There’s been alot of talk at South By Southwest (SXSW) about giving back to fans. It may seem obvious but for musicians fans are the key to your success, without them you have nothing. They will come to your shows, buy your music, purchase your t-shirts, so be sure to reward them. Too often the music industry has taken fans for granted, as if they were a disposable piece. If you’re an indie artist it is even more important to give something back to them. The easiest and best way is give your music away.

Now don’t give away all your music and don’t give your music away for nothing. When you are starting out it’s more important to ask for information about your fans rather then money.

You may be saying “oh I don’t want to be/feel corporate” and that by collecting information I’m pushing too hard on my fans. My answer to that is you are giving your fans something: your music. It is the reason they became a fan in the first place. It is therefore only fair to ask something in return, especially information that will help you to reach them better. Also by getting information about your fans you’ll be able to better build and understand your fanbase.

Things to Ask

It is important find out who your fans are, where they live, how they interact with your music and where they heard it first. Be careful not to ask too many questions, but keep your questions light and small, and perhaps some info can be optional. Not all the things below will be right for you but here are some ideas to follow:

Zip code - Good for finding out where your fans live, so you can plan your tours and shows effectively. You may be surprised on where your fans live.

Age Range - What is the demographic of your fanbase? How old are they, are they the right age range for Facebook, Myspace, texting, or should you use other avenues of promotion.

Email - The tried and true method of modern communication. Email your fans, as you likely do now, on upcoming events/shows, CD releases, etc.  You can also send a link back to the track in the welcome email. This can be a good way of making sure your fans enter a correct email address.

Mobile Number - Use text messaging the same way you would with email. It may seem redundant, but texting is more popular with younger ages.  It is also a great way to get ringtones to fans; another way to send and share music.  You can read about some texting & ringtone companies.

Where they discovered you - How effective has your marketing been? Was that recent Jambase mailer effective, or maybe they found your webpage from Myspace?