In the world of independent music, an artist’s direct engagement with their fans can be not only an influential path to career growth, but an important opportunity for monetization as well. Similar to the live music experience being enhanced when fans can meet the artist at the merch table, there are growing opportunities in the online world for more direct and personal interactions.
Your artist website is the perfect space for meet-and-greets without the noise of ads or distractions that social media creates. It’s a space belonging to you alone, that you can curate as the hub for your online presence as a musician. If someone sees your video on YouTube or hears your music on Spotify, they Google you and your website comes up. From there, you can capture their attention and engage them with your music and your brand.
In 2020, independent artists leveraged their websites to create more meaningful connections with fans than ever before. Over 55,000 Bandzoogle members used their music websites directly to both engage their fans, and generate revenue from their music online. More than 48 million visitors came to these artist websites from over 200 countries around the world.
Looking at direct-to-fan tools to build your following online, websites are still a gold mine for collecting email addresses, with our members collecting over 2.3M fan emails last year. Email is still the best way for musicians to keep in touch with their fans, growing the relationship and letting them know about new music, merch, or events.
Fans downloaded over 850,000 tracks in 2020 as well, meaning that this is a viable way to both connect with fans, and give them a way to support you as you make new music.
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Merch sales were instrumental for our members to make money from their websites. With more than 9.4 million dollars generated commission-free, t-shirts, vinyl, CDs, and videos are all successful ways to create profit. Plus, with our Printful integration, it’s easier than ever for artists to make products and sell them directly to fans without the worry of inventory or shipping costs.
With the emphasis on supporting local gathering steam during the pandemic, artists also collected over 8400 tips from their website visitors - netting $272,000 in commission-free revenue. In addition to this, musicians sold over 26,000 tickets to live stream shows in 2020 as well.
Fan subscriptions are yet another way to grow revenue while connecting more deeply with fans, with $300,000 coming in for artists who have added this option to their website.
In 2020, we saw a real push to buy direct from artists, as consumers have gained more of an awareness about the importance of supporting artists in this way. This is just the beginning; while streaming revenues and social media are a piece of the puzzle, there is true worth in developing a meaningful relationship with your fans. They’ll be there to support you as you navigate through the present climate of the music industry. Your website contains the tools you need to grow that relationship.
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Hired as Bandzoogle’s very first support technician in 2007, Stacey Bedford was named CEO of the music website platform in 2018. She was named a 2019 Digital Power Player by Billboard Magazine. A mother of three, Stacey lives in Ottawa with her family, and holds a BA in Economics from Carleton University. She’s also an avid guitar player and karaoke singer.
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