Friday, March 28, 2008

1000 4hero fans?

when we put out 'Play With The Changes' last year, it was about independence among other things, being able to make our own mistakes, own decisions and as Mr.Roy Ayers advised...owning our own masters.

having run the blueprint drum & bass label Reinforced Records for 20 years this year(damn time flies) there's some experience we have that we often taken for granted, but is essential in this ever changing landscape called the music industry.

we've witnessed many good companies fall by the way side over the years with the likes of Goya Music Distribution, a key hub of the Broken Beat community closing down in a not very good climate for vinyl sales.

as a result there will be some who may never put out a record again as Goya was their reason to do it...seeing others making things happen is enough inspiration for some to do things they thought previously not possible, Goya made many realise their potential and it's sad to see them go...but, the soldiers will soldier on finding new outlets, be it online sales, collaboration projects...Broken Beat will never die and the spirit of Goya and all who were a part of the movement can currently be seen online at the Coopr8 community...you have to be strong to survive in this climate and you definitely need a gameplan..."if you dont have a plan your sinking in the sand" ©Jay Dilla...R.I.P


there's a major difference between making your music and having a label release it or doing it yourself...contrary to what a lot of people are saying at the moment with artists moving from majors and what not, there are 2 sides to the equation and it's definitely not for everyone by any means...but if your adamant, give it a go!

we've moved passed the train of thought that said you need to sell a million to survive, although we're always aiming sky high...embracing new technology and trying different things outside of the norm has always been at the heart of what we do and continues to be so.

there's a buzz online at the minute about this article by Kevin Kelly titled '1,000 True Fans'...if your in entertainment/arts it's an essential read, take from it what's valuable and make a move.

we're gonna read it in full and come up with a gameplan for something???

when we figure out what that something is we'll let you know on MySpace, Facebook or right here.


The long tail is famously good news for two classes of people; a few lucky aggregators, such as Amazon and Netflix, and 6 billion consumers. Of those two, I think consumers earn the greater reward from the wealth hidden in infinite niches.

But the long tail is a decidedly mixed blessing for creators. Individual artists, producers, inventors and makers are overlooked in the equation. The long tail does not raise the sales of creators much, but it does add massive competition and endless downward pressure on prices. Unless artists become a large aggregator of other artist's works, the long tail offers no path out of the quiet doldrums of minuscule sales.

Other than aim for a blockbuster hit, what can an artist do to escape the long tail?

One solution is to find 1,000 True Fans. While some artists have discovered this path without calling it that, I think it is worth trying to formalize. The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce. They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can't wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.


read the full article 1,000 tru fans

15 comments:

ricolsta said...

It seems I m the first of the 1000 true fans;
In fact, there might be (at least) 10 000 fans in the end

Peace to you guys

Anonymous said...

Yo guys I've been down since the first beat dropped, always followed what you were doing, what like 20+ SOLID years? Props : )

>>billy the robot aka manic one

Anonymous said...

I have enjoyed your music for years. You're an inspiration and I hope to lay down sax/EWI on some tracks for you guys in the near future. Keep doin it.

Peace,
Maxfield Gast
www.maxfieldgast.com

Dave said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dave said...

evenin guys, always good to hear someone on the same wave length but then thats because we owe everything to you any way!!

hahaha . . .

jus came back off holiday and i read this "book" whilst away and it has resulted in a comprehensive word document called "Shifts Plan For World Domination: Version 1"!

check it here:
new music strategies ebook

well, gotta start somewhere eh??

let me know if you want to go over some ideas . . .

:)

: shift :

Anonymous said...

MUCH RESPECT DEFIN*LY A FAN!got loads of your tunes on reinforced and talking loud,been supporting since '96 and will continue fo life!

Kari_Estepario said...

:)RESPECT and peace to you guys, from chile_valparaiso_quilpue.
fans agradecida.

Anonymous said...

Much respect for doin your thing. Really enjoy listening to your stuff. See you for tea at the thai :-)

Greetings from Germany.

Peace
Da Rock

Anonymous said...

Come on back to Dublin. Forget the tea, i'll get ye a few pints of the back stuff and we'll find a bar that will let us throw on a few Mizell brothers albums. How's about that!!

Colorless Green Ideas said...

Well, I am also a big fan and your music certainly influences ours... and I follow all the music bizz stuff and read the 1,000 fans blog post before. I was tossing around some ideas to promote my band, I hope you won't pick mine, because you already make the best music ;-)

See you!


(O yea, I talked to you last year in Bruges, well, actually, my girlfriend talked to MC MG, they are the ones that are good at talking... I am still looking forward to a show where you actually play live!!!)

www.myspace.com/colorlessgreenideasbe

Anonymous said...

i am a fan ,
i think the mentality of music makers is now to re group and go as in house as possible like mad mikes crew have always done.
i just hope the technology does not kill the music , who knows what the future holds ?
we are all the future so its our choices that will move forward lets hope a brother/sister can make a dollar while doing what they love so they can afford to eat.
losing the real deal music would be to sad to imagine.
peace from the east.

darrylfunk

Anonymous said...

Much Support!

Tears For Beers said...

i go to the gigs and buy the music and am proud to be a fan!

it's for life, there's something special about following an artist or band through their career, and good memories!

www.thenoisethatwemade.co.uk

Dubber said...

Hey - nice to see my e-book mentioned in the comments. I write New Music Strategies and run a website called Music Think Tank.

I wonder if there's a way I can be helpful here.

I'm a bit of a broken beat fan, I'm an online music consultant - working with Brownswood at the moment, actually - and I even have my own little experiment in retail at LiquidCrunch.

I'd be happy to have a chat and do a bit of a brainstorm if you guys are up for it. I'm based in Birmingham, but I get down to London fairly regularly.

No charge - call it a 'thanks for the music'. You guys have paid me enough already.

If you want a chat, give me a shout. Contact details at New Music Strategies.

Anonymous said...

And what about the poor fans?The ones who can´t afford to buy special sets, travel many miles to see you sing and buy T-shirts,posters and mugs?They are not true?That makes me sad,because I´m one of them......I love your music and the message it brings. Thank you.
Eleni