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The relationship between an artist and a fan base in the music industry is very sensitive. It can take years for an artist to cultivate and maintain a devoted audience. JD Samson, a musician and Music Industry Essentials contributor, speaks about his experience finding his sound and connecting with his fans.
Watch the video to learn about:
- How artists connect with fans
- The importance of trust between an artist and their audience
- Maintaining an authentic sound
Building Your Audience
“Sometimes we care too much about what our audience thinks, which goes against our authenticity as an artist. So, we must make sure that we’re being true to ourselves first and relating to our audience,” says Samson. Finding the right audience is the first trick. In the process, we must answer these questions: who needs this artist? Who needs this story? Who wants this story in their life? Who can artists relate to most easily?
Samson had a special purpose for who he was creating his music. “For me, it was always feminists and queer people. For you, it might be friends who want to party all night long. There’s no wrong answer. You know your audience the best, so you must trust that you know what to give them. So many artists have changed their direction and kept their audience,” says Samson. “Think of an artist like Peaches, for example. Every single record of hers has a different genre, and her audience has carried through with her. She’s a sex-positive artist, and the people who follow her are interested in that as a political notion.”
The Role of Trust
For Samson, he finds inspiration in witnessing fans support artists who take risks. “Lady Gaga is a great example of somebody who has practiced fluidity in almost every part of her performance. One of those ways is changing her genre. With the album Joanne, she had a completely different sound. Some people didn’t like it, but for the most part, people supported her. The truth is that she created this deep fan base from the beginning that was willing to take chances with her. That is what we want to move toward.”
Samson continues, “Sia is another artist who’s been able to create fluidity within her artistry. She has figured out many different applications for her talent and artistic sensibilities. Sia started with a band called Zero 7 and had so much success working with these collaborators,” he explains. “Later, she worked on her own with her singer-songwriter project, which developed into a dance project. Next, she started making dance tracks and had a lot of success. Then, she created a persona for herself that was outside of her own personality. This mystery that she created brought people to her, and we have the ability to do this kind of thing, too.”
For more information on audience building and careers in music marketing, download Yellowbrick’s Ultimate Music Career Guide.
