your next show complaining about the other bands and
artists, how bad the sound system is and that the monitors don't work.
Focus on what's going to benefit you right now!
Once you have introduced yourself to the people coming in the door by
letting them know who you are as an artist, its time for the next strategy. A
proper mailing list. Not one where you get their name and email address
but one where you have written notes about each person. It may sound
like a lot of work, but it is work that will pay huge dividends. By having
notes on each person, you can send out "personal" emails based upon
your previous conversations instead of bulk emails to hundreds of people
where you know they are simply deleting them or at the very least not
responding to them.
Understanding your audience is a key to getting more new people to your
future shows, selling more CDs and most importantly, truly impacting
people with the messages in your songs. "Understanding Your Audience"
is also the title of my second workshop at the new seminar I will be
presenting called Artist
Strategies.
The strategies that I have discussed above are merely the starting point
of understanding your audience and understanding yourself as an artist
and where your music can take you. If you are ready to learn the
additional strategies that will energize your audience to spread the
educated word of mouth about you and your music, and learn how to
keep your current and future fans for years, then join me at Artist
Strategies.
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Additional Columns by Tim Sweeney
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- And 37 more in the Guest Columnists series, view the index
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