Another Musician Who Recognizes The Concept Of True Fans

from the flo-rida dept

News.com is running an interview with an up and coming hip hop artist named Flo Rida who appears to clearly grasp the concept of True Fans. When asked if he gets upset about people sharing his music online he says:

"If you're really in touch with your fans on a personal level then you don't have to worry about things like that. A lot of times I make sure I go onto MySpace and holler at my fans, looking at them on YouTube, showing love, making sure that I'm in tune more so on a personal level than just having a hot song...cause these are people who just might want to go to the store to get the album as well as download. These are people who might want to put your poster on the wall or see your (album) art.

The reporter also notes that he used to shout his cell phone number out during concerts. It appears that treating his fans right has its rewards. One of his songs set a record with 13 straight weeks at the top of the charts as the most popular ringtone and he has two Top 10 digital singles on the charts despite the fact his album hasn't even been released yet.

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Does The Math On 1,000 True Fans Add Up?

from the john-scalzi-doesn't-think-so dept

Last week, when I wrote about Kevin Kelly's concept of content creators building up 1,000 True Fans, I was pretty careful to focus mainly on the concept of "True Fans" rather than the 1,000 number. Author John Scalzi (who we were also just talking about for his results in giving away ebooks) has taken Kelly to task, suggesting that when you do the math, the numbers don't add up. It's a good read, though I don't think it actually takes anything away from the entire concept of focusing on your "True Fans." Also, perhaps I misread Kelly's piece, but I don't think he meant to say that building up 1,000 True Fans is easy (the main point that Scalzi rebuts). Kelly also puts in plenty of caveats at the end of his piece, noting that you have to adjust the concept depending on the situation, and it certainly doesn't apply to everyone. In the end, I think both pieces make sense - and perhaps Kelly was a bit over eager in setting the number at 1,000. However, the key point that Kelly makes stands: if you connect with fans in a real and meaningful way, it may take time, but you can start to put together business models that will allow you to support yourself, without having to go the traditional route where only the top of the top can actually make a living. That's still quite different than how the world was just a short while ago.

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