The secret to creating an effective content calendar
Music production is a long and tedious process. Writing a song can take anywhere between 2 weeks to 2 months. But while artists aren’t releasing music, keeping fans’ interest engaged can sometimes be difficult. However, as a music producer, your music isn’t the only content you can offer your fans. With the ability to create mashups, mixes and various other forms of media, it’s important that you use all your resources to give fans incentive to persistently keep up with all things, you. In this article, we discuss the tools you need to maintain an engaged fan base and how to obtain them.
Reward your fans
Ultimately, without your fans, your music won’t be heard. However, you can’t keep churning out new music each week. It’s impossible. Regardless, those who enjoy your music will stick around and keep up-to-date on the things you say and do. As a result, it’s your duty to show your gratitude for your listeners’ unquestioned loyalty.
More often than not, most producers are also DJs. With that in mind, creating a weekly, fortnightly or even monthly 1-hour mix or podcast is a quick and effective way to share some of your favorite music right now, while showing your fans you’re still online and active. For example, Thomas Jack’s Tropical House mixtapes were a big hit. When Jack wasn’t sharing new music, he would upload mixtapes full of new music from other artists that resembled his sound. This benefited both parties greatly. Each mixtape drew plenty of attention towards Jack and in return, he helped many artists such as Klingande and Gamper & Dadoni gain valuable exposure. Not only did Jack boost his following, but he assisted other DJs in the process, further growing his inner-circle of contacts.
Another common idea is giving away mashup/bootleg packs. Because many mashups and bootlegs cannot be sold for monetary value, DJs often release them for free, sometimes asking for nothing in return, or a mere SoundCloud follow via download gates such as Hypeddit or TheArtistUnion. Some producers even offer production tutorials. KSHMR’s ‘Lessons of KSHMR’ are an excellent example of this.
Interact with your listeners
When your fans hear your name, they may associate you with your music. This means they don’t know you as a person yet. Make an effort to interact with your fans and reveal the person behind the persona. Martin Garrix is an excellent example. His YouTube series, ‘The Martin Garrix Show’, gives fans an exclusive insight into his life off-stage. While his life is rather extravagant, some may find it hard to relate, while some may envy him. However, Jay Hardway, for example, strips things back by uploading videos of his regular everyday activities such as cooking, interviews and studio sessions.
Regardless of the content, this helps create a bond between the artist and their fans, and develops a closeness between the two parties. As a result, fans may feel more inclined to interact with you and/or purchase your music, because they now see you as a person first, before they see you as a producer.
Utilize social media
Facebook and Twitter are excellent tools to assist your fan interaction. Some DJs may ignore comments and messages from fans. While this is mainly due to an inundating influx of messages, sometimes, this may dishearten some people. Simple actions such as responding to and liking comments is a great way to show your fans that you’re a person just like them. Artists such as Laidback Luke and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano regularly do this on Instagram. As a result, fans feel more inclined to interact on any given post, knowing there’s a chance their favorite DJ will acknowledge their input.
Posting memes is also an excellent way to get in touch with fans. Do your best to understand your fan base and the general demographic. This will give you a better idea as to what to post. Sometimes, being safe and posting a common trending meme will also suffice. Remember, humor is infectious. Try to spread it around as best you can.