More Insights from the CD Baby D.I.Y Conference

More musings and take - away notes I took at the terrific First Ever CD Baby D.I.Y. Conference for Independent Artists:

• Pay what you want (for music) is a strategy that works. Many fans pay more than the suggested list price. Tip Jars are also OK.
• Lifetime memberships was a unique idea, and subscription services (fans pay something monthly for ongoing content) is another unique business model.
• The Label route isn't always the most productive. Once you're into a 360 deal, you have to use all the services offered by a label. So you can press your own CD for about $1 but the label service costs you $3. You can have a T-Shirt printed up for $1 but the label T-Shirt company wants $5. A lot of the advance money you get from the label is swallowed back by the label. They have someone pushing music onto radio, but with limited slots, you're competing with others trying to get a hit onto radio.
• The marketing for musicians mirrors most other small business challenges - awareness, capture, engagement, monetize.
• Always be thinking about the lifetime value of the Fan.
• Most Artists do not offer fans a way to engage them except when they release new music on Fridays.
• Blockchain and bitcoins are going to be a big deal for musicians. 
• People read on phones, so all your digital presence should be mobile optimized.

Already looking forward to next year and being part of the event!

Adva Mobile at the first CD Baby DIY Conference

CD Baby organized their first DIY Conference a few weeks ago, and it was a success. More than 1,000 independent Artists showed up to learn from the pro's about marketing, career advancement, and making great music.

Here's a group of photo's from the event, including yours truly with Adva Mobile Artist Sean Ardoin and Zydekool (text getkool to 444999 to check out Zydekool and their terrific Cajun sound).

My favorite take-away from the event - Keynote close speaker Martin Atkins (Public Image Ltd, Killing Joke): "If the fans are looking to buy your merchandise and there's nothing for sale, it's not their fault!"

More Take- Aways from this inspiring  3 day event:

• There were 1,050 Artists at the Conference and 15% have a database of more than 500 names
• There was a lot of push for email.... apparently text is not yet mainstream :-) . Email address and zip is core, leading to using data to drive decisions. Contact data is key. 
• Fans are fascinated by the creativity of Artists so don't just show them the end product - show them the process. Don't think that what you think is boring is boring to your fans. The story of how it's happening is exciting. 
•  17% of fans think of themselves as superfans and represent 61% of sales
• Make money showing how you make things, not selling the end product.

I'll have more posts about specific details of the conference that were particularly relevant for Adva Mobile. I was left inspired by the passion of Independent Musicians, and you sure do need the kinds of tools we're building here at Adva Mobile to engage your fans.