While there’s little chance of overhauling the streaming industry as it stands, that’s okay. It effectively delivers music to listeners, much like radio has done for the past century. However, one reasonable improvement would be to allow artist pages on streaming platforms to include a “bio link,” enabling users to explore beyond the platform’s ecosystem. Even Instagram allows this—it’s not a big ask.
Like radio, streaming brings music to the masses. Unfortunately, it doesn’t enable users to connect with their favorite artists on a deeper level beyond saving songs to playlists, which doesn’t foster a true connection. Fans aren’t lazy; they will take extra steps to engage with artists if they enjoy what they hear. This is where fandom truly begins, and where artists can cultivate their 1,000 true fans, dedicated supporters who are essential for sustaining an artist’s career.
Monetising fandom
Streaming doesn’t allow to differentiate between music listers and music fans. Music fans are quite happy to pay more directly to the artists they love. Music listeners just, well listen.
Building fandom monetisation into streaming platforms also doesn’t work. As soon as there’s a “big company” involved in the transaction fans feel disconnected and weary of supporting, they don’t believe the artist gets the right portion of the money from their support. Facebook has also had the same issue. They’ve launched five, yes five versions of their tipping system in the last six years and all have quietly disappeared. Fans, again, don’t want to help out big business.
There’s plenty of examples of fans supporting artists directly that work very well indeed. We are one of them here at FanCircles and there’s also Patreon and Bandcamp. Each of these work, and provide a route for artists to earn directly from fans that are more than willing to support artists.
These artist-centric experiences are not niche, they are for music fans. If you measure everything by number of plays then you’re already making the wrong assumptions. Streaming is random access radio. The music charts never used radio to measure who is/was in the “TOP TEN” – They used fandom which traditionally was the sale of physical product.
Re-creating an environment where artists and fans can come together is actually quite simple. Build the platform and the fans will come. Simple as that. And to dispute that is the same as disputing that fans can’t be bothered to go to a venue and would rather have the artist play in their living room. Fans go where the artist tells them to go. Fact! Ask any promoter.
In Summary
If the artist has (and this is important) an “own branded fan club app” their fans flock to it.
Streaming and social media channels should then be used to advertise to their social followers with content that is exclusively available on the artists’ own platform. We already do this and the latest examples we are working with are The Levellers, Ed Harcourt, UB40 and Mach Hommy. Both of these have healthy incomes from their fans and both use streaming and socials to pull their audience into a community that not only supports the artist but allows fandom to grow. Oh, and they own their own data.
Streaming (and social networks) work in tandem with fan club apps if they are used in the right way. That’s what we help you do.
Kevin Brown
CEO – FanCircles
