Dear Christian Music Industry (Part 12)
Dear Christian Music Industry,
My goodness! It’s been literally almost a year since my last letter to you. You’ve done so well with this whole “social networking / connect with the fans” thing that we’ve talked about so many times. You’ve jumped on Twitter, embraced blogging, focussed on Facebook and to be honest I’ve stood here like a proud second uncle or something watching you become something great. But this week I’ve realized that you’ve started slipping. And you’re tricking me at the same time. You might not even realize it, but it’s happening. And I think it’s time we had a little talk.
Now, if there’s one thing that we’ve all seen, or at least heard the cliche’ saying, we know that history will repeat itself. ”But what do you mean Brody, we’re never going back to Myspace and lame flash based websites.” No, you might not be but let’s take a look back.
Let’s go back to a few years ago when Myspace was the ‘cat’s pajamas’. Yeah, I said it. Cat’s. Pajamas. Remember that? Remember when that was the new and exciting way for artists to connect with their fans and show them music at the same time? They could blog, they could update shows, and they could well…. interact to some level. Then what happened? The race was on to ‘out friend’ the other band. It wasn’t uncommon to hear a label person ask “How many Myspace Friends does Artist A have versus Artist B?”. The race for email addresses and phone numbers were the goal because it didn’t matter about interaction. What mattered was numbers. Right?
Then there was this massive social networking “movement”. Chris Anderson wrote a book called “The Long Tail” and everyone connected to an artist with a fan base ran out and bought their copy. We truly believed that with a firm, cultivated, dedicated fan base we could revolutionize the way people bought music. If we just would pour into those ‘True Fans’, the numbers didn’t matter. Now, here we are nearly two years later. We’ve seen amazing examples of success, we’ve seen some things that weren’t so successful and you know what? You’re heading right back into the pit you just climbed out of. And you’re pulling me with you.
Let’s take a look at Twitter. What a fascinating way to connect with your fans right? I mean you can just send a text and anyone who’s Following you gets it. Brilliant. There’s no tricking them into Following you. No secret sign up, no “exclusive” content. Or is there? What we’ve got now are companies completely based around getting you more Followers on Twitter. You can run contests where people can download something but only if they ‘Re-Tweet’ what you have to say and are Following you. We’ve got things like Twitter Grader letting you know who’s got higher numbers than you and clearly an artist with more Followers is more ‘socially connected’ right? Seems a little like a numbers game again, doesn’t it?
“How many Myspace Friends Twitter Followers does Artist A have versus Artist B?”
And what about Facebook? These same “we can get you Twitter Followers” companies are going to labels and telling them all the magical things they can do with Facebook. They can do “Fan Only” content because after all nothing is Free right? You want to see this video? Click the “Like” button because I’m willing to sacrifice this “free” video content as long as that number on the left is higher than a comparable artist.
“How many Myspace Friends Facebook Fans does Artist A have versus Artist B?”
What about email lists? This one has been around for a while. We’ve seen every trick in the book to con people into giving their email address. And I’ve seen some pretty massive lists. Hundreds of thousands of email addresses. And you, Christian Music Industry is placing such a high value on it still. Would it shock you if I told you that just a few weeks ago I saw an email blast report sent out to nearly a hundred thousand emails and came back with 82.2% of the emails never even opened? Never. Opened.
“How many Myspace Friends Email Addresses does Artist A have versus Artist B?”
Now, I know this letter is getting long but stick with me. I feel like we’ve grown a lot together and I feel like I can trust you and you can trust me. Because of that I feel like I can say this and not offend you.
Stop sucking me into your traps.
What I mean by that is this. I know there are neat, gimmicky companies out there that can help you play the numbers game. I know there’s these things out there impressing you with their glittery number making machines. And you know what? The talented boys at SkörInc can play that same game if they need to. We can get you your sneaky Twitter following page, we can get you your “Fan Only” content on Facebook, and we can get your numbers up, we can get your email list massive, but here’s the deal. There’s still no shortcut to connecting with real fans. It’s still not a numbers game and it never will be again. It still takes time, dedication and work. It’s still a job, and your fans are still not idiots. Let’s stop treating them that way.
As always, I hope the kids are doing well. I miss seeing you around more, but I know we’ve both been busy. Until next time.
Brody
Read Dear Christian Music Industry Parts 1-11
Read But It’s Still Not Happening Parts 1-4
This reminded me of a Mass Communications Theory class I took in college.
There was a ‘magic bullet’ theory called the ‘Hypodermic Needle Model’ that assumes that an intended message delivered via a mass medium (Radio/Television etc..) is received and wholly accepted by the receiver. While it’s hard to deny the power of mass media, especially the proliferation of internet delivery, it’s naive to assume that using a popular internet site to deliver your message will produce the intended result.
