In my time in the music industry I was constantly trying to think of creative ideas to bring added value and enjoyment to the punters who came to see the events that I was promoting or provide special incentives and experiences through the music fans who were buying the Brisbane music compilation record that my small team produced each year.
For instance from 2006-2012 I ran an annual gig showcasing the Brisbane music scene whereby the artists that performed each had to add a classic Brisbane tune into their set. This was a simple and free idea that generated heaps of press coverage, engaged the audience and was an added selling point with ticket sales. This is the point with fan engagement whether it be in sports, music or business the key thing to remember is providing exceptional customer service with these little added touches or memorable experiences along the way. Most of the time you can do these for next to nothing but your own creativity.
Another idea my team had was to engage a local drinks sponsor who provided a free drink to every punter who came through the doors on the night of that gig. Obviously we promoted this in the lead up to the event, but the look on some peoples faces upon entering the venue when they realised that they got a free drink as well as six artists and six hours of live music for $20 was priceless. That look that says ‘wow, I know its just a free drink but I was not expecting that’ was the same look on my face when I first went to the UK music festival, Glastonbury in 2008. On entry to the site we were provided with a showbag of goodies including a map, lanyard with schedule of timetables, a newspaper, an NME magazine, a free drink AND a set of biodegradable tent pegs (short story but the Glastonbury site is a working farm for 2/3 of the year and after every festival people leave thousands of tents and metal tent pegs meaning that in previous years the animals would get injuries to their legs etc hence where this idea came from!). It’s these little touches that go such a long way in creating a memorable experience for fans.
This leads me to my latest infographic which is one that I think will greatly help young bands but also established artists as I truly feel that fan engagement in the music industry is still such an untapped market.
Below you will see 101 fan engagement ideas for the music industry. Many of the ideas have been drawn from what sporting teams and leagues are doing for their fans however many more are from ideas which I have actioned to great success my self. I will be blogging more and more about these music fan engagement ideas in time.
More than anything, I hope this resource will benefit those artists who are just starting out who are realising that they need to do more for their fans because their fans want more from the gig than just three artists up on stage in this day and era.
Please feel free to share with me how your band is engaging with your audience.
101 Fan Engagement Ideas For Music Artists