Friday, August 21, 2009
Cream Buzz Bin Redux: A Year Later, Have Any Bands Found Success With 1,000 True Fans?
Posted by Tracy Moore on Fri, Aug 21, 2009 at 1:58 PM
In my recent research on those lady rockers who roll with the best of 'em, I was re-introduced to the concept of 1,000 True Fans from Caitlin Rose. It goes like this:
It's a buzzworthy notion from early last year, generated by Kevin Kelly, a senior editor at Wired Magazine.The idea is that in today's industry, you don't have to reach the mainstream to succeed at all. You just need a core fanbase who will consume everything you create. They buy tickets in advance, pay for your releases and b-sides and seven-inches, and create a sustainable source of income that allows you to simply cater to them, and not go chasing mainstream shadows.
In more specific terms, you might ask your fans to fund your next record by buying tickets via presale for your current tour. When you get X amount of money, the record gets made, and perhaps those who contribute receive MP3s along the way, or limited-edition merch or fanclub-privy updates.
What I'm curious about is whether any of this has worked for any local bands. Or if this seems as farfetched and implausible as a powerful A&R guy materializing after your set at The End and offering you a million-dollar deal. Are aspiring musicians still holding out for the old tropes, are you focusing on licensing and commercial payouts to keep the wolf from the door, or are you grooming the fans you do have and ignoring the rest?
Comments (25)
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Not farfetched at all: We've had success grooming the true fans we do have. And though it's only about half of what it takes to quit the day jobs, word of mouth is still the best advertising, so we're on our way.
The problem we've found with trying pre-sales to fund the printing of an album is that people, in general, procrastinate. So, the small percentage of people that hop on it and buy first have to wait until everyone else follows suit. And while the Mp3's tide them over for a week or two, it's just not the same (especially when you can't set a release date). Limited edition merch might work well though, thanks for the suggestions.
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I've preferred to go the Flight of the Conchords route. you have one fan who really digs your stuff. You don't make a lot of money, no... but you don't have to spend a lot either. One T shirt.. one copy of the record. and you know that fan really appreciates it because they totally cook you dinner sometimes.
i don't know. but if i read one more article on caitlin rose and etc. on this blog or in the scene i will take a machine gun to five points. we get it. you love her. everyone does not. she is doing nothing the moldy peaches or some 16 year old holed up in her room with a guitar and country records hasn't done. why not try covering some other singer/songwriters, male or female, in nashville? maybe besides ones that play at mercy lounge. there are plenty and some are also talented.
i agree with the comment above me. caitlin rose's demeanor both onstage and off is hardly brag worthy. I suppose if you can attach your name to a famous parent then anyone can have a following. I understand that the economy is in a recession and we have to tone down our tastes for the finer things in life, but that does not mean we have to become acclimated to a watered down, hardly aesthetically pleasing, subpar artist.
I, too, am tired of hearing about the same acts. I understand that cowboy boot wearin' indie girls with sassy attitudes are "in" right now. And Caitlin Rose and Those Darlins are cute as hell. BUT can we Please move on to some other musicians. There are better locals acts.
evryone is all inside all the time. because they don't want the sun to catch them cryin' do-do-do-do
holy crap.
shouldn't the point of a music community be to support each other? bringing another artist down may make you feel better, but it won't improve the community, and it certainly won't make your dick any bigger. her music aside (though i like it), caitlin rose is part of a group of local musicians that seem to finally be thinking clearly. These musicians completely support each other, see each other's shows, collaborate, and find it in themselves to improve a crippled and competitive scene. you obviously don't share the sentiment, and i find your thoughts vindictive, mean, and scary (machine gun?). as far as mercy lounge, those people play there because they can draw enough people to fill it. put your bitterness and jealousy aside long enough to realize the sour energy you're cultivating, and try to wrap your head around the fact people probably don't listen to your music because they don't like it.
Caitln Rose is amazing. Who the hell are you? She is a brilliant song writer and has an gorgeous voice. She is also really young - give her time to mature and we'll see where she is 5 years from now compared to you.
The only people who would associate her with her mother (or even really know who her mother is) are locals who are in the know.
If you hate who the Cream talks about so much, why don't you stop reading this blog?
i agree. she is a hack. she has written like 10 songs in 5 years. not impressed. and she needs a makeover.
It truly discourages me to see how gutless and vile these threads can get. And for what? A blog talking about an artist you don't particularly like? Do you think about these people's feelings? Do you think about the fact that Rose and Those Darlins and Tristen are writing and performing constantly for any reason other than the fact that it's what they love to do?
