Chapter FIVE

"Step" 1 – Listen

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people." Woodrow Wilson

Listening is the first step to the “Fan Experience” strategy in fact; listening is the heart of all strategy be it business, military or simply bettering communication. In the Fan Experience strategy “listening” acts as a guide through the ever-changing and fascinating minds of the fans. If we want to engage, build rapport and identify opportunities in fan communities - we must listen. It is important to know the difference between a passing mention of the music or a deeper experience with it because this makes it easier to determine which strategy to use. It is also critical to understand sentiment meaning whether any conversations are positive, negative or neutral. In addition, it is valuable to listen to peer to peer feedback, in other words what the fans are saying about each other. When we listen we can listen online via social media this includes everything from networks to blogs and forums, we can listen via fan mail and we can also listen in person at concerts for example.



Fans are becoming more and more empowered when it comes to their personal world of music. Advancing technology through the internet allows fans to share their experiences leading them to have richer connections with others. Fans have become more educated regarding the music creation and business process and therefore more confident when it comes to understanding it. As the technology companies hand over the control of information to the fans, other music business organisations may feel that they are losing control of their own. This doesn’t have to be the case with a good listening strategy.

There are many advantages to employing a listening strategy one of these is artist brand management. Listening to the fans can help you identify opportunities to strengthen an artist’s reputation such as addressing fan concerns. You can also measure where an artist stands in relation to any competition in the opinions of the fans. Another aspect is the overall tone of the fans’ conversations in relation to the artist and her music which can be influenced positively through your artist’s presence when done correctly. You may find that an artist doesn’t have a significant presence which is an opportunity in itself and is presents the chance to establish one on your terms with the fans that matter the most thereby strengthening ties with fan groups.

Conversations on social media are in real time and many fans take no prisoners in how they express themselves. What is said can sometimes do massive if not irreparable damage to an artist’s reputation, especially in the event of a crisis or any kind of controversy. No one wants to face a crisis however listening in on the chatter around any kind of crisis can be the one strategy that helps stop the bleeding through clarifying facts and reputation management. By taking a pro-active approach to listening music business organisations from major label groups to small independents can make it part of their marketing and fan management plans rather than a last minute tactic. Listening in this instance is significant to risk assessment and will help anticipate and prevent any catastrophes. Another advantage is identifying influencers be they positive or negative. Ascertaining your top ambassadors and critics can give you instant critical insights into how an artist and her music is perceived. By being proactive in this area you have the chance to strengthen relations with ambassadors and potentially convert critics into fans or at least neutralise any negativity coming your way.

Part of the Fan Experience listening strategy is to monitor your competition. With social media you can easily find out what fans are saying about your competitors and what their fans are saying about them too. There are numerous opportunities in discovering what fans like and dislike about any opposing teams. One thing you might be able to do is capitalise on any gaps between the competing artists and their fans. Another way to capitalise on listening to the fans is to recognise timely sales opportunities. You can gain incredible insight as to where sales leads exist. In addition to this your influencers can provide effective leverage within the fan community to help drive sales.

The internet is primarily where we go to listen and the rise in social media has given fans louder voices – they now cannot fail to be heard and it is now more important than ever to stay ahead of online fan conversations. Fans will often take to social media in order to get the attention of artists and their supporting music business organisations. As social networks expand so does the chatter and the noise that fans produce. It can be overwhelming so how do you prioritise all this information? The first thing that can be done is to find out where any conversations are taking place – are they happening on blogs, forums, video streaming platforms, short form messaging services or image-based social networks? It is much easier to participate on a conversation than create a completely new one.

The next thing to note is when conversations are taking place. Theoretically, conversations are taking place all the time in real-time so the listening strategy also takes place simultaneously ad infinitum however there will be spikes in chatter that will prove to be of significant interest. Some conversations might be event driven for example performances at awards ceremonies, sneak peaks of videos and audio, news stories or tour announcements. Another trend to look out for is cycles in chatter such as seasonal conversations or could you take advantage of back – to – school season? The most fundamental thing to note however, is “who” is doing the talking. It is beneficial to understand how much influence they have on others for example can this person sway the purchasing habits of other fans? If this ambassador were to post a comment would they have hundreds of others fans validate their point of view. Keeping an eye on ambassadors and critics can help you gather priceless input that you can use as design criteria around the artist, music and the experiences you plan to facilitate.

Another great chart from Statista.com. If you want to know more about how to leverage this trend as an upcoming indepedent artist check out my new booklet here.

I did a little brainstorm - it was a personal challenge to see if I could come up with 30 ideas of money making from music. Here are my 30 - try it for yourself - you might be surprised.....


