DIY indie music marketing
I’ve been a fan for a bit now of how Amanda Palmer and the Dresden Dolls have built up their fan base, and this post from Techdirt sums up why – it’s a case study in the power of engaging your fans directly, personally, and often spontaneously without the need for massive and polish big label marketing campaigns. It isn’t an argument for be all, end all, “old marketing is dead” rhetoric, but it is one concrete example that every marketer, regardless of industry, should learn from.
To start with, read Techdirt’s description of how Amanda uses Twitter to experiment with new ways to generate revenue and get her fans excited. Then read on with last week’s post which quotes an article from the Dresden Dolls’ old manager (my emphasis added):
I tour managed The Dresden Dolls from 2003-2006 and later co-managed the band as well as managed the launch of Amanda Palmer’s solo career. The band self-booked a spring 2004 tour around SXSW hitting everything from sports bars to a bbq restaurant. They had no label, publicist, radio promo, agent, etc. to help book or promote the shows. Before hitting the road, I thought, “who is going to turn up to these shows outside of the Northeast? (as the band is from Boston). How will anyone know about them?”
But kids DID turn up. Whether it was 100 folks in Carbondale, IL or the amazing show Appalachian State University students put together in Boone, NC, the tour was a smashing indie success. I asked the fans at the merch table and the folks who helped us put the shows together how they knew about the band. The answers were consistently along the lines of “my cousin in Vermont IM’d me,” “my boyfriend sent me a CD from Boston,” or “someone forwarded me one of their mailers.” It was true word-of-mouth about an incredible new band, fostered by Amanda and Brian’s commitment to playing killer shows, writing personalized mailers and signing an autograph for every fan who wanted one, no matter how many hours it took.
Commitment to delivering a great experience, showing the fans that they matter and they are appreciated, keeping things personal and direct…a great marketing story with narry a glitzy label-generated marketing campaign in site.
