So you want to turn your love of music into a full-time profession? There are a few things you’ll need to master – like how to create great music to create a loyal fanbase who want to support your career.
While you may have the music creation down to a science, even the best musicians can get a bit lost when it comes to growing their fanbase. This is where we come in to help. To grow a music fanbase that ultimately becomes part of your own musical identity, you need to enact a range of strategies – especially because fans are not all created equal.
A holistic fanbase will include the sleeper fans who put in the minimum effort like following your social and listening to your new music, the ambassadors who not only love your work but spread the word to encourage others to listen and then the monetizers who spend premium money to be part of everything you do.
To get started on building your own music fanbase, we have collated the top tips to find loyal fans who are ultimately going to be the ones who allow your musical career to flourish.
Get your music out there
First things first – no one can be a fan of your music if you don’t first share your music. If you can learn how to upload music to Spotify, then you have an instant connection to millions of potential fans. So every time you have new music that you create, make sharing it on Spotify or another streaming platform one of the first things you do.
Uploading music to Spotify has led to numerous musicians getting discovered and going big-time with their careers afterwards. It is simple and cuts out needing to get your own agent or producer. You can take your career and fanbase into your own hands.
Be open-minded
Don’t cut yourself short when it comes to the types of people that will connect to you and your music. Your fans will first start out as strangers, meaning you don’t really know what you’re going to get. But every person who stops to give your music a shot deserves your equal time and energy. Be open-minded about who your fanbase will be. Engage back with anyone who positively engages with you. And be willing to connect with people you may have never thought of before.
Another great way to get your music out there and engage with fans is by getting your image and your music out onto social media. Instagram and TikTok are two of the most successful platforms to do exactly this, with millions of users looking to discover and engage with undiscovered musicians on these platforms.
The more authentic and raw you can be on your social channels, the more likely you will be to build an engaged fanbase that supports your work. It is a great way to tease new music and see what type of response you get. It is also a great forum to make your musical debut to the world.
Show your personality
While your music is likely an extension of your personality, it is not the only part of your personality. So, another great way to build your fanbase is to also introduce various aspects of your personality. The more people feel like they are getting to know you, the more they will care about you and your music.
Fans want to get to know the mystery behind the music. So while there is value in keeping some aspects of yourself a mystery, there is even more value in being relatable and showing that you too are just like them – a human!
Go for quality over quantity
You do not need to have millions of fans to be a successful musician. Instead, you need to have quality fans that are invested and constant in their support for you. So rather than worrying about growing your fanbase to extraordinary numbers, focus on having your music reach the right people that truly care. Take the time to get to know them, relate to them and engage back with them.
Create great music
Of course, having great music equally helps grow your fanbase. So decide on the type of musician you want to be and really stick with it. Be diligent in honing your craft and being really good at what you do. Your talent will naturally attract people.
Takeaway
Growing your fanbase is the groundwork you need to launch a successful music career. Without fans, you ultimately will have no income for the work you do. So take the time to write great music, upload it to Spotify and engage with those who show an interest in you.
You will be surprised at how quickly your fanbase then starts to grow.
Zuella Montemayor did her degree in psychology at the University of Toronto. She is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