Most everyone is using Twitter and Facebook and blogs, et al. to deliver their message, but few stand out in the midst of the noise. The ones that do stand out are the ones doing more than just throwing information at their pool of internet followers and hoping it sticks somewhere.
So, what about that fan? You know the one. Stalker-type fan. The “one” who never seems to go away!! The one who is at the ready. To comment on said blog. To follow said artist. To fan said fb page. What do you need from the fan? That doesn’t involve being just another number?
I love what Skorinc does! Bringing people together. And I’m not just talking about fans to artists, but people to people. You guys make give it that personal touch. That’s what it’s about for me. The people I have “met” in the past 18 months have enriched, not only my life, but my walk with God. People from all over the world. I used to be able to say I “met” so & so by following so & so. I can’t do that any more! There are too many so & so’s! But, that’s ok, because I am a part of this new community that you, Brody, are a huge part of. Maybe not the Mayor of Awesometown, but vice-Mayor at the very least!!
I hope the “industry” listens to the fan & not just the stats. Otherwise, we will stalk them!!
P.S. I love to just come to your blog & see the slideshow that is your banner! Such great open & honest faces. Loving what they do.
Since we are Christian and “outside the mainstream” (or should be), can we find a way to have gatherings without making the criminals who run venues (Ticketmaster/Live Nation) obscenely rich through bogus fees.
I know, I know… but Dreaming Big is a nice way to dream..
Nice article and thoughts, but I’m not sure you can make that personal connection to your core fans even in CCM. I’ve seen just as many idol worship cases in CCM as outside it. Sad to say, but I think it is best that the big stars keep it more impersonal and business orientated to keep those fans at a distance. I just don’t think we can turn the clock back to when it was just the ‘guys’ on the road seeing fiends and singing songs. There doesn’t seem to be a middle ground out on the road, for the headliners, like there used to be.
The impersonal attitude onstage will probably translate to a “numbers” only type of marketing view for their product. It’s cold and unfortunate; especially for us older folks who experienced the ‘before they got big’ type of community and fellowship.
“As your Church gets larger, the distance from your seat to the Pastor also grows.”
Scattered a bit in my thoughts, hope that made sense.
You probably get it more than I, being more of an insider, but I certainly don’t get that same “looking over the shoulder” sense of “A vs. B” with many of those traps as much as “get A as big as possible.” Oh, sure you have “real” numbers that everyone can see on FB/Twitter and I’ve seen the occasional “battle to X followers,” but more frequently see “prize for Xth follower.” I do absolutely agree with the whole “numbers game” thing. Social media has been a great platform for me to get to be better fans of some artists by being a bigger fan of the people behind the music. But it’s only ones who create interest with their tweets.
There are artists who use Twitter solely as a sales tool, promoting albums/blogs/concerts. There are some who do just enough “personal” tweeting to get a sense of who they are. But they are “broadcasters.”
Then there are those who plunge in and are “interactive.” And interactive does not necessarily mean “following back/@replying/DMing” (to put it in Twitter terms). It’s just finding ways to acknowledge the fans that are @replying you in simple ways. Bart Millard does this brilliantly. Rarely @replies (or even RT’s) “fans” but it’s clear he reads every reply and works his own replies into subsequent tweets (more than simple “appreciate all the kind comment” tweets). Obviously doing that is a lot of commitment but there is middle ground…
But I think in many of those cases it’s a reflection of the artists’ personalities rather than how the “industry” pushes them…it still doesn’t negate the fact that your bottom line is right: it’s not just about numbers, it’s about what you do with them. I have artists on a private “must-read” list on Twitter, which is my “go-to” list when I only have time for a quick look-see. There are no “broadcasters” on there…
Brilliant post Brody.. When will we all learn that bigger isn’t better. BETTER is BETTER and it brings forth bigger. We have to stop the tricks, and the manipulation to get bigger and simply get better.
Any ministry God has called us to is about glorifying Him and edifying the body of believers. One cannot do those things if they are disconnected from the body they are serving. Think of a teacher who never meets one of his students. How good of a writer and teacher would Beth Moore be if she never had a conversation with the women who she mentored and taught? How effective would a pastor me if he never spoke to any in his congregation. Would a children’s worker be effective if they never spoke to a parent?
This is no different in the Christian music industry. If the one serving is not connected to those God has asked them to serve, the service will not be as effective. The secular music industry can get away with an impersonal disconnect because it is about entertainment and me me me. This industry is not, and if that disconnect happens then the artist makes their ministry about serving their own needs before those God has asked them to serve. In doing that they have forgotten that it God they are serving and not themselves.
Kelly, EXCELLENT word. It is all about AUTHENTIC relationships. Not shallow, vain, ego driven, one upsmanship garbage that we’ve seen in CCM. Its no wonder its imploding. Maybe it NEEDS to implode so a new generation of servants can be birthed. However, we won’t need a system of MAN to bring it to the masses. Promotion from above beats anything us humans can conjure up.