In the dynamic world of music, connecting with fans is as vital as the music itself. British electronic artist Sound of Fractures, known for his stunning fusion of nu-wave garage, jungle, and electronica, shares his innovative approach in “6 Ways to Involve and Engage Your Fanbase.”
Drawing from his critically acclaimed project “Scenes,” Sound of Fractures exemplifies how to transform an album into a fully immersive experience.
This guide delves into creating deeper connections with listeners through co-creation, community-building, and world-building. With his critically acclaimed album “Scenes,” Sound of Fractures exemplifies these principles, inviting fans to co-create artwork, share personal stories, and form a collective experience. Discover how to transform your music into an immersive journey that resonates on a profound level.
Co-create:
This is really about making people feel a part of what you do, and there are many ways to do it. But making stuff together is one of the best. It doesn’t have to be making music, it can just be starting a conversation and letting people see themselves in what you do. A simple idea is co-creating or crowdsourcing art work and content ideas.
Build your minimum viable community:
]It can be 3 people, just start. No number is too small. It can be instagram dms, Whatsapp, Discord, Telegram, Zoom.. If someone dms you about your music, invite them into your world. Share the things that inspire you, and your process.. But importantly, invite them to share and connect with each other, that’s when it becomes a community, and not a broadcast channel. People live most of their lives in dms so lean into that, that way you don’t need to rely on the algorithm to reach the people that care the most.
People want to be a part of something, I like to think of everything as world-building, so embed your identity and your concepts into more than just the music. Who you are should flow through everything you do around your music, and that includes content, how you speak, what you care about, and even how you promote and distribute your music. People care about people, and want to connect. Your music is central to your identity, but there is more to you than just that, so embrace your story and people will care about your music more.
Make your process part of your social media output:
There isn’t going to be a magical moment where you are suddenly good at socials. Just start doing, and the best way is often bringing people into your process early as possible, why? because it doesn’t take time away from creation, it helps people connect with you before you even release a song, and they become a part of the creative journey, so when the song is released it means even more to them.
Yea, that’s right i said it!
This is the next step from the previous point; There are some amazing platforms where the shackles are off in terms of file formats; check Zora and Metalabel for great examples. I sell artifacts of my work and my journey: session notes, videos, demos, drafts. They are all interesting ways for people to own a little piece of what you do. All the things you put into your music have value beyond the audio file, and while streaming has killed the value of audio, why not explore capturing the value in other places. Selling digital artifacts costs you next to nothing so go explore.
Build a scene or form a collective:
Too often we are rolling the dice individually when we should be cross pollinating, sharing audiences and supporting each other. We need to join the dots between the people who love what we do, and connect them with each other. Thinking collectively and releasing collectively is a great way to do this, and it creates a healthier career with people around you to ride the ups and downs with. The mentality we need is: “If one of us releases, we all release”.
None of these ideas are a magic button, and are not easy, but I believe the key is to focus on meaningful engagement and connections rather than broad, superficial reach. We need to accept that we need to seek out new platforms and revenue models that offer better support for creators.
We all need to understand the lifecycle of platforms (enshittification) and adapt accordingly. Maintain flexibility and be ready to shift strategies as platforms evolve… or take it further and start thinking about your own platform!
Where are you going to bring people?
At the very least you need a call to action where people can support you in a more meaningful way, so speak up and say that otherwise what you are building won’t be sustainable long term unless you hit the algorithm jackpot.