IndieMusicMarketer.com - Music Business Promotion & Marketing Blog - The Importance of Getting Mailing List Signups

The Importance of Getting Mailing List Signups

Written by Josiah Redding
Monday, 02 July 2007
Okay, we've already discussed setting up and maintaining a mailing list. But sometimes we still just don't seem to get the importance of gathering "follow up" information from prospective and/or repeat customers. For instance, my act THE REDDING BROTHERS did a 2-gig weekend in a small cafe in St. Albans this past weekend. Both Friday and Saturday nights, we performed a 2-and-a-half hour set (with 2 breaks) from 9:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. So we had plenty of time to mention our mailing list and talk to people about signing up. Our lead singer, Micah, is good about announcing who we are and reminding people to check out our website, but somehow we kept forgetting to push our mailing list, which we had available at our table. Because we didn't promote it, we ended up with no mailing list signups. Bad idea. There's a temptation or tendency among musicians to book a concert, show up and play, maybe sell a few CDs, and then take their money and leave. They basically view a gig as a way of getting beer money to go out and blow the next night. That's not a businessman's mindset or way of thinking: you have to look farther ahead than just getting enough cash to get wasted tomorrow night. Without gathering followup information from the people who were there listening to you, you'll never build what professional musicians like to call a fanbase. You might say, "well, we've been doing fine without any of that". Sure, you might have made a little cash here and there, scored a good gig every now and then, etc. But in the music world, a band's draw is it's bargaining chip. The more people you can bring to a given event or venue, the more a promoter or venue owner will pay you, and the more sponsors are willing to give you cash to get their brand name in front of your audience. Wouldn't you rather have promoters and sponsors knocking at YOUR door asking for an opportunity to work with YOU? That's the power of a band's draw. Everybody wants traffic to their bar, coffeeshop, cafe, theater, auditorium, or whatever. And corporations also want people to see their products and buy them. Your band's draw is the #1 way to get these people's attention: you can help them reach your audience in exchange for cash, and they'll be all-too-willing to do it when you have a consistent large draw at your shows. So even though you might be able to get a few hundred bucks from a venue without any guarantee of a draw, to consistently make any income as a band or musician, you need to have an active fanbase, and you need to be able to contact them through your mailing list. So don't feel squeemish about announcing your mailing list over and over again at your next concert. It's the best investment you can make in your future as a band. -Josiah