The “rock star mystique” is all but dead. Before, the closest a fan could get to their favorite musician was by waiting at the stage door after the show hoping their idol would stop by for a few autographs and a photo. But many didn’t. Many self-righteous rockers bolted from the venue to the tour bus in their shades without so much as a wave to their fans who waited for two hours in the rain to meet them. Now, a fan can literally get inside their favorite artist’s pants (pocket, via a tweet to their phone) without having to wear a low-cut shirt. Oh, how far we’ve come.
Not only has social media broken down the barriers of access; it has created a new reality where it’s virtually impossible for artists to hide their true colors—
for better or worse. Fans have always been attracted to authenticity, but now one can more quickly and easily weed out the impostors from the true artists. You can’t fake it and make it in the new era.
Some artists these days, however, go a bit too far and overly engage with people who are not fans and who would rather not be spoken to by an artist they don’t care about. There’s a way to be respectful of your fans, to embrace the new reality while still maintaining your privacy.
A perfect example of how you can engage with a fan in an authentic, noncreepy way is offered by Brittany Howard, lead singer and guitarist of Alabama Shakes. It all started when a 24-year-old fan from Louisville Instagrammed a short video of herself playing half of the opening riff to “Future People,” stating “Doing my best.” She tagged Howard (@blackfootwhitefoot). Howard posted a response video on Instagram with a close-up on the neck of her guitar and finished the complicated lick for the fan, with “Here’s the rest,” and tagged the fan.
Every artist at any level can learn from this. You don’t need to be a superstar to give back. Even if you have ten fans, make one of their days. Word will spread. But again, you don’t need to be the creepy, overengaged Facebook responder. Sure, Like comments, respond occasionally, Retweet, Instaheart, but there’s a difference between giving back and giving up your life
Younger artists are much better at creating an authentic social media presence and knowing how to engage just the right amount to maintain a bit of mystique but also not insult their fan. Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (or as you know her, Halsey), is considered an overnight sensation by the music industry. She sold out her first tour ever (of 500–1,000-cap rooms) in 30 seconds with zero radio play, no album and no label. But she had been cultivating a loyal fan base for over six years. When she was 14 in 2008, she had 14,000 MySpace friends and at 18 she had 16,000 YouTube subscribers. She built her following online. Whereas most artists try to get the viral video, viral photo, viral tweet, viral anything, Halsey worked on fostering a deep relationship with her followers. By staying open, vulnerable and intimate, her fans became loyalists.
Halsey wasn’t pushing or promoting anything. She was simply existing in a reality understood solely by those on the inside. So, when she had a piece of real content (her first song/music video “Ghost”) to share, her fans were finally able to engage with something other than just a photo or a tweet. The track exploded online. Halsey told the New York Times about her first meeting with Capitol Records. She said, “I remember walking into Capitol Records, sitting down with the executives and having them say, ‘Look at what you did while none of us were paying attention.’ That was one of the proudest moments of my entire life. I put all the groundwork in myself, and they let me do my thing, because it’s working.”
Followers, plays and Likes can be bought. Everybody knows it. And you look foolish if your YouTube video has 200,000 views with only 7 comments and 12 likes. Those views were clearly purchased from a bot. There’s no point in spending money to puff up your numbers for vanity’s sake. Advertising for real human followers is one thing, paying for bots to Like your page or watch your video is another.
Bots don’t come to shows. Bots don’t back your crowdfunding. Bots don’t buy merch. Bots don’t help you become a full-time musician.
Startup guru and angel investor Sean Ellis states that “focusing on customer acquisition over awareness takes discipline . . . At a certain scale, awareness/brand building makes sense. But for the first year or two it’s a total waste of money.”
Plays mean nothing if you have no way to connect with those listeners and follow up with them. That’s why I completely tune out artists who tell me they got 100,000 plays on their most recent song. OK, but how many of those listeners signed up to your email list, bought a ticket to your show, followed you on Instagram or supported you in any way financially?