It goes without saying that the pandemic really took its toll on indie recording artists who count on making money playing live shows and selling merch at those performances. With so much opening back up now, there is a mad scramble to get back on stages as quickly and as often as possible. After all, the rent is still due. Your car payment still hasn’t gone away. The cell phone company didn’t stop sending a monthly bill just because of the Coronavirus.
In other words, you’re pulling out all the stops to get some money coming back in via your music career.
Do you have a Patreon for your family, friends, fans, and followers to support you through that means? If not, you could be leaving money on the table.
In addition to the loyal locals, consider the people who live so far away that they can’t come and see you perform live, especially if you don’t tour nationally (or even internationally). They won’t be buying tickets to your live shows. They won’t be walking up to drop money in your tip jar (or seeing the sign you have up about ways that people can tip you virtually), nor will they be approaching a merch table.
Granted, you can tell me that you can still have merch available for sale on your website (so then, do you?!) and that a social media post can let people know that they can tip you through PayPal or Venmo or CashApp, for example. But in the case of sending you money ‘for no reason,’ it might feel a little empty for them. While you (and I) think they should just see the value in what you do and want to support you, the truth is, they’ll feel better about sending you money if they’re getting something in return other than a warm and fuzzy feeling in their heart for the next few minutes.
By putting yourself up on Patreon (and no, they didn’t ask me to write this), you’re (presumably) offering exclusive access not available anywhere else. (For example, bonus content not offered on any platform other than Patreon is available for just five bucks a month in conjunction with the weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast.) The rewards, gifts, perks, whatever you want to call them, should be unique. It shouldn’t be something every other artist on Patreon is offering and it should be something that is truly you.
A client of mine just launched her Patreon and one of the benefits you get for signing up at a certain tier that she’s offering is voice memos from when she was getting song ideas! How original is that?! She’s also offering scratch demos (tracks that have guitar and vocal only). This type of originality is sure to get your supporters to say, “Wow, now that’s different. I’d like to hear those!” And voila, you now are getting some patrons.
Keep the wheels turning. What can you offer that people are going to feel they just can’t do without (since you’re not going to make it available anywhere else)?
| Related posts: |
| Your Music is Original, But Are You? |
| Why Performers Need to Keep These 7 Platforms Updated |
Coming up with clever givebacks for when people sign up is only half the battle, though. You can come up with the coolest offerings out there, but if no one knows about your Patreon, what good is it?
You want people to buy your music, so you actively tell people how they can do so. It’s also a foregone conclusion that you’re going to routinely let people know where and when they can see you perform live. So, think of Patreon as a third money-making option that you need to be promoting too.
Educate people on what Patreon is, why they should sign up for it, and what’s in it for them. And make sure you have a compelling intro video on your Patreon page so people can see and hear from you.
Remember, the bill collector doesn’t care what your source of income is, just that you’re able to pay your bills on-time. So, widen your view of the indie music landscape and where the earning potential is and then start your Patreon so your tribe can support you from the comfort of their home.
Already have a Patreon? What’s working well? What’s not working? Tweet your experience with it to me via @NHT_Tweets. Or post about it on Facebook or LinkedIn. You can even just email me about it instead. Plus, if you need help with your indie music career, purchase one or more of my eBooks filled with tips for on and off the stage, and/or book a private, one-on-one video consultation with me.