1. Sell studio recordings all formats
2. Sell gig tickets
3. Sell merchandise
4. Sell shares in your band
5. Licensing
6.Commissioning music
7. Sponsorship
8. Ringtones
9. Paid gigs
10. Songwriting
11. Sale of bootlegs
12. Sale of sheet music
13. Adsense
14. You Tube video units
15. Amazon aStore/widgets
16. Affiliates e.g. Dolphin Music
17. Sessions
18. Fan club memberships
19. Website subscriptions
20. eBooks e.g. How to be a session singer?
21. Donations to record
22. Music Therapy
23. Music Teaching
24. Grants and funds
25. Banner advertising
26. Referral Schemes e.g Picasa, Adsense
27. Seminars and talks
28. Studio services
29. Lyrics
30. Paid Content Bundles

An itty bitty bit in the Croydon Guardian - this was when the business had a different name though.... :-)

A little more portfolio work

Networking online or in person (eventually it is necessary to do in person) involves talking to complete random strangers. People you don't know, people who might be untrustworthy, people who might have an agenda, people who might take from you, people who might steal from you, people who might harm you. We don't like talking to strangers. Strangers are bad. Strangers will hurt you. Strangers have negative associations.

Yet we are all strangers to other people.

I'm not a shy person, I'm outgoing, chatty and extroverted. I still don't like talking to arbitrary unfamiliar, alien people. Why? I was always told not to talk to strangers as a child. As children our parents drum that rule into us, and it's good thing. We need to be aware of danger. However, we also need to be aware that the psychological tools that we needed to keep us safe as kids are not always appropriate in the varying situations we find ourselves in as adults.

I have a 3 year old niece, Laksha, who until recently was "shy". Earlier this year we went on a huge family Caribbean cruise. My niece and I would take walks around the ship. In this environment, my adult self had no issue with greeting my fellow passengers even though they were all strangers. It was sunny, relaxed and our spirits were high. I knew Laksha and I were safe on the ship and I was right in my own way. Laksha thought differently. She knew everyone was a stranger and therefore not to be trusted. Laksha was right in her own way. Passengers would frequently attempt to greet my beautiful little niece. Laksha avoided eye contact by hiding in my arms or rubbing her eyes. This was interpreted as shyness. Shyness in young children is a psychological defence mechanism against harm from strangers. The first part of the defence process is to be unapproachable the next is to run away, scream and cry for their parents. Following this, it is to defend themselves against other small children. My niece knew that I thought that these "strangers" were ok, but she needed the chance to make her own decisions and practice "sizing people up." As adults, we make those decisions instantaneously - we've had more practice! Of course, following her many social experiences at such a young age I'm pleased proud to say that Laksha is now better than me at selecting and talking to new people!

Even though we regularly interact with strangers though work and social functions, these childhood rules still haunt us. However, when you're trying to network as a grown up those rules just don't help. So, how do you talk to stranger at a networking event when you're there on your own? I'm hoping this blog will help equip you with a few ideas at your next networking event so you can make the best of your time there.

The initial note to bear in mind is that you are allowed to talk to strangers at networking events - in fact, you're meant to. I like to think of it like being on the cruise ship where it was almost impolite not to say hello to the passengers around you. Remember you have plenty in common with your fellow networkers:-

1. You are all there to meet and talk to each other.
2. You are all strangers to each other.
3. You are there to network.
4. You are all there to make the best of the event
5. You are all there to help your fellow networkers where you can.


So the first hurdle is your approach and it starts with looking around for someone to meet, making eye contact and then offering a smile.

Smiling is the easiest thing to do but so hard for so many people. This is because of what we are thinking at the time. However, when breaking the ice in a networking event smiling is all-important. People mirror smiles. Test this for yourself generally if you smile at people they will smile back even if they don't mean to. It may help to remember the last time you felt truly hospitable, to be welcoming you have to smile! People mirror attitude so like The Law of Attraction a bad mood attracts bad vibes. People are less likely to want to talk to you.

When you have met someone to connect with, you may want to have a few opening lines ready for example:-

1. Very simply introduce yourself and what you do.
2. Asking how they found the seminar, talk, workshop (some networking events contain these)
3. Ask how business is today.
4. Ask the other person what they do.
5. Ask what time the event ends (Even if you know)
6. Ask how the other person's day has been.
7. Offering introductions.
8. Ask if the other person is enjoying the networking event and who have they met.

Once you have broken the ice and in a good flow of conversation do remember the following:-

1. Don't have an agenda - and don't let other people have an agenda either.
2. Prepare for some scepticism - all this means is that more information is needed.
3. No judgement.
4. Prepare some questions that you don't know the answer to.
5. Take time to get to know the other person.
6. Beware of BS e.g., I met someone who said that they had consulted to a major record label and that this major record label was not licensing any if it's back catalogue. Licensing is of course staple revenue for a major record label.
7. Keep the conversation alive with new question.
8. Offer ideas.
9. Listen.

You will come across people who may not be in the mood to converse. This isn't personal, tell them to "Have a nice day/evening/week/weekend and take care." Exchange cards so you can you can connect with them later. Let them go and move forward. Shake hands, beginning or end of the interaction depending on what feels natural.


With practice, you will gain huge benefits from these networking exercises, for example:-

1. It builds your social skills. You also enable another person to build theirs and after a while this just becomes a natural part of who you are.
2. You learn new things
3. You get more opportunities.
4. You will have the pleasure of creating opportunities for others.

Good luck and Happy Networking