People lie. They say they'll come to your show, but they don't. They say they've purchased your album, but they haven't. They say they're vegetarians when they actually eat fish.
It's not that people are all liars though... Sometimes, like the vegetarian thing, it's perception. Just ask anybody who has been on an online dating site... What people THINK is an honest description of themselves can sometimes be far from "honest."
What does an "average" body type mean?
And what qualifies as "married" anyway?
You get the point...
This stuff can fool even the best marketers. Until you've rolled out your product or service and have people actually handing over their cash for it, you can't be sure. Just ask Coca-Cola.
Fortunately, technology has allowed us to "spy" on people to get information about what they actually spend their money on and where they spend it, not just what they say (or think) they do.
Sites I recommend and why...
1. Foursquare - This is the best way to find out where your fans hang out and can make your job of reaching them a lot easier. If you notice they're all going to certain places, perhaps you need to think about being in those places too...
2. Blippy - Where are your fans spending money? What are they buying? How much did something cost? Blippy knows... Click here for an example of where I'm spending my money.
There are other variations of each of these sites, but these are the big ones for their categories and probably the best place for you to start.
I think it depends on a number of things. Some people can't wait to see their favourite bands. That's normal. But if you ask someone and they're umming and awwing, then they're probably only coming to give you moral support. I guess, at first you can lean on that, then afterwards, you'll need to find people who love the music you make, that enjoy your performances, because you'll also enjoy much more, performing to them, and making music for them.
Posted by: Gemma @ Soul Music Blog | May 25, 2011 at 05:25 AM
On the nose again David. Knowing your fans is absolutely key to proper positioning in a musicians campaign efforts. These are some of the reasons the huge corporations like Walmart are so effective. Their database systems track all purchases from time, value and quantity to how you paid. Cash or credit. This information really does matter if you want to get the right "stuff" in your customers radar.
Posted by: Duss Rodgers | May 28, 2011 at 12:52 AM
Nice one David, I got the Falling Fred app too.
Another example of this is finding out who's selling the most music in your scene and then working out why their making such a deep connection with the market.
Good old bit of song analysis can help.
- Chris
Posted by: Music Marketing Chris | May 28, 2011 at 02:52 AM
I pretty much grab everything off the top of the iPad/iPhone and music charts. I feel it helps to keep on top of trends, but with the iPad, also like to see the innovation. Some very creative people out there...
Posted by: David Hooper | May 28, 2011 at 11:31 AM