Lots of people find them talented and interesting. Maybe you don't. Fine. Don't read it. But being petty and cruel...how is that productive? I wish these artists and all others in this town even half as hardworking, earnest and talented the best. I certainly hope they just ignore your senseless comments. It's embarrassing. I can't read these threads anymore because of you people.
After reading the article and comments, I must say that both bring up many valid points. I really believe much of the resentment of the musicians/songwriters that have commented, more likely reflect the frustration that is very real in that the Nashville Scene covers an extremely small sampling of what is going on in Nashville. I know that many of the artists are more than deserving of being featured, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see that the Scene does not go out of it's way to cover anything that does not have it's roots in Indie/Americana or Indie/Punk. One of the other most successful ways to get featured is to simply live in East Nashville. What it really comes down to is that NOBODY in this city really does a whole helluva lot to create a supportive music community.
This is one of the reasons why it is so important to play OUTSIDE of Nashville. You really get to see that audiences really do appreciate your music, instead of playing for a bunch of folks who are too cool to dance or even express any kind of appreciation. The BEST GIGS are not in Nashville. Get outside of this city and play if you want to develop a TRULY RABID following of fans. In other words, find your great players here and take the show to surrounding communities within a three to five hour radius. 99.9% of the time, if an artist is looking to garner any success they must build a substantial following and have the machinery for success in place before ANY record company will want to deal with them. And at that point, why do you need the record company?
Having said all that, I think it's time that people stop looking towards the Nashville Scene to give them any type of attention or promotion. That is not what the Nashville Scene is about. The Nashville Scene has their formula, and many artists just don't fit into their regimen. The key is to find your own formula for success without waiting for a paper to write anything about you. Who cares what the Scene says? Make good art, play it in front of as many people as you possibly can(regardless of financial incentive in the beginning), and the rest will come. If your art isn't being accepted in Nashville, take it on the road and you will quickly see that your efforts really are appreciated.
The only people I know who work the 1000 True Fans model (or something like it) are independently wealthy people with mostly well-to-do fanbases. I don't think it works for rock bands particularly.
As far as the above criticisms of Caitlin go: Well, yeah, it's a Pitchfork-friendly version of what approximately 10000 girls with guitars are doing in Nashville right now. I don't anyone doesn't know that. Like all newsweekly music sections, the Scene's is curated by the same 5 people and they tend to write about the same 12 people every week. Eventually, there will be a new music editor who will make a big deal about firing those 5 people and gettingg HIS 5 friends to write about another set of 12 people for half a decade or so. Meanwhile, everybody works day jobs and remains unknown outside of the 615 area code. Nice work, Nashville.
I read this blog more than I should, and having done so assumed that I knew everything about Caitlin Rose - but who is her momma?
the machine gun thing was a joke honey. and also i am not an artist, songwriter, or musician. i just can appreciate more than 4 people in this town that can hold a guitar. i think they deserve some recognition. sorry you don't.
Terry nailed it. The Scene is no authority on the local music happenings at large- but it is a pretty good vehicle for the slice it chooses to fixate upon. No prob- you've got Nashvillerock and others picking up the slack. Let's try to temper our critisism with respect for our fellow artists (I got the machinegun joke tho- no harm there) Im certainly trying to do this and was one of the worst offenders back in the day. Mostly I'm wondering how the impending sale of the Scene will affect goings on around here. Dont share your tastes, Creamsters but I wish you the best. It's never fun to change owners in these rosey economic waters.
it's one thing to criticize the Scene if you think their music coverage is too narrow or myopic, but the petty, mean stuff about the artists themselves (i would say critiquing their art on a music blog is fair game, but i'm talking about how they look or their folks or whatever) is just kind of silly. plus, from a completely objective standpoint, to call CR's voice 'subpar'...well, i would just respectfully disagree. and i don't know her.
@shapinginfluence:
10,000 girls who do what Caitlin Rose is doing? Name them. Please, name the 10,000 girls on the local scene who even come close to her vocal prowess and songwriting ability. I'm genuinely curious.
caitlin rose is just another little rich girl playing at being "indie" - the people who think she is some kind of musical genius with any cred whatsoever are delusional
Not local, but the Drive-by Truckers could possibly be a foundation for this theory.
Their early albums were self-released, and mainly supported by a small hardcore following in Atlanta, Athens, and Richmond. Then all of the costs for the recording and releasing of Southern Rock Opera was funded by loans from fans and "investors" which they paid back with interest as they toured behind the album.
They followed this until the logistics of running the business end were overwhelming and sold SRO to New West.
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